Cinderella’s Tom Keifer, RATT, Lynch Mob at Pacific Amphitheater

Cinderella’s Tom Keifer

Cinderella’s Tom Keifer, RATT, Lynch Mob, Pacific Amphitheater, July 13, 2018

It may be have Friday the 13th behind the Orange Curtain, but this was certainly a very lucky day for rock and rollers from all over Southern California at the Pacific Amphitheater! 80’s hair metal was back with an all-out vengeance and more vital than ever – thanks to the collective talents of the almighty RATT, Cinderella’s Tom Keifer, and Lynch Mob. As a fair raged on in the background, the rock and roll extravaganza was forefront at the Pacific Amphitheater, with the crowd up on their feet singing along to each and every song. Right smack on the middle of the event was Cinderella’s Tom Keifer and his band, unleashing an absolute explosive selection of tunes that sent the entire Pacific Amphitheater into rock and roll overdrive!

Cinderella’s Tom Keifer

For performances as of late, The Tom Keifer Band have found themselves within the intimate yet iconic confines of the Whisky A Go Go on the Sunset Strip, nearly blowing the roof off the venue each and every time. What a treat it was to see The Tom Keifer Band on the gigantic stage, in front of thousands of adoring fans, exuding a passion and energy that reverberated throughout the Pacific Amphitheater and beyond. Opening with a rousing rendition of the Cinderella classic The More Things Change from their Heartbreak Station magnum opus, Tom Keifer and his band unleashed total auditory rock and roll bliss. One noticed at once the sheer passion and dynamic artistry Tom Keifer and his topnotch band exuded, very much in the present day while unleashing Cinderella’s vast and epic catalogue of much revered tunes. And the hits just kept on arriving, with Somebody Save Me, Shake Me, and Nobody’s Fool receiving a rapturous response from the crowd.

One of the many highlights of the show was when Keifer and his wife Savannah went from and center stage performing an impassioned rendition of You Don’t Know What You’ve Got (Till It’s Gone), which started out as an acoustic ballad before launching into a sonic battlefield of unbridled hard rocking emotion. Solid Ground from Tom Keifer’s critically acclaimed 2013 solo endeavor The Way Life Goes was delivered midway during the set, receiving a vibrantly appreciative response from the audience. And what a commanding delivery of the Beatles’ song With A Little Help From My Friends, with Keifer and company persuasively rendering that much covered tapestry their very own!

Tom Keifer remains one of the most compelling performers in rock today, with a raging vocal versatility and tasty guitar licks presenting an artist at the very height of his creative prowess. In the year 2018, the Cinderella tunes sound positively breathtaking. And what a dazzling display of superb musicianship to be found within The Tom Keifer Band lineup, including the talents of Savannah Keifer on vocals, percussion and piano, Tony Higbee on guitar, Billy Mercer on bass, Kendra Chantelle on vocals and percussion, Kory Myers on keyboards, and Jarred Pope on drums. Cinderella’s Tom Keifer and his tremendous band infuse their music with a timeless sense of urgency and conviction, and the results are nothing short of triumphant!

Stephen Pearcy of RATT

RATT

If Cinderella’s Tom Keifer didn’t already send you into a cosmic state of rock and roll euphoria, Stephen Pearcy and the legendary RATT were sure to make it happen big time! Unleashing a headlining performance jammed packed with fan favorites, RATT left an indelible impression on a crowd ready to rock and party under the stars on a brilliant night within the wilds of The O.C. Kicking off their set with Wanted Man, the first track from their Out Of The Cellar manifesto, RATT launched into a rousing performance that had an entire amphitheater mersmerized. And what a kickass assemblage of musicians slamming out those RATT and roll classics with a dynamic amount of fire and intensity! Songs such as You Think You’re Tough, Lack Of Communication, and You’re In Love pack an infinite punch to the senses, and sound as amazing as ever!

The RATT pack 2018 presents an impressive rock and roll strike force who deliver a live show that will be remembered for a lifetime. Stephen Pearcy is the classic front man, working up the crowd into a frenzy and making sure everyone is having a blast at the RATT and roll extravaganza. Longtime RATT co-conspirator Juan Croucier unleashes a pummeling low end on bass which reverberated throughout the Pacific Amphitheater. The other members of RATT are new recruits, and they definitely enhance the band’s tremendous legacy with their topnotch musicianship. Jordan Ziff and Chris Sanders unveil a thunderous dual guitar assault while drummer Pete Holmes drives it all home with a sheer ferocity.

At the end of the show, RATT played their mega-hit single Round And Round, and what a rapturous moment in time that was. One of the most sweeping songs of a generation remains as compelling as ever, and surely each and every audience member had this crown jewel of a tune jangling around inside their head as they took leave of the Pacific Amphitheater.

George Lynch of Lynch Mob

Lynch Mob

The superbly intensive Lynch Mob opened the show as the sun as still shining upon the O.C., and what a dynamic set of tunes this collective presented to the early arrivals. Providing a short yet dazzling mixture of Dokken and Lynch Mob entreaties, the band definitely knows how to get the hard rocking party started! George Lynch proves yet again why he is one of the finest lead guitarists on the planet, and his solos were mesmerizing and imaginative. All this and the grand participation of bassist extraordinaire Sean McNaab – one of the few people on Earth who can say he played in both latter day versions of rival bands Dokken and Lynch Mob.

Closing with the pummeling one-two punch of Mr. Scary and Wicked Sensation, Lynch Mob was thrilling to witness on such n opulent stage, and left the gathered masses at the Pacific Amphitheater absolutely enraptured and wanting to hear a whole lot more!

(Review by Ken Morton – Photos by Jack Lue)

Cinderella’s Tom Keifer on Facebook
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