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The "Happy Together Tour" made its yearly summer stop at Fraze Pavilion, the amphitheater tucked away in a park among fountains and the Midcentury buildings and houses of suburban Kettering, on Aug. 10. The acts change year to year, but the staple remains The Turtles (featuring the legendary Flo and Eddie) who started the Happy Together concerts back in 1984 and then revived the tour in 2010, continuing every year from then on except for 2020.
Every name on the bill has been around for decades, spanning time through, eras, fads, styles, ten or more presidents, world crises encountered and overcome, evoking the feeling that everything between then and now disappears, in some way, and all that matters is the fun of listening to this music that is still so potently sublime, exciting and enjoyable.
The show starts with the summer sun still shining down as The Cowsills, the famous '60s family band who inspired The Partridge Family TV show. They open with the luscious and dreamy "The Rain, The Park and Other Things," with its rich harmonies and near-pop symphony movements backed by an effective band that acts as the tour's house band. By the time they reach the "I love the flower girl" chorus, more is seemingly right in the world. Now in their ninth year with the tour, the three active Cowsills members seem to be having the time of their lives. They pop up here and there throughout the show in the dimly lit wings of the stage dancing and singing along with their tourmates. Bob Cowsill explains the three siblings toured as kids, but under strict supervision from their parents. Now free to meet their contemporaries and do as they please, Cowsill tells CityBeat, "It's a lot of fun. You can't get in trouble with your dad anymore. I know it's crazy all these years later, but it's a big difference." Their joy is contagious and only adds to the energy and communal feel of the show.
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"He's been great, a consummate professional entertainer. He's so good," Cowsill says of Little Anthony. Vocalist Ron Dante spoke about starting his career on a package tour much like this one on Dick Clark's "Caravan of Stars" tour in 1965 with Little Anthony. "It's an amazing occurrence to go all my career, all my life and at this point in my life, to go back on the road with Little Anthony. It's amazing."
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