’80s rock band Tesla electrifies Penn’s Peak in Jim Thorpe on Feb. 15
From a press release:
After canceling their scheduled Oct. 21 show at Penn’s Peak due to illness, multi-platinum rock band Tesla announced a makeup date today.
Known for a string of hits in the ’80s and ’90s like “Little Suzi,” “Modern Day Cowboy,” “Love Song,” and “The Way It Is,” the band will bring their Shock USA Tour to Jim Thorpe on Friday, Feb. 15, 2019 at 8 p.m.
Tickets, which are $37 in advance or $42 the day of the show, go on sale this Friday, Nov. 30 at 10 a.m. at ticketmaster.com and all Ticketmaster outlets, the Penn’s Peak box office (325 Maury Rd., Jim Thorpe), and Roadies Restaurant and Bar (325 Maury Rd., Jim Thorpe). Penn’s Peak box office and Roadies Restaurant ticket sales are walk-up only; no phone orders.
Each ticket purchased online for any of the U.S. dates on Tesla’s Shock USA Tour will include a copy of their new album, “Shock,” due for release in 2019. Tickets purchased for the previous Penn’s Peak date will be honored on the new date.
It’s been said that lightning never strikes the same place twice. However, it does in the case of Tesla.
Over the course of their 30+ year career, the iconic and critically acclaimed Sacramento melodic hard rock quintet – Frank Hannon (guitar), Brian Wheat (bass), Jeff Keith (lead vocals), Troy Luccketta (drums), and Dave Rude (guitar) – has sold more than 25 million albums and performed to sold-out crowds across the world. Since the 2016 release of their album “Mechanical Resonance Live!,” which features a brand new track “Save That Goodness” produced by Phil Collen of Def Leppard, Tesla has been touring nonstop. They have shared stages with STYX, Deep Purple, Cheap Trick, Joan Jett, REO Speedwagon, and have performed headlining shows the past two years consistently. Their recent tours have further solidified Tesla as a live tour de force.
Developing their already high-energy show into a modern production, the band has added multimedia visual screens to enhance the concert performance. “The visual enhancement is a new thing for us, and it’s made the band really play a tighter show. One of the songs, ‘What you Give,’ has a photo montage that shows us as youngsters, and the fans have really enjoyed that!” Hannon says.
In order to fully celebrate over three decades of history, Tesla not only performs their radio hits but also includes a stripped-down acoustic set of “Five Man Acoustical Jam,” which was their biggest-selling album that spawned the unplugged trend of the 1990s. The road crew seamlessly strips the stage to reflect the intimate vibe of the acoustic set. This includes a piano rendition of the song “Paradise,” which has become a favorite of the diehard Tesla fan.
Tesla is performing songs from their albums “Forevermore” and “Psychotic Supper” as well as touching on a few deeper tracks in the show. Lead vocalist Jeff Keith’s voice is still as raspy and soulful as it was in the beginning, and the group prides themselves in performing live without the aid of prerecorded backing tracks.
The 21st century has become something of a renaissance for Tesla. 2014’s “Simplicity” bowed at No. 14 on the Billboard Top 200. The group ignited ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in addition to scorching stages at festivals such as Rocklahoma, Graspop Metal Meeting, and Sweden Rock Festival, as well as the cruise Monsters of Rock. Remaining committed to philanthropy, they hosted a benefit for The Station nightclub fire in addition to playing a rally for the Sacramento Kings. They simply never stop.
As they cut their ninth full-length album “Shock” with Collen at the helm, Tesla takes a big leap forward as they glance back on “Mechanical Resonance Live!”
“I want people to feel like Tesla is still full of energy these days,” concludes Hannon. “That’s it.”
“This is a band we started in Frank’s garage when I was 18, and Frank was 15,” Wheat leaves off. “I’m proud we’re still standing this many years later. It’s a pretty cool place to be. I’d love for people to think, ‘That band has managed to stay in the game for 30+ years, and they’re still playing great shows and putting out quality music.’ Now, just turn the shit up when you listen to it. It was made to play loud.”
