Tom Keifer Band – Medina Entertainment Center – January 26th 2018

The evening started out with Minnesota’s own Dare Force. Who played about a 45 minute set to get the crowd started.

After that it was Autograph’s turn. Many of you remember their hit from the 80s “Turn Up The Radio” but this is nothing like the Autograph from the 80s. I believe they’ve only got one original member at this point. The band is for the most part, completely different. They had some really interesting original songs like “My Girlfriends Boyfriend Isn’t Me”.

 I found them to be very entertaining and putting forth a great effort to entertain the crowd. They met everybody over at their merchandise table after the show to sign autographs, take pictures and shake hands. That tells me they totally get it. They understand how to build a fan base and they care about meeting the people who are supporting them.

Then on to the headliner, Tom Keifer and his band. I could go on for an hour about how amazing they are. I’ve been a fan of Cinderella since their debut album in 1987. I’ve always felt they got a bad rap and were thrown into the crappy hair band label of the 1980s. They are so much more than that, specifically Tom. He’s a very unique and incredible talent. He’s what I would consider to be the last of the great rock stars. That’s not taking anything away from the newer music of today but he has a certain style and swagger that’s lost on the younger musicians.

Every time I see them, they never disappoint. They give everything they have to entertain the crowd and always come up with a great set list. Friday night was no exception. They opened up was “Still Climbing” a rarely heard gem off of Cinderella’s fourth studio LP, “Still Climbing” that pretty much just disappeared after it was released. He mixed in solo songs off of his current record solo album “Solid Ground” including the title track.

Over the last year so they worked in a couple of covers towards the end and on Friday night they did the Rolling Stones “Tumbling Dice” in the Joe Cocker version of The Beatles classic “With A Little Help From My Friends”. He ended the night with “Gypsy Road” which may be the most popular or well-known song that he has written.

Tom Keifer is truly one-of-a-kind and I highly recommend you go out and see him play live if you are a fan of straight ahead rock ‘n roll. I promise you he and his band will not let you down.

Review and photos by Tommy Sommers.