07 May Night Ranger and Loverboy Rock Tire Kingdom
Friends, Saturday might go down as one of the most beautiful days in SunFest history. Even if I said that before, this time I really, really mean it. There was not a cloud to spot in the sky. The breeze was light, and temperatures stayed in the 70s. The food tasted better than ever. The grass? The greenest I’ve ever seen it. And the music? Well, it was wonderful.
On Saturday, I was most excited to see two rock acts: Night Ranger and Loverboy.
Both of these incredible acts were set to play the Tire Kingdom Stage, which was great for fellow fans who wanted to stretch out blankets and lawn chairs for the afternoon.
Night Ranger was up first, and as I approached the stage, I heard the instantly recognizable introduction to Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child of Mine,” which was abruptly cut short.
“That’s all we know of that one,” one of the musicians teased, laughing. Instead, the group slid into Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out,” a nod to the current guitarist, Keri Kelli. The afternoon would be full of fun covers and bits of history about the band– who act and appear far younger than their age. There were cracks about Rubicon and mentions of Ozzy Osbourne between squealing guitar riffs and solos. But those are just two of the bands tied to Night Ranger.
Kelli, as mentioned above, has previously played with Alice Cooper, Slash, Vince Neil, and John Waite.
Guitarist Brad Gillis played for Rubicon in the 1970s, but in addition to Night Ranger went on to play for Osbourne and Fiona. He has solo albums as well and has released more than 300 tracks for outlets like ESPN’s Sports Center, The X Games, and EA Sports.
Jack Martin Blades, the bassist, and singer with his wild blonde mane, has also played for Rubicon and is a founding member of Damn Yankees. (Night Ranger would play “High Enough” yesterday.) But another fun fact? Blades has penned songs for Aerosmith, Cher, Osbourne, and Alice Cooper.
The band’s drummer and vocalist, Kelly Keagy, played tambourine and sang yesterday– taking a short break from drums following a recent successful heart procedure. Eric Levy played keys.
Their set was wild. In addition to the above, the San Francisco-founded band played “Eddie’s Comin’ Out Tonight,” Goodbye,” “When You Close Your Eyes,” and “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me.”
There was a lot of smiling and laughing, both on-stage and in the crowd. Night Ranger remains incredibly youthful on stage. Fans gobbled up the incredible guitar shreds and knew every line to every song. And they should. The band is currently on their “35th Anniversary World Tour,” as well as promoting their eleventh studio album, Don’t Let Up.
The ended with “Sister Christian” (complete with a massive sing-a-long) and “(You Can Still) Rock in America.”
Up next, Loverboy. This Canadian classic rock group was also responsible for major hits during the 80s, that we all know and love. Feeding off the energy stirred by Night Ranger, the band treated the crowd to “Notorious,” “Jump,” “This Could Be The Night,” and “Hot Girls In Love.”
“Thank you for inviting us!” lead singer Mike Reno said. “Who wants to get lucky tonight?”
In addition to guitar solos, Loverboy included some sick keyboard solos. Peace and rocker signs flew up from the crowd, as they sang along.
“They didn’t tell us you were good singers,” Reno swooned. “We might have to bring you with us.”
A fan against the rail also caught Reno’s attention with a bandana (presumably signed by the band) from 1983. Reno seemed very touched by the memento and promised to sync with the fan after the show.
They ended the day with “Turn Me Loose” and “Working For The Weekend,” which required a call for more cowbell.
Today is the last day, friends! Get in the gates early. Grab lunch at the delicious Diner or Fueling Station! We hope to see you by the water!