Tesla 3.19.05 Promowest Pavilion Columbus, Ohio

Review by: O.M.O.M.

Photography by: Rob Kern 

I always felt that Tesla got the short end of the stick when it came to their place in the landscape of rock and roll.  Non-listeners, casual rock fans and mass media tend to lump them in with the late 80’s hair-metal groups.  In my opinion Tesla has more in common with rock bands like Bad Company and Van Halen than hair-farmers like Whitesnake and Poison.  Grunge and internal strife sidelined the band for a good portion of the 90’s but they roared back in 2001 with RePlugged Live, which led to a new studio release, 2004’s solid effort, Into The Now.  Celebrating the fifteen year anniversary of Five Man Acoustical Jam Tesla is hitting the road featuring an evening of Tesla-fied acoustic music. 

It’s been nearly twenty years since the debut of Mechanical Resonance but the lads of Tesla looked and sounded no worse for the wear as they launched into the classic “Gettin’ Better” followed by the title cut from their latest release Into The Now.  Guitarists Frank Hannon and Tommy Skeoch manned stools at stage front along with vocalist Jeff Keith while drummer Troy Luccketta and bassist Brian Wheat anchored the stage behind them.  The packed Promowest Pavilion responded favorably as Tesla covered hits from their entire catalog. 

Any concerns about a laid back acoustic vibe were laid to rest as the band tore through tracks like “Heaven’s Trail (No Way Out)” and “Hang Tough”.  Cover songs also got the Tesla treatment as Frank Hannon took lead vocal duties for the semi-electric Zeppelin cover “Immigrant Song” and Jeff Keith-led classics “Truckin’” and the fan favorite “Signs.”  Tesla also took time to encourage fans to donate to the Station Family Fund, a charity organization that benefits the survivors and families of the victims of the tragic Rhode Island, Station nightclub fire (www.stationfamilyfund.org). 

Billed as an evening with Tesla, the band energized the crowd for nearly two and a half hours, proving they have more than enough fire to be considered a legitimate act and not a nostalgia tour.  Any chance we could get an evening with… next time around with full acoustic and full electric sets?  

Visit our message board!