Watch: Love in the Air in Tel Aviv

Australian rock duo Air Supply belt out their power ballads to adoring Israeli fans.

By AMY SPIRO
AIR SUPPLY performs in Tel Aviv December 14 (photo credit: AMY SPIRO)
AIR SUPPLY performs in Tel Aviv December 14
(photo credit: AMY SPIRO)
Whether you’re all out of love, or making love out of nothing at all, if you attended the Air Supply concert Sunday night (or the one Friday night) at Tel Aviv’s Mann Auditorium (Heichal Hatarbut), you left with a full heart after a night rocking out to the power ballads of the Australian pop duo.
Air Supply – made up of Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock, both well into their 60s – put on an energetic and emotion-filled performance for a crowd of adoring fans. Though it may not be in fashion to love the ’80s soft-rock kings, Sunday night’s crowd knew they were among friends, and shamelessly belted out the words to even some of their lesser-known songs. When Russell and Hitchcock descended into the audience mid-concert they were mobbed by fans wanting selfies and women looking to grab their hands – and they happily obliged.
Air Supply rock Tel Aviv
(Video: Laura Kelly)
The duo sportingly performed their biggest hits – from “All Out of Love” to “Making Love Out of Nothing At All” and “Even the Nights are Better,” as well as their many other saccharine love songs, including “Lost in Love,” “The One That You Love” and “Every Woman in the World To Me.” Even after 40 years touring together, their voices were rich, strong and velvety smooth.
Air Supply are no strangers to the Israeli public, having last performed in Israel in 2011 – in Jerusalem, Ra’anana, Haifa and Beersheba – and before that in 2008. They opened the concert with a hearty “erev tov Tel Aviv!” and promised that “we will be back,” a proclamation which received a resounding cheer from the audience.
Hometown boys Amir Efrat on keyboard, originally from Kibbutz Urim, and Aviv Cohen on drums, originally from Tel Aviv (who have been touring with the band for five and two years, respectively), were also greeted with ringing applause.
The cheesy, schmaltzy songs of Air Supply are easy to mock, and they’re fair game for music critics, but judging by the enthusiastic crowd, I’m not the only one with a secret love for the masters of love songs. I may however, be among the youngest; there were few other 20-somethings in the audience, and a whole lot of dad-dancing going on.
The aging duo certainly play to their expectations, making numerous comments about the romance and passion in the air, and strutting around stage in glittery outfits like the hottest rock gods – all to thunderous applause in the packed 2,500 seat auditorium.
Air Supply may have had their biggest hits in the ’80s, but their fans are still around today, and still as in love.