Within the many languages of the world, one is universal.  The language of music transcends not only borders but also definition and time.  A prime example of this is the rock group Tesla.  Celebrating their 20th anniversary, they are still playing to large crowds.  A band straight out of the 80s, Tesla defines musicianship and energy in their live show.

They proved this to the crowd at DTE Energy Music Theater on July 20th. 

Opening the show with Comin’ at Cha Live, the band did just that.  The energy exhibited by the band was uncanny.  With dueling guitars and powerful vocals Tesla lit up the crowd.  Singer Jeff Keith bounced around the stage like a man half his age.  He powered the band through the hits No Way Out and Little Suzie.

Perhaps the biggest highlight of the night was how guitarists Frank Hannon and Dave Rude (filling in for original guitarist Tommy Skeoch) seemed to be feeding off of each others energy.  Just when one played a killer riff the other came at you guns blazing with another.  The band left the stage at one point and Hannon and Rude sat on the side of stage with their
acoustic guitars playing the intricate, delicate intro to the bands most recognizable song, Love Song.  Anyone in attendance couldn't help but be impressed by the musicianship of these two.  It was a thing of beauty to watch. 

The band also played tribute to the legacy of Detroit Rock and Roll and played Ted Nugent's Free for All. The group ended their show with Back Sabbath's War Pigs and Modern Day Cowboy off of 1986s Mechanical Resonance. 

Also on the bill for the night was Las Vegas natives Slaughter.  They dedicated their song Fly to the Angels to the soldiers serving in Iraq.  Singer Mark Slaughter ventured out into the crowd and sang Up all Night before leaving the stage to make way for their touring partners Skid Row.

Skid Row hit the stage to a pumped up crowd.  They opened their set with Thick is the Skin, off the album Thickskin.  Skid Row proved that they could still entertain a crowd after all these years.  Singer Johnny Solinger thundered through the hit 18th and Life before playing what he called the perfect summer picnic song.  I Remember You; Solinger called it the
perfect backyard drinking sing along.  It was easy to see why.  I don't think there was a mute voice at DTE during this song.  The band then ended with Youth Gone Wild.  Skid Row set the stage perfectly for the rest of the night. 

 In the words of Tesla's Jeff Keith "It's only what you give, It's not what you got. On this night in July Tesla gave a lot to the crowd and got a lot of fan support in return.  Tesla seemed to be playing for themselves just as much as for the fans.  You could see that after 20 years they still enjoy sharing the stage with each other.  They have a chemistry that one wouldn’t expect to see 20 years into a career. Whatever it is it defiantly works. I guess that just the way that it goes!