January 25, 2018
Peabody Auditorium
Daytona Beach, Florida
by Michelle Wilson of Rock Legends Photographers
On a rather chilly Thursday evening in Florida's world-famous Daytona Beach, the charming Peabody Auditorium treated fans to an unforgettable evening with America. Growing up in military families stationed in England, founding members Dewey Bunnell and Gerry Beckley, along with the late Dan Peek, formed their acoustic trio with killer harmonies in London, 1970 while attending high school together. They chose the name, "America," to set them apart from their British counterparts. By their fourth album, they had enlisted the brilliant production skills of George Martin, who proceeded to produce a total of four albums for them. 48 years later, Bunnell and Beckley are still doing it, and doing it brilliantly, although as Beckley quipped during the show, "48 years wasn't really part of Plan A." Nevertheless, the band has endured and thrived, performing approximately 100 shows annually.