It was great to get the 2010 KEEL concert schedule kick started with two excellent shows in Las Vegas and Atlantic City. At both gigs, we were a little overwhelmed by so many familiar faces, friends and fans who came from all over to see us – our only regret was that we could not spend a little more time with each of you.
In Vegas, there were people from all over Nevada, California, Arizona – one couple, Steve & Michelle, came all the way from the UK to get married in Las Vegas and made their wedding plans around the KEEL show! In Atlantic City, East Coast KEELaholics from New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and other nearby states all made the trek and we can’t thank you enough. Seems like every gig has a “family reunion” feeling, and that adds even more to our excitement and appreciation of these events.
1.Las Vegas – June 19 – FEELGOOD’s: “Feelgood’s” nightclub is everything you’d expect in a Vegas venue owned by Vince Neil. Killer sound and lights, the staff was great to us, and it was a perfect place to have our first show of the year. This was a headline show – which meant we could play all the classics and a healthy dose of tunes from our new “Streets Of Rock & Roll” album. Due to everyone’s busy schedule, we only had one rehearsal (the night before the gig) – but the guys in the band did their homework and showed up in “game shape.” I had spent a few weeks practicing with the track mixes cranked up through a large PA system, playing and screaming along while going through the moves with the mic stand and guitars, so I was vocally & physically ready. The KEEL show is a workout and for me preparation is the key.
One year ago on June 19 we were in a Los Angeles studio recording “Streets” – this year we were doing our first KEEL gig of the year – and that also happens to be my wife Renee’s birthday. She has always been totally supportive of my music and my obsession with my work, content to spend her birthday in airports, recording studios, and dressing rooms; while I stressed out about the details, logistics, the songs, my tone, and everything else she was there with a smile and her camera to capture it all. I stopped the show at one point to give her roses and a kiss, but that (and her other gifts) were not nearly enough to show her how much I love her and appreciate her.
Normally, we don’t do encores – I don’t like it when bands leave the stage without playing their biggest hit(s) and expect the audience to jerk them off and bring them back with shouts and applause. But of course, that’s what we did…it was the first time we’d done an encore in well over 20 years; many of our shows are festivals or support slots where we don’t have a choice – so we indulged ourselves and left the stage after “Lookin’ For A Good Time” and the crowd did not disappoint. It was really a rush to hear the “KEEL! KEEL! KEEL!” chant and we of course returned for “Tears Of Fire” and “The Right To Rock.”
Thanks to Feelgood’s and KEELNation West for making this a triumphant return to the stage for us.
VEGAS SONGLIST:
REASON TO ROCK
COME HELL OR HIGH WATER
ROCK N ROLL OUTLAW
SOMEBODY’S WAITING
SPEED DEMON
PUSH & PULL
DOES ANYBODY BELIEVE
BECAUSE THE NIGHT
HERE TODAY GONE 2MORROW
STREETS OF ROCK & ROLL
WRONG THING RIGHT GIRL
LOOKING FOR A GOOD TIME
TEARS OF FIRE
THE RIGHT TO ROCK
2.Atlantic City – June 23 – HOUSE OF BLUES: Our first East Coast show of the Reunion was a blast, opening up for Cinderella at the HOB in front of 1000+ kick ass rock fans. The response was great, I felt good about the performance, and had a great time at this gig. We endured the customary logistical difficulties of being an opening act - I didn’t even get to soundcheck with the guys – but the show was strong and the energy was electric.
ATLANTIC CITY VIDEO CLIP (front row FanCam courtesy of Randy Gill – sound is a little distorted but this is pretty cool – we will get some more video from this show up at some point soon): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsUPuc6sbZ8
Continuing in the ‘reunion’ theme, we were joined backstage by Tony Palmucci, who played on “Larger Than Live” in 1989 and did the short tour that followed. Tony’s a class act and a great player, who spent 9 years as Dee Snider’s guitarist following his tenure with KEEL. And of course Cinderella drummer Fred Coury is family – he played in KEEL for a very short time in the summer of ’84 and jammed with us at our debut reunion show in Hollywood last year. Thanks guys, great to see you as always.
KEELNation East gave us what we came for, and we hope to make it back to the area at some point in the future. The promoter was very happy, gave our agent a stellar report, and invited us back next year…
Our thoughts and our hearts go out to everyone who has been affected by the recent volcanic eruptions in Iceland. Our first show of the year, the Stockholm Rock Out on April 30th, has been postponed until September 10-11 due to this unfortunate disaster. We are bummed, but this is obviously out of our control and the promoter did the right thing. We really feel for the fans that have bought tickets, plane tickets, and paid in advance for accomodations.
