Fall Flashback: Tesla “Cumin’ Atcha Live” at The Fillmore Charlotte

One of the most exciting shows to hit the Fillmore Charlotte this fall was the American rock band, Tesla. The band quite often gets lumped into the “hair metal” era of the ‘80s but Tesla is much more than that. At heart, they are a hard-rocking blues-based band with extraordinary musicianship and amazing songwriting skills. So, it came as no surprise that even though it has been 35 years since the release of their debut album Mechanical Resonance, Tesla is still going strong and the near-capacity crowd at the Fillmore proves further that great music never gets old. Indeed, Tesla’s latest single “Cold Blue Steel” is a testament to the fact that their music is still relevant and I couldn’t wait to hear what they had in store for us.

Kicking off the evening was a band that I was unfamiliar with but have since grown very fond of, Chase Engel & The Night Shift. Hailing from Saginaw, Michigan, these guys came to put on a show. They hit the stage dressed in matching silver/grey pants and jackets and immediately had the crowd up and moving. I thought they were a great fit for the bill and their performance was outstanding. Led by lead vocalist Chase Engel, they played a short but solid set mixed with both original songs and some familiar cover tunes.

Musically, they sounded terrific with Connor Shcrems on lead guitar, Noah Schieber on rhythm guitar, saxophone, and keys, Jason King on bass, and Matt Gottlieb on drums. Engel danced, jumped, and even did a split as the band put on a heck of a performance with synchronized dance moves all while rocking our tails off. It was a great start to the night and I look forward to seeing and hearing more from Chase Engel & The Night Shift in the future.

Boston rockers Bad Marriage were up next and let me tell you, there is nothing second-hand about this band. In fact, their new single “Second Hand Smoke, is a real banger. This band is everything that I love about rock and roll with terrific riffs, memorable choruses, and just a touch of sleaze. They sound fantastic as vocalist Jonny Paquin worked the crowd and bass guitarist Todd Boisvert posed for the fans and slung his bass around all night long.

Bad Marriage is fun and easy to listen to, a great party band with songs that you can blast on your car stereo for a little road trip heaven. I highly recommend checking them out. And since it’s holiday time, be sure to have a listen to their Christmas classic, “Have a Rockin’ Christmas.”

Now that everyone was sufficiently warmed up, it was finally time for Tesla to bring the Keep It Real Tour 2021 to the stage. Each member of the band came out one at a time to greet the crowd before the band launched into “Cumin’ Atcha Live.” The rear of the stage was lit with a huge three-piece LED screen that changed images throughout the evening according to the song.

As always, Tesla was in top form and sounded as good as they did the first time I saw them more than 30 years ago. Guitarist Frank Hannon is a phenomenal player as he switched off guitars throughout the set and even gave us a dose of the theremin during the show. Dave Rude always performs well and plays to the crowd along with Frank. Bass guitarist and producer extraordinaire Brian Wheat stayed out of the spotlight for the most part but did come to the front of the stage a few times to jam along with Frank and Dave. Lead vocalist Jeff Keith still has the pipes to soar and they were on full display during crowd favorites “Love Song” and “What You Give.” They worked their new song “Cold Blue Steel” seamlessly into the set which covered songs from most of Tesla’s catalog along with a few covers, of course.

The band really put on a master class in blues-based rock and roll whether raising the adrenaline during “Edison’s Medicine (Man Out of Time)” or slowing it down a bit for a crowd sing-along to their brilliant cover of Five Man Electrical Band’s “Signs.” This was the band’s first tour without long-time drummer Troy Luccketta who announced earlier in the fall that he was going to take some time off from touring. Drummer Steve Brown has stepped in and has done a great job of filling some very big shoes.

A great time was had by all and before you knew it, Tesla was getting us ramped up for an encore of “Little Suzi” to close out the night. I can’t say this enough, if you love rock and roll, get your ass to a Tesla show asap! The band is on break right now but spring dates are already on the calendar. Don’t miss your chance to see these Modern Day Cowboys when they make a stop in your town.

https://www.chaseengelandthenightshift.com/