At The Pub Fountains, May 13th

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All Photos by Halo/Halos And Horns Photography

I have to say this was one show I was looking forward to for many weeks. Knowing Tom Keifer of CINDERELLA was going to be feet away from me, I’ll admit had me on Cloud 9! I had seen him twenty-seven years ago during the Long Cold Winter tour and with my 16 year old self watching Tom up on the big arena stage could have never imagined seeing him twenty-five plus years later just feet away from me. In my 40’s now and a forever fan, the anticipation was building. CINDERELLA hasn’t had a release since 1994’s Still Climbing, but Tom has continued writing, playing and touring. His solo debut album The Way Life Goes, released in April of 201, gained success with charting 78 on Billboard's 200. This tour is continuing in support of The Way Life Goes mixed with CINDERELLA hits.

I arrived at The Pub Fountains, not the conventional setting that a lot of bands are use to performing at. The stage is set right on the water. It has a cool vibe and feel. I think it’s beautifully lit at night and has great clientele and staff. The night of the show it was just about a sellout. Capacity was almost reached, with general admission full and the VIP shoulder to shoulder, packed liked sardines. It's a little frustrating because they never have a photographer's pit so fighting to get the shots you need is a challenge. When I arrived, Houston based band LOVE N WAR was about to take the stage. They were direct support to Tom Keifer. LOVE N WAR played a full set and has obviously gained a name for themselves and they had a huge fan base there. They played 10 songs and crowd favorites seem to be “Psycho Ride” and “Love N War”. Members Jeff VandenBerghe, Ray Soliz, Donny Bragg and John Adams kicked ass. They were energetic and the crowd loved these Houston boys. They were the perfect choice to embark on this night of music.

At just right about 10pm Tom Keifer took the stage. By this time this venue was loud, crowded and on their feet. “Once Around” was the song that got it underway. I was very curious how Tom would sound live due to his past sufferings of nodules on his vocal chords and paralysis of his left chord. The man sounded just as good or better than before with no notice of any vocal strains. The raspy, bluesy rock sound was as strong as ever. He mixed the set with CINDERELLA favorites and his own solo material. One of the hit singles from The Way Life Goes album, “The Flower Song”, written by Tom’s wife Savannah Snow was played early on. All the ladies in the audience were singing to this one. Savannah actually wrote a lot of the tracks and co-produced the album with Tom. Throughout the show Savannah joined Tom a few times to sing with him. Huge hit “Don’t Know What You've Got”, an audience favorite, and “Ask Me Yesterday” were a couple they did together. They love each other tremendously and creating music together on stage was sweet to observe. Lyrically and musically they mesh perfectly.

Tom’s band all appeared to be more than just musicians on stage, but rather very close friends and family. Current touring band members consist of Billy Mercer-Bass, Paul Simmons-drums, Tony Higbee-lead guitarist vocals, Paul Taylor-guitar and keyboard. Vocalist Kendra Chantelle is touring with them also. At times it was a stage full of talent. Kendra and Savannah were fantastic to watch with these guys, gorgeous women rocking it out. So much fun! Tom showcased his personal multi-levels of talent playing guitar and keyboards. The years that have passed have been favorable to Tom, listening and watching him sing “Nobody’s Fool” and “Coming Home” was very reminiscent of watching him 25 years ago. The band and Tom played 17 songs plus one surprise addition to the set. The encore was nothing short of amazing. All the band members were up there jamming with Kendra and Savannah joining the guys on vocals to “It's Only Rock N Roll”, a ROLLING STONES cover, and BEATLES/JOE COCKER cover “With A Little Help From My Friends”. The surprise for the audience was Prince's “Purple Rain”, which was beautifully done! A great tribute. Last but not least was “Gypsy Road”. The energy was high and the band was still full of life as in the beginning. Tom leaves it all on the stage. The show was nothing short of incredible. If you get the chance to see this show, GO!

Check out some more photos from the show!
All Photos by Halo/Halos And Horns Photography