Penn's Peak kicked off the patriotic Fourth of July weekend last Thursday with a performance from the beloved group America. Capable of fitting 1,800 concertgoers, the house was packed to the brim in honor of the classic '70s rock band.

"We've been playing about one hundred shows a year for the past 45 years," said Dewey Bunnell, singer and multi-instrumentalist, to the raucous applause of the crowd. "We never want our music to get stale, so we try to mix it up for you guys."As the band prepared to play, a slideshow played on the screen above the stage. It showed the group's progress through the years; grainy, black-and-white photos showed grinning youths, the ghosts of Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell and the late Dan Peek's pasts in the height of their prime as one of America's most beloved rock bands."The band formed in London when we were teenagers going to school there," said Gerry Beckley, one of the three original members of the group. "And let me tell you the swingin' '60s were good times to be a teenager in London."America hit it off playing "Tin Man," a single from the band's 1974 album "Holiday," followed with a hit from their 1972 album "Homecoming." Gerry Beckley, who played acoustic for the majority of the set, took a break from guitar to perform the beautiful "Daisy Jane" on piano to a transfixed crowd.Over the remainder of the show, part of the eponymous "Lost and Found" tour promoting America's newest album, the group played an eclectic mix of new music, old favorites and even a cover or two from artists like Joni Mitchell and The Mamas and the Papas.The show ended with a standing ovation, and before the band had even left the stage, the full house was on its feet, demanding an encore. As hoped, America came back on stage and played the biggest single in their repertoire: "A Horse With No Name."Questions have been raised about how long the group will be touring. This did not seem to concern the duo. "We've been talking about this for a while," said Gerry Beckley. "And we've decided that as long as you are still coming, we're gonna keep on playing."