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...........On October 25th 2000 Tesla played to a sold out home crowd at Arco Arena for Radio station 98 Rock in Sacramento California. The band had not played together since 1995. The show was magical. Jeff, Frank, Tommy, Brian, and Troy have never sounded better. What made Tesla different from other metal bands with pop inclinations was the fact that their music was grounded in gritty, bluesy hard rock instead of slick arena rock. They all had a great time. All bad vibes from the past are gone and it shows. The atmosphere was wired for sound when I got to the show. The place was packed full of Tesla fans, a dream come true for them. Especially since the band broke up five years ago! I had to wonder just how many people were there for the other two bands. 3 Downs Down and Oleander . About five minutes before they started their set, there was a mini-video about the band's career. There were excerpts from each song that the band had done a video for. I knew this show was gonna be great when the band wasn't even up on stage and the entire crowd was singing the songs word-for-word. Five pain-staking minutes later, the band arrived on stage. They opened up with 'Cumin' Atcha Live', a major crowd pleaser. They touched all of the highlights, playing such favorites as "Little Suzie," "Hang Tough," "Love Song," "Edison's Medicine," "What You Give," "Signs," and "Try So Hard." Frank and Tommy ran around the stage making' magic while Brian and Troy remained quiet, but clearly having a good time, in the background. Jeff Keith was astounding. That ever-famous Jeff Keith scream could probably be heard a mile from the arena. The music was phenomenal, that it'll come together with time. It was such a great show 2 hours of bliss. Tesla's music focuses on having fun, with lyrics about dealing with relationships, being tough and having a positive attitude. Tesla does not obsess about death or destruction like many of today's bands. Although their debut climbed all the way to number 32 on the Billboard charts, their second album,1989's The Great Radio Controversy, was an even greater success, scoring a Top Ten hit with the ballad "Love Song." Their follow-up album, Five Man Acoustical Jam, showed that the band didn't need overdriven amplifiers in order to play; it also showed that they had a fondness for sentimental hippie oldies, as their hit version of "Signs" proved. The record also turned out to be their biggest hit, reaching number 12 on the charts. While its follow-up, Psychotic Supper, wasn't as commercially successful, it captured Tesla branching into new musical territories; it proved that the band hadn't lost its creative spark. Tesla shows. In no particular order, the set list: Cumin' Atcha Live Ez Come Ez Go Getting' Better Edison's Medicine We're No Good Together Call It What You Want Modern Day Cowboy Song & Emotion Changes Little Suzie What You Give Hang Tough Heaven's Trail Love Song Government Personnel (Acoustic) Signs (Acoustic) Paradise (Acoustic) Try So Hard (Acoustic)

By Randy Cohen

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