Alicia's View On All Things Music: The question...can you still "Rock in America?"

We were about to prove without a doubt……the answer was/is YES. As I waited for one of the best rock bands to come out of the 80’s to hit the stage, my mind was racing. At the forefront of my thoughts was the fact that I was on the verge of experiencing a concert that I had been waiting to see for 25+ years. The opportunity/timing never presented itself for me until now. So to say I was simply “excited” for this night would be a colossal understatement.

The moment was here. Night Ranger hit the stage! While some of the members have changed over the years, they sounded as solid as ever. With Jack Blades running the stage, twirling with his guitar flying around him, and belting out the lead vocals, you couldn’t prove by me that 25 years had passed. Brad Gillis blew us away with his stellar guitar licks. He mesmerized the fans with not only NR’s tunes, but also jammed on an Ozzy Osbourne smash, Crazy Train. Gillis, who played with Ozzy some 30 years ago, was teased by Blades that he wouldn’t remember how to play any Ozzy songs after that many years. Gillis tore it up! Kelly Keagy still amazes with strong vocals while pounding out the hits on the drums. He also left the drum set to come center stage to sing lead on two of the band’s smash hits, “Goodbye” and “Sister Christian.”

While the charter members thrilled the fans, Joel Hoekstra on guitar and Eric Levy on keyboards were equally as impressive. Joel, who possesses every bit the “rocker” look, dressed all in black with long hair that whipped around as he played to the crowd, had us in the palm of his hand. Eric, who bears a striking resemblance to former keyboard player Alan Fitzgerald, lit up the keyboard with a magnificent solo that awed the concertgoers.

At one point I closed my eyes (no pun intended) and if I hadn’t known better, I would have sworn I was 15 again hearing the original recordings of these songs. From early hits like “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me” and “Sing Me Away” to later smashes “When You Close Your Eyes,” “Four In The Morning” and “Rumours In The Air,” this band did not disappoint. I can promise you this….….there will not be a long waiting period before I see this band again live. I’ve already been checking out the tour page on their website! You should too!

www.nightranger.com