Tesla: August 3rd - Columbus, OH

It was a long, busy weekend for me. Setting up for a wedding, drinking at the rehearsal dinner, being in a wedding, drinking at the reception, going out after the wedding...it was exhausting. My prize for working so hard: Going to see Tesla.

Opening the show for Tesla was Columbus local band, Snowblynd. Years ago, my best friend Charlene described Snowblynd's sound as a good mix between Tesla and the Black Crowes, so who better to open for Tesla? Now I have to be honest here...I'm a little partial to this band since I am going to be marrying the guitarist, but I'll try to be as fair and open minded as possible. They kicked ass! Seriously, I've seen these boys play a million times, and this was by far their best performance to date. There's no doubt that the crowd, the venue, and the opportunity to open for Tesla got them really in the groove, and groove they did. Snowblynd really pumped up the crowd with their genuine, outlaw country infused rock 'n roll, and the crowd seemed very responsive to them. It was a great start to a great evening.

I've seen Tesla live three times. Not once have they ever sucked. Last night was no exception.

It always amazes me how well Jeff Keith's voice has held up after all these years. He certainly has one of the more distintive voices from the 80's and has taken good care of those pipes of his because he still sounds like he did back then.

This was my first introduction to Tesla's new guitarist, Dave Rude. Although I have to say that I do miss Tommy Skeoch, Dave fit in with the band very nicely. He complimented Frank Hannon very well and can certainly hold his own on the guitar.

The set started off with Comin' Atcha Live, which was no real surprise, as this is the usual protocol for a Tesla show. The boys played for almost 2hrs, running through all of the songs you expected to hear (Signs & Love Song) to songs that I was pleasantly surprised to hear (Goodbye Paradise). Every song was fantastic, and Jeff Keith was super friendly and enaging with the crowd.

Age hasn't slowed these boys down one bit (not like some other rock stars I've seen recently...not mentioning any names, but he sings for a band that rhymes with Rokken...). They kept the momentum rolling throughout the entire set. Even though I was tired as hell and my feet were killing me from standing for so long, I didn't care because I was too busy rocking out to some of the greatest songs from back in the day (and coming up with a million dollar idea with my friend Charlene, but that's a different story for another blog...). It was just one great song after another. I always forget how many freaking great songs Tesla has.

My only complaint for the night was that they didn't play What You Give. Other than that...and the vomit behind me and the lady who vomited to the left of me and the lady who thought it'd be a great idea to bring her baby and stand in the front row, the show was f-ing fantastic.

PS - Thanks to my BFF Amy, I was able to get into the Tesla meet and greet. All of the guys were incredibly nice and friendly.