Review & photos by Joe Schaeffer
It’s hard to believe but 2026 will mark the 40th anniversary of Tesla’s superb debut album, Mechanical Resonance. The band hasn’t lost a beat since then. Tonight, we find them amid their third Las Vegas Residency at the House of Blues inside Mandalay Bay. They concentrated on the early years with a set that consisted of the hits and sprinkled in were a few covers as well as a couple of lesser-known songs.
Singer Jeff Keith still has his trademark vocal style, and the band was in top form. Musically, guitarists Frank Hannon and Dave Rude, bassist Brian Wheat and drummer Steve Brown remain tight as ever.
The guitar duets of Hannon and Rude simply were amazing, and Brown was phenomenal on drums. The mix of Keith’s gritty vocals along with Hannon’s bluesy guitar riffs are something Tesla is known for, and that came across in Vegas.
Right out of the gate, we were treated to three of Tesla’s biggest hits of the 80s. Opening with “Modern Day Cowboy,” they segued into “Hang Tough” and right into “Lazy Days, Crazy Nights.” A couple of surprises were two covers — the Climax Blues Band’s “I Want You” and Supertramp’s “Give a Little Bit.” Both were played to perfection.
The crowd went nuts for the last few tunes of the night. “Call It What You Want” and “What You Give” found the crowd singing in unison. “Love Song” began with Rude and Hannon on the acoustic opening. Once the song kicked in, the audience were on their feet for every note.
From there, they went onto play “Little Suzi” and concluded with an encore of their hit cover of “Signs.” With almost 40 years under their belt, Tesla has not slowed down a bit. Their residency in Las Vegas truly showcases what a great rock band they still are.
