Cinderella’s Tom Keifer was back in town on July 26, this time at Foxwoods in the smaller theater known as Great Cedar Showroom. Winger was with him again and Lita Ford was the opener. When I saw Tom and Winger last summer, it was a club that holds more people, but it’s a more intimate setting as the bulk of the capacity is the general admission floor. This time, while less people, I was much further back…but my seats were free for me so I won’t complain! I did enjoy being closer though, so this time didn’t have that small venue vibe.
I hadn’t seen Lita before so that was a good start to the night. The show started at 8pm and she only played 6 songs, but she still rocks. I’m certainly not super familiar with her catalog or her former band The Runaways, but I still enjoyed the first 4 songs. The last two were the hits. First was her famous duet with Ozzy, If I Close My Eyes Forever. Her guitarist Patrick Kennison sang the Ozzy parts and what a rock voice! This dude could really sing and it was awesome. She of course closed with Kiss Me Deadly. She’s still rocking the leather pants, long blond hair, and plays guitar and sings (with a little help from some reverb) like an 80s bad ass. Well done Lita!
Next up was Stewart’s favorite band, Winger. If you know, you know! This makes the 3rd time I’ve seen these guys. Some of you may laugh, but they’re a great live band. Kips voice is fantastic. His voice seems to go deeper as he ages which just adds a more heavy sound to the performance, but he also has no problem hitting and holding the high notes. What’s cool about seeing Winger is that he says it’s the original lineup; rate for many bands these days. While I don’t know all the dudes, Reb Beach is certainly still playing lead guitar and shreds! The dude is great. Unfortunately, they only had 30 minutes to play tonight. So they blasted through Hungry, Seventeen (which gets weirder as we all get older), Miles Away, Headed for a Heart Break, Easy Come Easy Go, and Madalaine. That was it, but they managed to work in plenty of side by side by side guitar playing in perfect, over the top, 80s-style choreography. Fantastic!
Tom Keifer and his band were last and had a full set lasting 90 minutes. They were also loud as fudge (only I didn’t say fudge). What I love about this dude’s performance is that he actually seems to give a damn. Too many bands come across as if they’re bored and tired of playing the same songs night after night. But Tom Keifer seems to love rocking and cherishes that he gets to do it for a living.
His voice is just so unique too. He can sing in what I’d consider a normal baritone range (I think it’s baritone-ish. Let me know!), and then moves right into a much higher range and a raspy voice that sounds like no one else. He then goes back and forth with the two styles with what seems like ease, but I’m sure it’s far from easy. Check out this clip of Don’t Know What You’ve Got (Til It’s Gone) to see what I mean.
As if his crazy vocals weren’t enough, Tom also plays piano, guitar (rhythm or lead) with various tunings, and moves about the stage all night with more energy than many much younger performers. He just seems to be all in on making sure you get a great show.
As I go to many shows, I continue to be impressed with the classic rockers. They show up ready to perform, they put on a good show and they know how to work a crowd.
Throughout the night they played Hot & Bothered, Heartbreak Station, Nobody’s Fool, Somebody Save Me, Shake Me, and Shelter Me. Why do so many of their song titles end with “Me?” Hmm. Anyway, Don’t Know What You Got was the first song of the encore. Then they go into their rendition of With a Little Help From My Friends. While technicality a Beatles cover, they do the famous Joe Cocker version and they nail it. While he sings it in a higher octave, Tom has the raspiness to pull this song off and it’s pretty awesome. And as a side note, it made me want to go home and watch Wonder Years on Netflix, except you no longer get the Joe Cocker version due to all the music rights. Bummer. Anyway. Gypsy Road closed the show and good times were had!
I went to the show with my buddy Del who was familiar with a few Cinderella songs, but didn’t really know the majority of the songs. He still really enjoyed the show and appreciated the unique voice that Tom Keifer brings each night (though he didn’t appreciate the soda I spilled all over him. Sorry again dude). So get out there, see a show even if you don’t know the band, and support live music!
Also, before I forget, I like to wear a Beavis & Butthead shirt whenever Winger is in town. Here was tonight’s choice:
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