The following statement comes from Andy Hooper, a geologist who did his postdoctoral research at the University of Iceland’s Institute of Earth Sciences:
"It remains a very real possibility that the volcano will continue to erupt on-and-off for months to come, as occurred during the last eruptive period” at Eyjafjallajokull in 1821-23. Mr. Hooper added, “Like 1821-1823, this current eruption is likely to remain small in terms of volume, but in an age of mass aviation, a relatively small amount of erupted ash is having huge consequences.”
It's not the first time forces beyond our control have wrought havoc with my touring schedule. In 1986, KEEL was in the midst of our first European tour when the worst nuclear power plant accident in history occurred at Chernobyl. In 2003, my band IronHorse was performing at Freedom Fest in San Diego, welcoming a wave of U.S. military personel home from the Middle East, when devasting wildfires ravaged the area and killed 16 people (we were confined to our hotel for two days watching the smoke and flames). In 2005, our fall tour with the Acoustic Outcasts was cancelled due to circumstances surrounding Hurricane Katrina. And the tornado-like conditions which collapsed the side stages at Rocklahoma 2008 (nearly on top of our heads) deserves at least an honorable mention.
Our condolences and apologies to the fans who were looking forward to the Stockholm Rock Out as much as we were, we look forward to rocking with you in Scandinavia in September. And to everyone else who has had their life turned upside down by the eruption, our sympathies and best wishes are sincere and heartfelt.
KEEL is very proud to announce our first U.S. show of 2010, on the bill with Cinderella at the House Of Blues in Atlantic City on June 23rd. It's great to be on a 'hometown' show (Cinderella hails from nearby Philadelphia and this region is their home turf) with one of the genre's most entertaining bands. We opened for Aerosmith in Boston, we opened for Bon Jovi in New Jersey, and I expect a similar electricity in Atlantic City with Cinderella.
Regarding the change in the direction of Rocklahoma's lineup selection for 2010: there's bound to be a backlash - I'm already hearing about it from our fans. I've been asked by the media and by many fans to make a statement, and I emphasize that I cannot speak from a fan standpoint, but from the perspective of an artist who has performed at Rocklahoma the past two years.
Rocklahoma has been instrumental in the resurgence and renewed enthusiasm for this genre of music, and has paved the way for many other events of this kind in the U.S. - festivals which have given bands like ours the opportunity to get back on the big stage in front of large crowds and deliver our music the way it was intended. Many bands - and the fans who wanted to see and hear them - would have been left to either remain in relative obscurity or in the bars and nightclubs that continued to book these types of acts.
It's no secret that Rocklahoma's attendance and revenue have decreased the past two years. Being somewhat of an insider, I feel I have a pretty good take on why - and while I'm a friend and admirer of many of the bands on the bill these past couple of years, I feel the results would have been much different had they been able to pull in major headliners such as Judas Priest, Scorpions, AC/DC, Van Halen, Aerosmith, Def Leppard, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, or KISS. I know, these acts are expensive - but I think it would be better to spend a million dollars than lose several million dollars. And I know, those aren't all 80's bands, but in my opinion the 80's started in the mid-70's with many bands I just mentioned having a huge impact on the culture, and they would have been totally relevant and appropriate on that stage.
Of course I'm disappointed that KEEL isn't back on the bill this year - we didn't expect to be, because few acts appear at ROk in back-to-back years. But I personally want to thank them for giving us a shot last year and for doing a lot to revitalize this brand of entertainment. The producers of Rocklahoma have done a lot for us, and a lot for this type of music, and they’ve earned the right to rock in whatever format they choose. I wish Rocklahoma all the success in the world and hope that live music of all genres continues to be important and viable in today's society and economy.
For those who want the festival experience with bands whose roots lie in the 80's, there are a host of great events planned in the U.S. this year including M3, MidWest Rock Fest, South Texas Rock Festival, Thunder Mountain, Dakota Rock Fest, and many more. I encourage fans of this music to attend at least one such festival if possible, I know it's a bitch to take time off work and spend your hard-earned cash for tickets, travel, accommodations, and beer but there are a lot of bands - like KEEL - who are willing to bust our asses to make it worth your money.
