Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Night Ranger
Label: Frontiers Records
Release: 2016
Running time: 97:55
Rating: 4.5/5
This is a move only Night Ranger can really afford to pull off. To properly mark their first 35 years and to ease the impatient wait of fans all over the world for the new studio album, due this March, the American »west-coast /AOR« champions have put out a new live document, taken from their show on 07.05.2016 in the American city of Chicago! Incidentally, the quintet is one-fifth Chicago, too, since keyboardist Eric Levy hails from there.
Night Ranger played this show with a slightly altered line-up, since the hole left by Joel Hoekstra’s »defection« to Whitesnake was filled by the seasoned, street-smart Keri Kelli (Alice Cooper). Just how strong Night Ranger are, and still are, live is something we got to feel first-hand back in 2014, as witnesses to their headline set at the first edition of Frontiers Rock festival in Italy.
Night Ranger remain great gentlemen of the stage, real concert wizards. Masters. With them everything is in its right place. In Chicago, too, they ran like a well-oiled machine. Even after 35 years. Their bag of potently party-ready, relentlessly optimistic AOR anthems stuffed with musical infectiousness, plus the evergreen hit classics that have sold over 17 million albums worldwide to date, got a fairytale showing at the Chicago gig.
Sonically, the release is flawless. The building blocks of the sound are perfectly balanced, and the soundscape is used down to the last detail. The sound breathes at full volume and comes across as completely unforced and unbelievably authentic. It knocks you straight into the middle of the wild, many-thousand-strong crowd of that evening. And the audience, with its fire and emotion, proves that Night Ranger are at home in North America, especially on US soil. Night Ranger’s strengths are exceptional routine and self-confidence, which creates the feeling of an almost flawless live execution. The lead vocals and the backing harmonies, where all the members of the band sing along in support of either Kelly Keagy or Jack Blades, could only be a model for many other bands trying their luck in the AOR/melodic rock genre.. While Blades remains incredibly commanding for his age, Keagy’s voice sounds a bit worn, though only at moments (Sentimental Street), but otherwise Night Ranger are sharp and wired, and as such a great example of perfection. Especially when you add the dialogue between Kelli’s and Gillis’s guitars, both of them bursting with dynamite. The soloing is fantastic.
So the band celebrated its first 35 years by thoroughly seasoning the set with a string of evergreen hits from the iron-clad repertoire, and by announcing the upcoming new studio album with a brand-new song, Day And Night. The newer, otherwise excellent albums didn’t go unnoticed either: »Somewhere in California« (2011) with the song Growing Up in Californa, and the title track of »High Road« (2014). It’s a set spiced with classic hits, with which Night Ranger artfully fire up the crowd in the opening stretch of the show (Touch of Madness, Sing Me Away, Four In The Morning) and then wind them up to a peak in the closing (big) finale, where When You Close Your Eyes, Don’t Tell Me You Love Me, Sister Chrisitan and You Can Still Rock In America follow one another.
The constant banter between the band members on stage adds its own flavor too, a whole bag of mischievous skits and anecdotes, mostly spilling out of Jack Blades, which further boost the already fantastic live atmosphere. In short. “35 Years And A Night In Chicago” is a seriously authentic reflection of the band’s live image for new times. And that image shows no signs of wear or fatigue, but is maturing nicely, like a good wine. With the years it just keeps getting sweeter and sweeter. Let’s hope that at least after the new album comes out this March, Night Ranger decide to hit the stages of the old continent again, even though in Europe they’ve never set things on fire the way they have in the USA.
Night Ranger – “Night Ranger” (official video, live):
Line-up
Jack Blades – bass, vocals
Kelly Keagy – drums, vocals
Brad Gillis – guitar
Eric Levy – keyboards
Keri Kelli – guitar
Production
Night Ranger
Tracklist
CD 1:
01. Intro
02. Touch Of Madness
03. Sing Me Away
04. Four In The Morning
05. Growing Up In California
06. Rumors In The Air
07. Secret Of My Success
08. Sentimental Street
09. High Road
10. Eddie’s Comin’ Out Tonight
CD 2:
01. Goodbye
02. Day & Night
03. Night Ranger
04. When You Close Your Eyes
05. Don’t Tell Me You Love Me
06. Penny
07. Sister Christian
08. (You Can Still) Rock In America
09. 7 Wishes
DVD
01. Intro
02. Touch Of Madness
03. Sing Me Away
04. Four In The Morning
05. Growing Up In California
06. Rumors In The Air
07. Secret Of My Success
08. Sentimental Street
09. High Road
10. Eddie’s Comin’ Out Tonight
11. Goodbye
12. Day & Night
13. Night Ranger
14. When You Close Your Eyes
15. Don’t Tell Me You Love Me
16. Penny
17. Sister Christian
18. (You Can Still) Rock In America
19. 7 Wishes
