The dynamic duo of Russell Hitchcock (above right) and Graham Russell mesmerize the audience with their power ballads. Photos provided to China Daily

Air Supply's dynamic duo of Russell Hitchcock and Graham Russell wows the city with their classic power ballads and entertaining stage antics. Rebecca Lo sings along with the sold out AsiaWorld-Expo crowd.

We all have guilty pleasures. For some, it's chocolate; for others, it's reality TV. For me, it's Air Supply.

The chart-topping love ballads by Australians Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock may be more familiar as Muzak to younger audiences. But no one can deny their influence on soft rock's development during its formative years. And everyone can hum at least one Air Supply song - or sing along to the choruses of their greatest hits.

"Yeah, no one will admit to being an Air Supply fan," chuckles Scott Murphy, my former colleague tasked with filming footage for Air Supply's upcoming DVD, which will be available by end of the year.

Yet a loyal gathering of 2,800 people begged to differ. Proudly singing along at the top of their lungs, they packed the soldout concert at AsiaWorld-Expo - and reaffirmed that the 60-something-year-olds still have what it takes to make stadiums rock.

"We have many friends here," said Hitchcock in the green room prior to the one night only show presented by Midas Promotions. "We first came here in 1981 and there is always something different every time we come back."

"We'll be performing two new songs tonight," added Russell. "One of them is a dance song called Desert Sea Skies."

"We'll also be playing songs that people know and love," said Hitchcock. "We have new guys in our band that add a different dimension." Consisting of Israeli natives Aviv Cohen on drums and Amir Efrat on keyboards, Salt Lake City's Jonni Lightfoot on bass and Los Angeles' Aaron McLain on lead guitar, the band members are a generation younger than Air Supply's founders. Yet they all share the same unbridled enthusiasm for the classic melodies.

Hitchcock nods at a wreath emblazoned with Jackie Chan's well wishes. "He always sends us flowers, even if he can't attend our concerts personally. He's a very sweet, genuine guy."

"We're playing four countries in six days," Russell noted. Those concerts include a night in Myanmar, the first time they will be touring in the country. There are plans for additional Chinese cities in December, but those dates are still to be confirmed.

"We tour for 250 days of the year," said Hitchcock. "To prepare before we go on stage, I drink ginseng tea and grape juice."

"I have a blend of vegetable juice with spinach, carrot and parsley," Russell said.

As I settled into my seat in AsiaWorld-Expo, I noticed that the audience was predominantly Chinese, and there were many families who brought their children along. These 10-year-olds all seemed to know the lyrics to Air Supply's classics by heart, as I heard singing all around me. A good chunk of the audience was people over the age of 50.

The show began with a roar from the audience, as the band made their way on stage to the strains of Even the Nights are Better. Hitchcock's distinctive countertenor vocals were still as strong as ever, and he easily worked the crowd with his air guitar flourishes. On their fourth song, Here I Am, a keyboard riff by Efrat propelled Hitchcock to the final chorus that was expected to end with a sustained high note - yet he whispered it instead to deafening applause.

In the middle of Dance with Me, Russell handpicked a girl from the audience to join him on stage. He proceeded to serenade her, like something out of a Bruce Springsteen music video.

"I'm so excited! You're so close to me," gushed the girl, swaying along as the rock star held her hand.

"This is very exciting, isn't it?" cooed Russell right back at her.

He followed with the debut of Desert Sea Sky, an up-tempo number that got everyone on their feet dancing. Their second new song, I Won't Stop Loving You, was sung entirely by Russell.

Russell said to the audience as we cheered, "this new song has never been played before anywhere in the world - we've only rehearsed it twice. So consider this a sound check."

Russell proceeded to sing a quiet ballad while accompanying himself on acoustic guitar. It was clear that despite all the previous ways Air Supply had of communicating love won and lost, the band still had something new to say.

For The One That You Love, Hitchcock and Russell stage dove into the audience and proceeded up the aisle in opposite directions. Pandemonium broke out as fans rushed to photograph or record from the best angles possible, following the singers along en mass as they looped their way back on stage.

"Love is an important ingredient of what we do," said Hitchcock towards the end of the show, which ended with Making Love Out of Nothing at All and two encores. "I want you to turn to the person you came here with and give them a big kiss!"

And everyone did just that. It was an old fashioned love-in, after all.

Contact the writer at sundayed@chinadaily.com.cn.

(China Daily 08/18/2013 page15)