Tesla at Irving Plaza

Jeff Keith and Frank Hannon

Guitarist Frank Hannon was 15 and bassist Brian Wheat was 20 when they formed a pop rock band, City Kidd, in late 1982 in Sacramento, California. Failing to get notice, they moved to melodic hard rock by 1986, and renamed the band Tesla after inventor and electrical engineer Nikola Tesla, who pioneered the radio. The redesigned band wound up selling 14 million albums. After the release of Tesla's fourth album, 1994's Bust a Nut, guitarist Tommy Skeoch's struggle with substance abuse caused him to leave the band. He rejoined after completing rehabilitation, but left again months later. The band marched forward as a four piece for a short while, then finally split apart. Tesla reformed in 2000, and the present line-up consists of four of its original members: vocalist Jeff Keith; guitarist Frank Hannon; bassist Brian Wheat; drummer Troy Luccketta; and new guitarist Dave Rude. The band released a new album, Simplicity, on June 6, 2014.

Packed with an arsenal of seven studio albums over nearly three decades, Tesla launched its summer tour tonight at Irving Plaza. The band gave the audience what it expected, playing a set that recalled vintage bluesy rocking bands like Aerosmith. The show opened with "I Wanna Live" from 2008's Forever More album, followed by "Hang Tough" and "Love Song" from the 1989 album, The Great Radio Controversy. So went the night, with old blasts and a few tracks from the current album, including the single "So Divine." Keith was in strong bluesy voice, and was an animated and charismatic stage presence Throughout the performance, even when the spotlight belonged to the guitarists. Meanwhile, the two guitarists kept the lead sounds clean, rich and modest. Bucking current trends, many songs featured acoustic and 12-string guitars, and yet the band rocked hard. After 15 songs, the band returned to the stage for a Hannon and Rude-led guitar dual and finally "Cumin' Atcha Live" from the band's debut album. Despite it being the first concert of the tour, Tesla was tight, polished and impressive.

Visit Tesla at www.teslatheband.com.