Concert for the Americas

The Concert for the Americas was a music festival held on August 20, 1982 in the Dominican Republic at the Altos de Chavón Amphitheater, a 5,000-seat, open-air Greek-style venue located approximately two hours east of Santo Domingo.^[1] It was the amphitheater's inaugural event, with performers including Frank Sinatra with Buddy Rich, Heart, and Santana. Santana's set was cut short due to inclement weather.^[1]

Recordings

Charles Bluhdorn, whose Gulf+Western owned both the Altos de Chavón and Paramount Pictures, had Paramount record the concert so it could be rebroadcast worldwide. The concert was played on Showtime and featured a Grucci Fireworks grand finale.^[2] The video recordings of the Frank Sinatra and Buddy Rich set and Heart's performance were later released commercially.

Setlists

Frank Sinatra / Buddy Rich

• Introduction
• "I've Got the World on a String"
• "I Get a Kick Out of You"
• "Come Rain or Come Shine"
• "When Your Lover Has Gone"
• "The Lady is a Tramp"
• Sinatra speaks about America
• "The House I Live In"
• Buddy Rich - Prologue / "Jet Song" (from West Side Story)
• "Searching"
• "My Kind of Town"
• "Something"
• "The Best is Yet to Come"
• "Strangers in the Night"
• "All or Nothing at All"
• Band introductions
• "The Gal That Got Away" / "It Never Entered My Mind"
• "I've Got You Under My Skin"
• "Send in The Clowns" (featuring Tony Mottola on guitar)
• "Quiet Night of Quiet Stars" (featuring Tony Mottola on guitar)
• "I Won't Dance"
• "Theme from New York, New York"

Personnel

• Frank Sinatra - Vocals
• Vincent Falcone Jr. - Conductor, Piano
• Gene Cherico - Bass
• Tony Mottola - Guitar
• Irv Cottler - Drums
• Featuring Buddy Rich and His Orchestra

Heart

• "Crazy On You"
• "Raised On You"
• "This Man of Mine"
• "Straight On"
• "Magic Man"
• "Tell It Like It Is"
• "Dog & Butterfly"
• "The Situation"
• "Even It Up"
• "Barracuda"
• "Rock & Roll"

Santana

• "All I Ever Wanted"
• "Primera Invasion" / "Searchin'"
• "Black Magic Woman" / "Gypsy Queen"

Other "Concerts for the Americas"

• On October 20, 2001, the Concert for New York City took place at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan. This performance was occasionally referred to as the "Concert for the Americas".^[3]
• February 22, 2002 — Hoffman Auditorium, The Carol Autorino Center at St. Joseph College in West Hartford, CT. Performers included Lorena Garay.^[4]
• October 4, 2005 — Minsky Recital Hall at the University of Maine. Performers included Augusto Bertado Cocotl playing violin, accompanied by Ginger Yang Hwalek on piano.^[5]

References