Paradise Kitty/Firehouse/Winger and Tesla:
‘Rock the Dam’
Beaver Dam Kentucky
7/20/24:

   Now, I must admit I was excited to see the line up at this year’s ‘Rock the Dam’, it had been years since I got to witness Tesla in action and thank god the heat was bearable and no sign of impending storms like the year before that had sadly ended the show early. We showed up to a packed amphitheater which was always impressive to see so many people converging together peacefully to have a good time. A lot of older fans had come with their camping chairs in hopes of getting a good view of the bands on the grassy knoll and they were not disappointed!
    First to take the stage was the tribute band Paradise Kittie, a group of females stirring up the sea of onlookers with guns and Roses songs which made you tap your feet to “Mr, Brownstone” with the crowd going wild to “Welcome to the Jungle”.  Dreams of past days of a young axel swaying to the music that pounded from the guitar of Slash. They sounded great and although I had never even heard of them before I was pleased.
   Next came Firehouse, now I know these guys and I was interested in what the new lead singer was like. Their previous singer had lost his battle with cancer in April and I was praying this new singer Nathan peck could fill C.J. Snares big shoes, He was awesome and I loved watching him making the songs his own, he was totally in to it and commanded the stage, They had this way of getting the people to their feet in anticipation of Fun and good times long past. As they belted out their beloved tunes of “Love of a Lifetime” and “Here for you” I would wager that C.J. was full of pride to see his band was carrying on and rocking the crowd as always.
   The darkness had descended by the time Winger came around and it was a good thing, the heat was just about to dehydrate me, but we kept those waters coming, I was thankful for the reprieve from the sun but I must state my opinion. Firehouse should have been higher up on the food chain than Winger, ok fine I said it, Although Kip gave a good performance and I enjoyed  it, some of their old songs seemed out of place with their age. “She’s only Seventeen” just seems a little out of whack for a sixty year old man to be singing, guess it can’t be the eighties forever but by that time the crowd was ready for Tesla.
   You could feel excitement as people were on their feet waiting for whom many had come to see and witness, Tesla. These men are the real deal. Jeff Keith took the stage looking ready to go; you could tell he was feeling the crowd out to see their excited faces. The graphics were awesome on the screen playing behind the band as they took control of everyone’s attention. They were seasoned players as far back as the eighty’s with their first album ‘Mechanical Renaissance’ coming out in 1986. Man those days Tesla was a force to be reckoned with. Tommy Skeoch and Frank Hannon in perfect unison making magic with their instruments, what an era for music, But on This particular day with This particular Tesla who now had David Rude on guitar with Frank Hannon, they still had what it took to shake the crowd and show all a fine time. We got the chance to enjoy such hits as “Lady Luck” and “Modern day Cowboy” one of my personal favorites. Steve Brown who had played for Trixter set a perfect tempo for every song making the whole experience enjoyable for all, by the time Jeff belted out signs I was exhausted, They had played their hearts out and I had soaked up the whole concert like a sponge, stick a fork in me, I was done. I was full of the eighties and feeling great, now the only daunting task ahead of me was wading though this sea back to my car and patiently wait to make my way home all the while talking about how nostalgic it all had been, a great time for all.