Northern California rockers TESLA will appear at the NYCB Theatre at Westbury on Thursday, June 27 at 8 p.m.
TESLA arrived on the scene in 1986 when their debut album, “Mechanical Resonance” produced the hard rock hits and crowd favorites, “Modern Day Cowboy” and “Little Suzi.”
But it was the follow-up, 1989’s “The Great Radio Controversy,” which truly broke the band. The first single, “Heaven’s Trail (No Way Out),” was a hit with hard rock audiences, setting the stage for the second single, a comforting ballad called “Love Song” which substituted a dash of hippie utopianism for the usual power ballad histrionics.
“Love Song” hit the pop Top Ten and made the band stars, pushing The Great Radio Controversy into the Top 20 and double-platinum sales figures.
The album’s third single, “The Way It Is,” was also a hit.
In keeping with their unpretentious, blue-collar roots, TESLA responded to stardom not by the glam theatrics of their tour mates and peers of the era, but by stripping things down. The idea behind 1990’s “Five Man Acoustical Jam” was virtually unheard of – a pop-metal band playing loose, informal acoustic versions of their best-known songs in concert, plus a few favorite covers.
TESLA’s music was sturdy enough to hold up when its roots were exposed, and one of the covers, “Signs,” became another Top Ten hit (going all the way to No. 2), as well as the band’s highest-charting single.
Not only did “Five Man Acoustical Jam” reach the Top 20 and go Platinum, it helped directly inspire MTV’s “Unplugged” series, both with its relaxed vibe and its reminder that acoustic music could sound vital and energetic.
This album is credited for starting the whole “Unplugged” craze of the ‘90s.
“Psychotic Supper” was released in 1991 and quickly became another platinum hit and spun off the greatest number of singles of any TESLA album: “Edison’s Medicine,” “Call It What You Want,” “Song and Emotion,” and the classic hit, “What You Give,” which was another one of TESLA’s ballad singles that reached Top 20 radio airplay.
TESLA’s line-up consists of four of its original members: vocalist Jeff Keith, guitarist Frank Hannon, bassist Brian Wheat, and drummer Troy Luccketta and new guitarist Dave Rude who has brought a new energy and creativity to the band.
Tickets are $39.50 and $29.50 plus applicable service charges and are available online at www.ticketmaster.com, charge by phone at 800-745-3000 or at the Westbury box office. Event, date and time are subject to change. For more information, visit: www.thetheatreatwestbury.com.
