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  TESLA STILL COMIN' ATCHA LIVE EVERY NIGHT
Tesla: Mystic Showroom, Prior Lake, Minnesota
2nd February 2017
8th February 2017

jeff kunze
Words and Pictures: Jeff Kunze



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For thirty years the band hailing from Sacramento have become a touring staple of American hard rock. Tesla launched in 1986 with the release of the iconic album 'Mechanical Resonance' and thousands of shows and a catalog loaded with hits later, Tesla remain as relevant as ever.

The Mystic Lake Casino Hotel and its beautiful Mystic Showroom was the next stop on Tesla's Winter Tour 2017. It's a Las Vegas style venue that seats 2,100 people and features state-of-the-art sound and lighting. The place was packed and the band utilized every ounce of the remarkable amenities.

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The band tapped 'Mp3' from 2014s 'Simplicity' album as the opener, then 'Into The Now', a powerful song that sounds gigantic live. Three songs off 'The Great Radio Controversy' took the crowd to another level of excitement and 'The Way It Is', 'Hang Tough', and the brilliant 'Heavens Trail' have never sounded better. 'Mama's Fool' closed out the first portion of the set.

Bringing alive the 'Five Man Acoustical Jam' days, Tesla pulled out the acoustic guitars as Troy Luccketta moved to a smaller kit closer to the front of the stage. They kicked into 'Comin' Atcha Live/Truckin' before playing the ballad 'Paradise'. Whenever you have Tesla in the same sentence as acoustic, one song immediately comes to mind... 'Signs'. It became a giant campfire sing-along as everyone was letting his or her voice be heard.

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The band then plugged back in and played 'What You Give' and 2016s 'Save The Goodness', best song of the night being 'Edison's Medicine'. Frank Hannon uses his Theremin like a Witchdoctor, summoning a magical healing remedy while 'Cover Queen' kept things moving at rocking pace and then it was time to bring out the big guns to close the set.

On lead vocals Jeff could have just let the crowd take over for the big fan favorite, 'Love Song', while 'Little Suzi' further amplified the intoxication of the congregation that had fully lost itself within the audio waves that suffocated the showroom. The night ended with the song that put Tesla into everyone's living room via MTV thirty years ago, 'Modern Day Cowboy'. This song still sounds as fresh and lively as it did the first time you heard it. That iconic starting riff is the biggest signature sound in their catalog and tonight, just like every other night, the song captivated every single person in the room.

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Jeff Keith was as scintillating as ever, his voice sounded great and he engaged the crowd throughout the night. He's always been one of the premier frontman out there with a big personality that draws people into the show. Frank Hannon and Dave Rude supply the six-string attack with the guitar dynamic duo playing off each in perfect unison, also providing the backing vocals to compliment Jeff's voice. The rhythm section of Brian Wheat (bass) and Troy Luccketta (drums) were solid and provided the musical backbone of the music.

The Mystic Showroom provided the backdrop for a great night of rock'n'roll as Tesla played a fantastic show and I highly recommend catching them on this tour. They may be three decades in but they still Come Atcha Live every night!

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Setlist:
Mp3
Into The Now
The Way It Is
Hang Tough
Heaven's Trail
Mama's Fool
Comin' Atcha Live/Truckin' (Acoustic)
Paradise (Acoustic)
Signs (Acoustic)
What You Give
Save The Goodness
Edison's Medicine
Cover Queen
Love Song
Little Suzi
Modern Day Cowboy

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