Air Supply to play famed Las Vegas theater

It seems long-running rock duos are destined for acrimony. Just ask Hall and Oates, separately.

But Air Supply is different. Fifty years on, and Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock have yet to skirmish.

“We’ve never had an argument, ever, which is bizarre,” Russell says during a recent phone chat. “People find it hard to believe, but it’s true.”

Russell explains that he lives in Utah and Hitchcock lives in California, and the two only see each other when they are working.

“When we get together, there’s a lot to go over, a lot to talk about. It’s just a mutual respect,” Russell says. “We get on great, and have for almost 50 years.”

Air Supply plays Westgate’s International Theater at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The duo that met in Sydney, Australia in 1975 has played the old Elvis theater once previously, in October. The moved to Westgate after about two decades at Orleans Showroom.

Last week they notched a first with a sold-out show at Carnegie Hall.

“It was incredible,” Russell says. “It was one of our greatest shows, and we’ve played 5,500.”

An organic partnership

Russell and Hitchcock’s 50th anniversary started this year and will continue into May 2026. As a piece of pop-music lore, the duo met when they were cast in “Jesus Christ Superstar” and went on to sell more than 20 million albums.

“It was during rehearsals and we just became friends, straightaway,” Russell says. “There were 34 people in the cast and we didn’t know anybody. We just gravitated toward each other.”

The two shared an interest in musical theater, and music generally.

“It just happened, you know? He had this incredible voice and I had all these songs,” Russell says. “I said, ‘OK, let’s put something together.’ I am not a lead singer, I’m a songwriter. We recorded one song, and it went to No. 1. Suddenly it was happening.”

“Lost in Love” was Air Supply’s first top-selling single. The duo soon proved they were not one-hit wonders. With an effervescent, melodic song construction, Russell and Hitchcock would reel off seven top-five hits. “All Out of Love,” “The One That You Love,” “Sweet Dreams,” and “Making Love Out Of Nothing At All” followed, tunes that became ear worms for generations.

Story time

The duo have only expanded their fan base over the decades. Their popularity has led to a biopic, “All Out of Love: The Air Supply,” tracing the duo’s meeting and rapid rise to recording stardom. The film is due this year. Robert Luketic (“Legally Blonde” and “21”) directs.

“We’ve thought about it for some time, but we didn’t think it would come out of the woods so quickly,” Russell says. “But I think with our 50th coming up, it’s just spurred everything along … It’s on the express train right now.”

And a stage show, “All Out of Love: The Musical,” is due to open on London’s West End next year. It could be that Air Supply is attaining an ABBA-style resurgence beyond their original recordings. But that’s not a claim Russell will make.

“I’ve always been very guarded with something like that. But I can tell you the actual script is fantastic, it’s funny and it’s got a great story,” Russell says. “The musical is fabulous (laughs) and I’m not just saying that because most of it is mine.”

A Vegas link

Air Supply has a strong Las Vegas connection through Frankie Moreno, who led the duo’s backing band for years. One memorable night in February 2009, Russell joined members of the Las Vegas Philharmonic for Moreno’s late-night performance at Golden Nugget’s Rush Lounge. The night unfolded with an overflow crowd singing Air Supply classics.

Moreno, who was in attendance at Carnegie Hall, is always cajoling Russell into writing another hit.

“He always says that, and I agree (laughs),” Russell says. “I’ve written quite a bit with Frankie, because he’s really very clever and he knows what he’s doing.”

Air Supply will continue to make music and advance its story on stage and screen. Fifty years is not the finish line.

“Really, after everything, we’re just a working band that travels everywhere and plays shows,” Russell says. “These projects, we didn’t chase them. They came to us and said, ‘It’s time to do this.’ So it’s good for us, we are still playing and we’ve got a lot of things going on.”

Cool Hang Alert

Staying with Westgate, “Soul of Motown” delivers the R&B classics at Westgate Cabaret. Show times are 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 7:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, 9 p.m. Fridays. A can’t miss for fans of such iconic acts as Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, The Supremes, The Four Tops and Marvin Gaye.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.