Tesla...hometown boys return to fanatic crowd!
Photography by: Jim Brown
Story by: Justine Brown
Tesla hangs tough in Sacramento!
MFM was very excited to see that Tesla planned to make their annual stop in the Sacramento area recently to wind up their current tour. We’d missed them the last couple times they swung through—this time we were going to be there.
Before Tesla took the stage at The Venue in Roseville, Fuel, best known for their 90s hits Hemorrhage (In my Hands), Shimmer, and Bad Day, delivered an energetic live performance that got the crowd moving and ready to rock with some heavy, driving guitar riffs.
Then it was time for Tesla, and the venue was packed with folks ready to relive some hard rock hits from the 80s and 90s. I’ve always had a soft spot for Tesla. Among the many, many rock and “hair metal” bands of the late ‘80s and ‘90s, they were one of the more genuine, true hard rock bands out there, working their asses off and scrapping it out to make a living doing what they love. While their counterparts were donning makeup, big hair and synthesizers, Tesla was stripped-down and organic, and I loved that. Add Jeff Keith’s distinctive raspy vocals and the dual guitar work of Frank Hannon and Tommy Skeoch (later replaced by Dave Rude), and what’s not to love?
For me (and it appears many others in the crowd), Tesla was also about coming of age. I have fond memories of listening to The Great Radio Controversy and Mechanical Resonance on CD whilst driving around on the North Coast of California working out late teen/early 20s angst and pondering what was next in life. There was always something relatable about Tesla—they could rock hard but their songs weren’t all about partying, getting laid, and seeing what the cat dragged in (though they did have some of those songs too).
For the most part their songs were more real, and their thoughtful lyrics dealing with social issues and personal relationships made those songs hit just a little bit harder than some of the others in heavy rotation those days. They also offered something a little extra in some of those songs—a sense of inspiration and optimism in tunes like Hang Tough and Getting Better. (I admit Hang Tough got me through more than one rough day back then. On the flip side, Lazy Days and Crazy Nights reminded me that at some point I better get my shit together and work on becoming an adult).
But back to the present. It’s November 2024 and Tesla has just kicked off their set with Rock me to the Top, getting the crowd in the mood with their raw, blues-influenced sound. From there they hit Modern Day Cowboy and my aforementioned personal favorite, Hang Tough. It’s been several years since I’ve seen Tesla live, but it was great to see the band has maintained their musical integrity over the decades. I had no doubt they would. And thank god they never embraced the hair metal trend despite emerging in that era.
It was also nice that this was a “home” show for Tesla, since the band was founded in Sacramento. Perhaps partly because of that, the 4500-seat venue was nearly sold out. As they got deeper into their set list, Jeff and Co. got into some newer stuff like All About Love, Walk Away and Forever More before returning to more familiar hits like Heaven’s Trail, Changes and Paradise. And of course, we all knew they had to play their quintessential power ballad Love Song. It came late in the set, still carrying the powerful riffs and the proper guitar solo it did in the 90s.
After a few moments of distraction as one highly intoxicated individual boldly tried to test our patience at the top of the upper balcony, we settled back in to hear Tesla finish up with Little Suzi and Signs, their well-known cover of the song originally done by Five Man Electrical Band.
Ultimately, it was a treat to see Tesla return home and perform 40+ years after they first hit the scene as City Kidd. What an amazing trip I’m sure it’s been. And while Jeff admittedly may not be capable of hitting all the notes he used to (and really, who would expect him to after so many years of living the rock n roll lifestyle?) the band still rocks, and for me Tesla was not only a trip back in time, but a great night of the kind of raw, hard-hitting rock and roll you just don’t find much anymore.
Music Fan Meters:
Smoke Meter: The Venue is super on top of the smoke show, nothing brewing, even in the inky shadows of the balcony...smoke free show.
Fight Meter: Tipping toward active. While most of the crowd was blitzed on Gold Bar Bourbon (The Venue special), some of us snapped back to the AM/PM parking lot in Carmichael at Watt and Fair Oaks...and if you were there you know why this is relevant. No swinging materialized. Whew.
Sing Along Meter: Yeah totally off the charts. Who doesn't know every word to their hits? Really great participation and it just finished everything off perfectly.