The sold-out crowd at Gas Monkey Bar N' Grill in Dallas ignored the 100 degree temperature and yelled their appreciation all night as Keifer sang the best of Cinderella and several songs from his solo career. Redline Drive and Novakain got the audience pumped up, but The Tom Keifer Band raised the roof with their talent, energy and connection to their fans.
Even though many had not yet heard "Touching The Divine" from the upcoming album, it was vintage Keifer with his raspy, yet powerful, voice. The crowd erupted at the beginning and end of the soon-to-be-hit, as they did with every song in the set. "Night Songs" from his days in Cinderella brought back the nostalgia as everyone sang along and pumped their fists in the air. Guitarist Tony Higbee played a solo that rocked the crowd.
The power ballad "Coming Home" brought out the cameras as the loyal fans wanted a video of one of their favorite songs from the early glam rockers of days past. The beautiful harmony with Higbee and backup singers Savannah Keifer and Kendra Chantelle was outstanding. The harmony continued on "It's Not Enough" and the rhythm section of drummer Jarred Pope and bassist Billy Mercer laid down a powerful backbeat.
Keifer displayed his powerful voice on "Somebody Save Me" and the audience sang along word-for-word on the song from Night Songs, one of Cinderella's three platinum albums. A ballad that morphed into hard rock was the genesis of "Rise" from the new album of the same name that is sure to be a big hit for the band. A haunting drumbeat began "Nobody's Fool" and had the crowd bobbing their heads and singing once Keifer added vocals to the short instrumental on the kit.
Hard and fast best describes "Solid Ground" as fans raised their arms to give the Rock On sign. Some pulled out cameras again while the lucky few who had room to move played air guitar and bounced around. The talented musicians have formed a tight band which added so much to the concert experience. People screamed when the crew brought out a piano as they knew it was time for Cinderella's biggest hit, "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)." Keifer's wife, Savannah, joined him to sing a duet and they took turns hitting high notes on the ballad. The couple, dressed in all black, as was the whole band, made this fan favorite a song to remember.
Keifer grabbed a microphone and explored the stage as he yelled, "Are you ready to get this place shaking?" This led into "Shake Me" and the singer engaged the fans as he roamed around without a guitar. Keifer then pulled out a camera of his own to document the full-capacity crowd. He was easy going while talking to the crowd before diving into the lyrical "Shelter Me." Higbee's solo punctuated the laid back beat of the song as they ended the set and departed the stage.
No one left and the band heeded the screams of fans to come back out for an encore. The rockers responded with the powerful "The Death Of Me" as Pope led the way on the skins and soloed to everyone's delight. Harmony was again key on the fantastic show-ending song, "Gypsy Road." Savannah and Kendra came out front to dance and sing and the energy of the crowd spurred on the musicians. It was obvious that the love went both ways between artists and fans.
It was brutally hot, but the crowd would have stayed all night if they could. Keifer was spent as he gave it his all and the audience appreciated it by screaming their adoration. Fans stood around talking about never missing one of his shows and the energy he puts out while on the stage. Catch #keiferband as they continue their tour all summer.