Yacht Rock Revue

There probably hasn’t been a time in recent history since yacht rock (as a sub-sub-genre?) has been more popular....
Yacht Rock Revue : Live

Yacht Rock Revue : Live

There probably hasn’t been a time in recent history since yacht rock (as a sub-sub-genre?) has been more popular; although not much has been written about this classic time in the late-‘70s and the early ‘80s smooth-and-soft-rock musical history, you know that when SiriusXM dedicates an entire station to your tunes, you are somewhat-mainstream in the public’s ears.

Sunday night, September 18th, in Austin, Texas, the likes of Ambrosia and The Yacht Rock Revue™ sailed into the Moody Theater on an unusually-warm evening that meant the boat shoes, Hawaiian shirts and captain’s hats were out in full force. Although one would predict the popularity of yacht rock being solely of interest to greying-haired country club-goers, silver fox-bearded maritime workers, and the hangers-on that enjoy the company of such individuals, a surprising number of audience members were in their early 30s and 40s and simply having a great time double fisting vodka drinks and parading around the general admission floor-area taking selfies with other self-proclaimed “captains.”

Ambrosia

Ambrosia, arguably the most yacht-rock of all yacht-bands, opened the night with a rather short and abridged five-song set of their greatest hits, including “Holdin’ on to Yesterday”, “Life Beyond L.A.” and “You’re the Only Woman”. Having most of their original members, the audience went wild song-after song; we only wish they would have played longer than 25 minutes.

captains

Peter BeckettAfter a quick ten-minute intermission, Yacht Rock Revue jumped on stage with the energy and excitement of teenagers and as if they are the largest, most-popular pop band in the world. Per their band page, the band has won accolades ranging from “Best Place to Get Drunk With Your Dad” and “Best Place to Start an Extramarital Affair.” Playing yacht-rock covers from the greatest smooth-rock bands of the time, including Hall & Oates and Christopher Cross, the audience sang every single word and ate up their impeccable and spot-on performance.

Robbie DupreeAs the 22-song set rolled on, various special guests came on-stage, including Robbie Dupree of “Steal Away” fame. Dupree’s sensual pop singing had the ladies in the audience scream in approval. Matthew Wilder of “Break My Stride” came on-stage to much cheering, followed by the original members of Player, Ronn Moss and Peter Beckett. As “Baby Come Back” played on followed by a powerful medley encore of the Doobie Brothers’ “Takin’ it to the Streets” and Fleetwood Mac’s “Don’t Stop” with everyone on stage, the night ended on a high note and everyone was loudly singing their favorite moments of the night as they filed out into another hot- and sultry Austin night.

Yacht Rock Revue

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