Air Supply bringing 50th anniversary tour to Niagara Falls: Russell Hitchcock interview

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- Fifty years since forming, Air Supply is back on the road and is releasing a 50th anniversary greatest hits record in commemoration of the milestone. Their anniversary tour will stop by the OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino on May 30 and 31, with shows at at 9 p.m. each day. WIVB spoke with frontman Russell Hitchcock via Zoom ahead of the shows.

"[It's] unbelievable, really," Hitchcock said of the duo's tenure. "Obviously this year is the year -- we kept on having 20, 30 year anniversaries, but this is something spectacular."

He said the greatest hits record has been in the works for about a year and a half through Sony Legacy records. He also had a copy of the record on-hand during the interview.

"There it is," he said, before flipping the record over and displaying the back. "Me and the tall guy. Yeah, great achievement."

Hitchcock and guitarist Graham Russell also released an EP, "Love Confessions," this past Valentine's Day, though it seems as if Hitchcock didn't get the memo.

"Is that right? What was that like?" he inquired. "It must have gone past me. I don't know, what was on that?"

Upon learning of the six-song tracklist, Hitchcock was impressed with what was selected for the release, noting that "Never Fade Away" was his favorite of the songs.

"Oh wow, okay. You know, I haven't seen that. I'm going to have to fire somebody," he joked. "You know, the the great thing about that is that there's, like, kind of obscure songs. 'Never Fade Away' is my favorite on that whole thing."

He credited English producer Peter Collins for his help with the song and the key changes toward the song's finish. He said it is, in his opinion, one of his best vocal performances.

The band will officially celebrate 50 years on May 12, just two and a half weeks ahead of their Fallsview shows.

"You probably hear this a lot: It is one of my favorite venues," Hitchcock said. "We always get gorgeous rooms overlooking The Falls. In fact, I was there last time, it froze over, which was quite an experience."

Hitchcock teased a great show of very loud rock and roll, featuring the songs fans have known and loved for a long time. The show includes "a new opening" and the addition of Salt Lake City cellists Cassie Olson and Kat Findlay, whom Hitchcock said give the show a sonically pleasing sound and makes the group look "classy."

"Just a great show; I'm very proud of it," he said.

The band has played in front of a slew of world leaders in the past 50 years, including Princess Diana and Prince Charles, the Sultan of Brunei, and Imelda Marcos, and has played venues such as the Sydney Opera House and the Hollywood Bowl, and will be playing Carnegie Hall on May 13. Hitchcock said of those memories from the past 50 years, meeting Princess Diana is what sticks out to him the most.

"I've always been a royalist," he said. "Very proud to be a member of the Commonwealth. And, just, you know, surreal experience to have her standing in front of you, even having a chat for 10 minutes, it was something else."

He reiterated his love for Fallsview and said where it fits in among the venues he previously mentioned.

"Carnegie Hall is important for us, but Fallsview is, as I said, one of our favorite venues," Hitchcock said. "We've done very well over the years. We have great, supportive fans in Canada. And we love Canada."

The band is also set to be featured in a biopic later this year, titled "All Out of Love: The Air Supply Story," from screenwriter Stuart Beattie.

For tickets to Air Supply's shows at Fallsview Casino, click here. The full interview can be seen at the top of this page.