John Oates & Good Road Band (photo: Ria Burman)

John Oates (of awesome ’80s band awesome Hall & Oates) brought Americana-blues-roots music to the Great American Music Hall Sunday night for a country showdown of excellence. Sharing the stage with the cream of the crop from Nashville, the GAMH had the pure delight of listening to some incredible musicians playing together. Living legend Sam Bush shredded the mandolin, bringing the energy up with his choice of sweet songs and remarkable, distinct playing. Guthrie Trapp performed stellar solo shakedowns with fire-fingers melting his guitar into a righteous howl, while Paul Franklin played the pedal steel guitar like a champ — never imposing, but always arousing.

Jam-packed with old-school songs of yesteryear, the show varied in tempo with country-crooner-swaying tunes to jump up and move-grooves. John Oates shared stories along the way and dropped a classic from the ’80s, revealing “Maneater’s” beginnings, before playing a rendition of how he first envisioned it.

John Oates with the Good Road Band’s album, Arkansas, dropped earlier this year. Go give it a whirl and get lost in a time before Elvis.