Review of Tesla Concert

TESLA –FOREVER MORE TOUR

With special guest - Drug Under

September 12, 2009

Ogden Theatre

The Mile High City brought in true talent and amazing artistry on a rainy Saturday evening at the Ogden Theatre. The BSD team – following tradition, gathered for a pre-concert cocktail to plan the nights events and reminisce about Tesla shows in all of our pasts – dating back two decades to the late 80’s and early 90’s. Expectations high, we set out in hopes of another amazing night for our little group of rockNroll junkies.

Uptown was drenched, but fans were still amped to see the legendary band slated to take stage around 8PM. The fans waited in the rain for Tesla to rock their worlds FOREVER MORE. We staked our claim in the crowd, which was already quite full, especially for the opening band. We soon found out why everyone had chosen to show up early when Drug Under took the stage. Drug Under surprised our seasoned ears with strong vocals and dynamic collaborations of guitar riffs. Pretty damn bad-ass if you ask BSD. That is our official take on these gentlemen. After chatting with the band backstage, we learned that there had been quite a gap in the guys all playing together, as apparently Romero, lead singer, had been spending some time working on his acting career. That gap hasn't made a difference because they sounded amazing and should not let go of what they have going for them. BSD is looking forward to seeing them make some more noise on the local Denver scene. Check them out at www.myspace.com/drugunder.

Heading on our way out to our coveted spot down front, we have the pleasure of taking a fortunate wrong turn backstage and stumbled upon none other than the band that the crowd was already toasting and craving at their seats, Tesla. The band’s members, Jeff Keith – Vocals, Frank Hannon - Guitar, Brian Wheat -Bass, Troy Luccketta - Drums, Dave Rude- Guitar were gathered for their pre-stage prep but were gracious enough in giving a quick hello to the BSD girls before taking the stage. Back to reality and to our spot on cloud 9 in the audience, we waited for the show to kick it off. Even the drummer of supergroup Matchbox Twenty, Ryan MacMillan, was there to watch Tesla!

Tesla raged from the beginning. Jeff Keith has always had one of the best voices in rock, and he still sounds amazing. Opening up and following up with songs from their new album and immediately taking control of the crowd with one of BSD’s favs, “I Wanna Live”. We immediately found that our band who had emerged right in the middle of the 80’s was not playing like we remembered them, they were even BETTER! The band encountered some sound problems midway through, and so for about 15 minutes the crowd waited patiently for the sound to return. The crowd was amazingly patient! Especially considering that they were really ready to make that journey back to the very first time this awesome band made a forever impression in their personal jukebox stored between their ears. That same crowd was thick and rockin hard when Tesla began kicking everyone’s ass with old favs from days when our hair was bigger than our brains. Mechanical Resonance and Great Radio Controversy songs blasting us back with a little “Modern Day Cowboy” and “The Way It Is”, pleasing the crowd, especially those blessed in the testosterone department (don’t all men want to play cowboy every now and then)? The ladies in the crowd were grinning with shining eyes when they could be brought back to remember when their favorite song was “Love Song” and they danced with their equally as big haired boyfriend at the prom…awe nostalgia. We loved the 80’s! Tesla came on strong back then, mixed in with a lot of glam and hairspray, and proved that they were in a category all of their own. They continue to epitomize that very unique genre of music that stands the test of time.

The final words we have when it comes to this amazing band are “thank you.” Thank you Tesla for taking care of your bodies and spirits - just enough to continue to sound just as amazing as you did when this BSD girl snuck out of the house to see you open up for Poison in the 80’s. We feel that everyone should sort of take on “So What” from the new album as your personal motto. Buy the damn CD and check out the lyrics! This band has said “So What” to everyone who has ever doubted their ability to continue to rock harder than before. Tesla, you rocked the Rockies last night….FOREVER MORE and we welcome you to the Mile High any time.

Tesla will be playing on the Shiprocked cruise (www.getshiprocked.com) and BSD will be there! See you on board. And check out Tesla at their site (www.teslatheband.com)!