America: The Happy Trails Tour

A Horse With No Name, and everything that came after it.

America formed in 1970 and have been delivering their songs ever since. The Happy Trails Tour follows last year's 55th anniversary run. The band met at high school in London in the late 1960s and harmonised their way to the top of the charts on the strength of A Horse With No Name, then followed it with I Need You, Ventura Highway, Don't Cross The River, Tin Man, Lonely People and Sister Golden Hair, all cornerstones of 1970s Top 40 and FM rock radio.

There was always more to them than the singles suggested. Six albums went gold or platinum, and their first hits collection, History, passed four million in sales. The material ranges from effects-laden rockers to soul-bearing ballads, blending melodic pop rock, folk-jazz, Latin-leaning rhythms and impressionistic lyrics.

A documentary, I Need You: 53 Years Of The Band America, is on the festival circuit after winning Best Music Film at the Newport Beach Film Festival. Gerry Beckley remains a member but retired from touring in 2024, and the band continues with Dewey Bunnell at the helm.

Good to know. Doors open at 6pm.

Where to go. The Palace Theatre sits on Atlantic Street in downtown Stamford, an easy run from anywhere in lower Fairfield County, with restaurants and parking within a short walk.