Earlier this summer, an early birthday treat to myself was getting to see Ambrosia at the Fraze Pavilion in Kettering, a suburb of Dayton, on Friday, July 13. It may have been Friday the 13th, but I felt like one of the luckiest music fans in the world, getting to meet a group whose music I've loved and played nonstop for years and years.
I put Ambrosia's music in the "blue-eyed soul" category, similar to groups who also rose to fame in the '70s like Michael McDonald and the Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan, and Darryl Hall and John Oates. Though these artists’ sound is often classified as "pop," "lite rock" or even "elevator music," it has a strong element of soul and R&B that have won them more than a few African-American fans like myself.
The tickets for Ambrosia were only $5, but fans could pay an extra $35 to gain access to a meet and greet with the band. Needless to say, as a diehard fan, I would have paid much more for this privilege.
To my delight, the guys in the band couldn't have been nicer or more down to earth when I met them. When it was my turn to be ushered in to the dressing room where the guys were greeting fans before the show, I shyly told them, "My name's Chris. I love your music."
They were all very friendly. The current lineup features original members, vocalist/guitarist Joe Puerta, drummer Burleigh Drummond and keyboardist Christopher North and “newbies” Doug Jackson and Rick Cowling.
While taking the photo, the band members told me, "Chris, stand next to Chris," so I wedged myself between Chris and Joe. Burleigh asked if I was a musician, to which I said no (although I've always wished I had learned to play a musical instrument).
The Fraze concert was a wonderful experience all-around -- perfect weather that was sunny and warm yet breezy and not too humid. And the wristband that granted me access to the backstage meet and greet also enabled me to sit in one of the first three rows (I chose to sit in the third row because there was an aisle seat, since my legs are long and I can get claustrophobic at times).
The band performed many of their songs from Anthology, their greatest-hits album that I've listened to over and over throughout the past decade. They opened the show with "Nice, Nice, Very Nice," an upbeat song with lyrics by famed writer Kurt Vonnegut. The number was very appropriate, since the weather was so pleasant and everyone onstage and off seemed happy to be there.
Highlights included an extended, intense version of the ballad "How Much I Feel" and an enthusiastic performance of the feel-good groove "Biggest Part of Me," which got the audience up and dancing, clapping their hands and snapping their fingers. Surprisingly, they performed "You're the Only Woman" early on in the set. One of their biggest hits (and one of my favorite songs of all time), I would have thought they would saved that gem for closer to the end.
After the show, I waited in line to have the guys sign my CD (they didn't sign autographs at the meet and greet before the show to keep things moving as quickly as possible before taking the stage). Once again, Burleigh asked me if I was a musician, to which I replied, "No, I play the radio." Keyboardist Chris pointed out, "If it wasn't for people who play the radio, we wouldn't be where we are today."
The coolest part of the experience was getting to tell the guys how I discovered - or re-discovered their music. As I related to them, in April 2003, I took my grandfather and father figure, whom I called "Daddy Bob," to buy an Easter hat for my grandmother, Pearl. Ambrosia's "You're the Only Woman" was playing on the Muzak at JC Penney in Eastland Mall.
I remembered that song and others by Ambrosia playing on the radio when I was a kid in the '70s. Hearing the soulful, jazzy "You're the Only Woman" on the store's sound system prompted me to go get their greatest hits from the library. I burned a copy of the CD of and proceeded to wear it out over the next few years until I finally broke down and bought an actual copy of the album, knowing it would be money well-spent and a prized possession for many years to come.
That shopping experience with my grandfather was one of my last memories of him, since he died the next year. The fact that I got to meet the band who performed the song that was playing that day in the store with my grandfather, and the fact that they're all so cool and down to earth was one of the most meaningful experiences of my life.
The only downside to meeting Ambrosia was that original lead singer David Pack, whose soulful voice is featured on "You're the Only Woman," "Biggest Part of Me" and many of the group's biggest hits, no longer tours with the band. Nonetheless, the experience, overall, was nice, nice, very nice.
