In epic follow-up to last year’s Sonic Slam Tour, Tom Keifer (Cinderella) returned to Pittsburgh on the Live/Loud Tour with Winger and a solo performance from John Corabi (The Dead Daisies, Motley Crue, Union, The Scream) for a night of hits at the Carnegie Library of Homestead Music Hall.
Originally booked for the new Mountain View Amphitheater venue in Cheswick, PA, the tour was rerouted to the historic library venue after pollutants from Canadian wildfires and storm predictions surfaced earlier in the week. The venue change certainly shook things up as fans were required to either upgrade and choose reserved seats in advance, or keep their general admission tickets and head to the balcony of the concert hall.
Built in 1898, the Carnegie Library of Homestead is the oldest Carnegie library in continuous operation in its original structure in the US, offering concertgoers a unique experience as it houses a full-service athletic facility and grand concert hall. Just blocks from the city’s Waterfront shopping and dining complex and a few miles from Pittsburgh’s Kennywood park, the venue has hosted the likes of Foreigner and even The Cult.
John Corabi was the first to take the stage with just a microphone, guitar, and a stool. He was tasked with warming up the audience before the full ensembles of Winger and Tom Keifer band took the stage. Known for his time fronting Motley Crue and for taking the title of both the former and current singer of The Dead Daisies, John delivered a set of favorites that covered his career dating back to the band The Scream.
Highlights of his set included an emotional “If I Never Get to Say Goodbye,” from his 2012 Unplugged album, as well as Union’s “Love (I Don’t Need It Anymore)” and the songs that required nothing short of enthusiastic crowd participation, Motley’s “Hooligan’s Holiday” and “Dead and Gone” from The Dead Daisies 2018 release Burn It Down.
Following this run, John Corabi can be found touring the US and Canada with The Dead Daisies starting out east on August 22 in Lititz, PA at Mickey’s Black Box.
In support of the band’s new album Seven, Winger continues with an epic run of shows here in the US before heading to Japan and Australia. The band is tighter than ever, and their performance was larger than life on the historic stage in guitarist Reb Beach’s home town.
Unlike many band who are revolving doors of hired and original members, Winger’s original line-up of Kip Winger, Reb Beach, Paul Taylor, Rod Morgenstein, and John Roth remains intact. In the case of this performance, John Roth was replaced by regular sub Howie Simon due to conflicting dates with Mickey Thomas’ Starship.
While the mid-bill time slot didn’t allow time for the band’s famous medley, frontman Kip Winger reminded us of the band’s rich history, including how he and Paul Taylor got their start writing together as members of the Alice Cooper band. And, I personally couldn’t help recall that last time I saw Reb Beach join Rod Morgenstein on this very stage to jam with his band The Dixie Dregs!
While for most, Winger fandom dates back 25 years to the band’s self-titled debut album that brought us hits like “Seventeen” and “Madalaine,” from the looks of the young female crowd in the front row, it appears that the band’s audience is still growing. How could it not, as they continue to impress with killer new singles like “Proud Desperado” and “Stick the Knife in and Twist”?!
It is hard to believe that Tom Keifer and the #keiferband are celebrating the tenth anniversary of their debut album, The Way Life Goes. With a decade behind them now, the band’s set included opener “Life Was Here,” “Death of Me,” and “Solid Ground.”
During a sixteen song set that focused heavily on Tom’s former band Cinderella’s classic hits, there was a brief pause for a tear-jerking and powerful cover of The Beatles classic “With A Little Help From My Friends.” During the intro to the song, the frontman noted accurately that he barely talks, in fact, Cinderella drummer, Fred Coury was often the voice of the band during our sit-down interviews over the years. Fred was even joined once by the late Jeff LaBarr and bassist Eric Brittingham, but never Tom as he just loves to play rock ‘n roll…
Always feeding off the love and energy of his fans during his performances, Tom took the opportunity to thank everyone for always being there to sing his lyrics back to him as he voiced his thoughts on what it means to be a friend. He delivered the lyrics written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon with the same heartfelt passion as he did with his own words from “Nobody’s Fool,” (the one that usually brings him to his knees) and “Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone),” which has turned into an awesome piano duet with his his wife Savannah (and a little guitar support from Tony Higbee).
That passion behind the music is what personally keeps me coming back for more, from the emotion in his face to the sweat dripping into the crowd, Tom Keifer is a frontman like no other, and when you add in the slide guitar from Higbee, the thunder from Jarred, the bluesy keyboards from Kory, the smooth bass groove from Billy, and the fullness of the sound with additional vocals and even a third guitar from Craig Bradford, it is a truly something special.
With two critically acclaimed solo albums, the previously mentioned The Way Life Goes and it’s follow-up Rise, #keiferband is Tom Keifer, Tony Higbee (guitar), Billy Mercer (bass), Jarred Pope (drums), Kory Myers (keyboards), Savannah Keifer and Tanya Davis (vocals and percussion). Don’t miss them on the road as the Live/Loud tour continues this summer, and on a sprinkling of solo dates and festival performances with other artists like Vixen and L.A. Guns.
Follow us @ThePureRockShop for more captures, recaps, news, and interviews from of local and regional concerts and festivals including, L.A. Guns at Jergel’s, The Glam Slam Metal Tour II with Enuff ‘Z Nuff, Quireboys, and Bad Marriage at Crafthouse, Vixen at Jergel’s,and The Struts at The Roxian this month!
Recap and Live Photos by Editor and founder Kara Marie Uhrlen for The Pure Rock Shop. Posted on 7/3/2023.
