Published: September 19, 2009 06:29 pm      

Still rockin’ in America after 25 Years

Night Ranger returns to Beaumont for Journey concert

The first big concert of the fall is nearly here and thousands of rock fans are ready to party.

Ford Pavilion welcomes Journey and Night Ranger in concert on Sunday, Sept. 27 for what will surely be one of the best rock shows of the year in Southeast Texas, and, for many, a night down memory lane.

Tickets are available at all Ticketmaster outlets for $35-$85 each, including HEB on Dowlen Road in Beaumont, FYE at Central Mall in Port Arthur and the Ford Park Box Office. Tickets are available online at www.ticketmaster.com.

Night Ranger rose to fame in the mid-80s on strength of rocking tracks like “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me” “When You Close Your Eyes,” and “(You Can Still) Rock In America,” plus the softer sounds like “Sentimental Street” and the mega-hit “Sister Christian.”

The core of the band remains intact, including Jack Blades, bass and vocals; Kelly Keagy, drums and vocals; and Brad Gillis, lead guitar. Also in the band are Joel Hoekstra, lead guitar; and Christian Cullen, keyboards.

It has been many years since Night Ranger last performed in Southeast Texas, but the group was no stranger to local rock fans during its more prominent period. The group performed in Beaumont at the pinnacle of its popularity, in 1983 on the “Midnight Madness” tour and in 1985, when the group was headlining in support of the album “Seven Wishes.”

Now Night Ranger is touring in support of its July 2008 release, “Hole in the Sun,” the group’s first album in a decade and its eighth studio album. The group toured last summer with old friends like Boston and Styx, and are back on the road continuing to celebrate more than 25 years in rock.

“”Well, last year was really our silver anniversary, but why stop the party,” said a laughing Brad Gillis during a telephone interview. “We did a lot of weekend warrior shows earlier this summer where we fly out to play shows on Fridays and Saturdays, but we are back on the road in the middle of a multi-week tour with Journey.”

Gillis said the band had only performed a handful of shows with Journey so far, all was going as well as could be hoped.

“The crowds and shows have been great,” Gillis added. “It has been a lot of lights and a lot of fun. I’ve known the Journey guys since we had a rehearsal spot in San Francisco in the late ’70s when Jack and I were in Rubicon.”

Gillis went on to say some old school Journey fans may be hesitant to see the band without original vocalist Steve Perry, but they will not be disappointed with new frontman Arnel Pinada.

“Arnel is a great singer,” Gillis boasted. “He is definitely worth checking out. And Neal Schon is just a master guitar player. We’re loving being on this tour every night.”

According to Gillis, Night Ranger fans will not be disappointed as the band expects to perform a one hour set of hits and surprises.

“We always play the hits in our set,” Gillis continued. “But we throw in some B-sides that people may not expect, and we are probably going to play ‘Coming of Age,’ which is a song Jack (Blades) had when he was in Damn Yankees.”

On the band’s 2008 tour with Styx, Blades reunited with former Damn Yankees bandmate and close friend, Tommy Shaw, Styx vocalist and guitarist, as Night Ranger performed the Damn Yankees hit “High Enough” at The Woodlands concert.

“We like to change things around,” Gillis added. “We might perform our single from the new album, ‘You’re Gonna Hear from Me.’ We like to perform some of the newer material because it keeps the band fresh and the momentum going.”

Gillis stated that once the band finishes its current touring cycle, it will be time to start working on new material for the next Damn Yankees record.

“It won’t take another decade for our next record,” Gillis said plainly. “I hope we can get some new material out soon, like every two or three years.”

While some fans may not recognize the new members of Night Ranger, Gillis assured those fans won’t leave disappointed.

“Joel (Hoekstra) is a great guitar player from New York City,” Gillis explained. “When he isn’t touring with us, Joel is performing six-nights-a-week on Broadway in ‘Rock of Ages.’ He has a full dance card.”

Being part of high profile tours for two summers in a row, plus appearances at Rock-lahoma, have only helped put the band’s name back in the forefront of fans minds.

“We are definitely in a resurgence, of sorts, now,” Gillis said. “These tours have been a great way for us to keep our profile up. Besides, we really do enjoy what we do. We’ve been lucky enough to do it for 25 years now and there’s nothing better.”



Tommy Mann Jr. is a reporter for The Orange Leader. He can be reached at 409-883-3571, Ext. 2619 or tmann@orangeleader.com