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’70s acts fill Robins Theatre with hits

WARREN — The Robins Theatre set the Wayback Machine for the 1970s on Saturday as part of its 100th anniversary weekend with a trio of acts that were regulars on AM radio in that decade.

Atlanta Rhythm Section, Pure Prairie League and Firefall combined to deliver about three hours of music filled with songs that were part of the soundtrack for many Baby Boomers (I’m old enough to have had one or two ARS albums on 8-track, and I still have my vinyl copy of PPL’s breakout “Bustin’ Out”).

It shouldn’t be surprising, considering that nearly all of the songs played Saturday night were between 40 and 50 years old, that only a couple of the musicians on stage had a hand in crafting the original versions of those tracks.

Firefall’s Jock Bartley has been a part of Firefall since its inception, handling lead guitar and the low end of those harmonies. John David Call’s steel guitar player can be heard on most of those 1970s PPL albums and accentuated the arrangements Saturday in Warren.

Rodney Justo is the original lead singer of ARS and is featured on its debut album, but all of the hit singles were released after he left.

But even if most of the musicians on stage weren’t a part of the songs’ creation, they capably continued their legacy.

The stage was filled with talented singers.

Firefall, who headlined a triple bill at the Robins on its reopening weekend in 2020, was the opening act this time, and the lineup was significantly different than the one that played here three years ago.

Steven Weinmeister, who rejoined the band in 2021 but previously played guitar and sang with Firefall from 1993 to 2014, faithfully recreated the lead vocals on “Living Is Easy” to start its 45-minute set and other favorites like “You Are the Woman.”

Bass player John Bisaha, who also is the lead singer in the current lineup of The Babys, sang lead vocals on “So Long.”

Multi-instrumentalist Jim Waddell also wasn’t in the band in 2020, but he added different textures to the musical arrangements, switching among keyboards, saxophone and flute. His flute solo on “Strange Way” earned a standing ovation from the crowd.

Everyone but Call sang during Pure Prairie League’s 50-minute set. Drummer Scott Thompson sang lead on “Early Morning Riser,” guitar player Jeff Zona handled songs like “Let Me Love You Tonight” (originally sung by Vince Gill during his short tenure in the band) and keyboard player Randy Harper sang “I’ll Change Your Flat Tire, Merle” and did most of the between song talking.

Bass player Jared Camic, sporting a mustache that could make Ron Swanson feel inadequate, also sang lead on a song or two.

“Let Me Love You Tonight” was PPL’s biggest hit (top 10 on the Hot 100, number one on the Adult Contemporary chart), but there’s no debate about the band’s most popular song. “Amie” closed the set and prompted a singalong with the crowd.

ARS closed the night with an hour-long set dominated by hits like “Champagne Jam,” “Spooky,” “I’m Not Gonna Let It Bother Me Tonight,” “So Into You” and “Imaginary Lover.”

Justo entertained with between-song stories. He said when the band’s manager / producer/songwriter Buddy Buie first played him “So Into You,” Justo told him the lyric “There is voodoo in the vibes” was the stupidest thing he ever heard.

The live arrangements expanded on those shorter radio singles with extended solos by guitarists Steve Stone and David Anderson.

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