Band Personnel: Jim Yester (vocals, guitar - original member); Jules Alexander (vocals, guitar - original member); Bruce Pictor (drums, vocals); Del Ramos (bass guitar, vocals - brother of an original member); Jordan Cole (keyboards, guitar, wind instruments, percussion, vocals - son of an original member) - Paul Holland (guitar, vocals)

Windy - Just About the Same - Everything That Touches You - Enter the Young - Never My Love - California Dreamin' {The Mamas & The Papas} - Requiem For the Masses - Six Man Band - Learn How To Land - No Fair At All - Dubuque Blues - Avocado {Weird Al Yankovic - takeoff on the Eagle's Eldorado} - Cherish - Sweet Home Alabama {Lynyrd Skynyrd - snippet - one of the band members is from Alabama} - Along Comes Mary ... encore ... Goodbye Columbus - Windy {snippet - outro}

Setlist also available at setlist.fm

Everything That Touches You

Requiem For the Masses

Along Comes Mary

The Association were a favorite band of mine when they were huge hitmakers back in the '60s. Their greatest hits album was one of the first LPs I ever bought for myself, and one of the first concerts I ever saw was the Association in Boston around 1972. I hadn't seen them since, so they have definitely set a record for the longest delay ever for me seeing the same band twice.

There are two original members remaining, both vocalists/songwriters/guitarists -- Jim Yester and Jules Alexander. Two of the other members are immediate family to two other original members. Although this six man band has had some personnel changes, the sound has remained largely the same. Every song is a choral achievement. Intricate and pleasing background vocals and wonderful harmonies remain this band's calling card.

Most music fans probably remember this band for their ballads or softer songs, such as "Cherish" (a perfect pop song) and "Windy," but they have a harder side, too, represented by "Six Man Band" and a few other tunes. Since they were a '60s band they have some songs rooted in the social upheaval of the decade, including the unhappily still relevant anti-war anthem "Requiem for the Masses." One of the best songs of the evening was their number about a formerly illegal recreational drug, "Along Comes Mary."

Jim and Jules, the two original members, did most of the talking, but each member of the band got a turn in the spotlight, either taking a lead vocal or being featured on a particular song. They are all very strong vocalists and instrumentalists. Their vocals, even with all the complex arrangements, sounded mighty fine. The two main men also joked around a lot and kept the appreciative and good-sized crowd laughing. They commented that there weren't too many millennials in the crowd. They all looked very stylish, dressed in their white-for-summer outfits.

They paid tribute to some of their contemporaries and told some stories about the music scene of the day, and covered a Mamas & Papas song. They are definitely an "oldies" band, with their back catalog of some of the best (and certainly some of the most frequently played on the radio) songs from the '60s. But the band still sounds fresh and a lot of their songs are still relevant to today. I was really happy to revisit this band that I first saw live so many decades ago.

The show was at the Barnstable County Fair. The band performed on a good big stage with plenty of lawn space in front. The sound was good, for an outdoor venue. Fans brought lawn chairs or just sat on the ground. The show was relatively short (a little over an hour), leaving plenty of time to check out the rides, animal displays, and other attractions in this family-oriented week long festival.

Click for 2019 Concert Page with links to all 2019 concerts ... Click for Main Concert Page with links to all years

Previous concert (The Ragged But Right Quartet) ... Zoë Lewis