Country-rock band Pure Prairie League is headed to Needham this weekend, marking the first headlining act of 2025 of the Needham Bank Great Hall Concert Series.
The band, best known for their 1975 hit “Amie,” will take the James Hugh Powers Hall stage Saturday for the second stop of their tour. Their new album, “Back on Track,” is the band’s first in almost two decades.
Michael Greis, co-president of the Great Hall Performance Foundation, said he is thrilled PPL will visit Needham this weekend.
“They are such an iconic band,” Greis said. “Performers who have a passion for music and have kept at it for as long as bands like Pure Prairie League really care about what they do, and connect with the audience in a way that’s so important for us. That’s one of the things we find most compelling and enjoyable.”
The band features pedal steel guitarist and founding member John David Call, drummer/vocalist Scott Thompson, keyboardist/vocalist Randy Harper, guitarist/vocalist Jeffrey Zona, and bassist/vocalist Jared Camic.
Veteran bassist and bandleader Michael Reilly, who transitioned from a full-time touring band member to manager and producer after COVID, describes the new album as the band’s best work since their 1975 record, “Two Lane Highway.”
“This record is like we’re paying respect and tribute to the earlier albums, but it’s definitely taking several steps forward,” Reilly said. “The musicianship is just killer, you know? I mean, we’ve got killer guys in the band, and they just knocked it out of the park.”
A blend of country, rock and blues influences, “Back on Track” pays homage to the band’s 50-plus-year history while exploring new territories. The album includes five songs written by Zona, three by Camic and four from former longtime bandmate Gary Burr, plus covers of Little Feat’s “Six Feet of Snow” and Leslie Duncan’s “Love Song,” which was recorded by Elton John in 1971.
Reilly attributes the fun, easygoing recording process to the positive dynamic among the bandmates. “This band has always been a band of brothers,” Reilly said. “We’ve never thrown a punch in this band in 55 years. We have discussions, but we don’t have fights.”
Though Reilly won’t be in attendance Saturday, he’s thrilled the bandmates get to return to the Boston area.
“After all these years, it’s a thrill for us to come back to some of these places that we’ve played before,” Reilly said. “Because we’re playing these theaters and smaller places like Needham Town Hall, it’s like playing in somebody’s living room. Because we’re right there in their laps, we can see the reactions to these songs. And they’re singing along. They know all the words.”
Reilly said the band will come out for autographs and pictures after the show.
Greis said he is looking forward to another season of music, including the Orion Ensemble on May 3.
The Pure Prairie League concert starts at 8 p.m. Saturday in Powers Hall, on the second floor of the Needham Town Hall. Tickets are $63, available online or at 781-355-6076.
This story is part of a partnership between the Needham Observer and the Boston University Department of Journalism.