Concert Review
Tom Keifer Band
Bear’s Den @
Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino
Niagara Falls, NY
Friday October 18, 2019
Review/Photos: Joseph Suto
The last time Tom Keifer played Niagara Falls he was being lowered from the ceiling while playing the piano for what still remains today as Cinderella’s biggest hit “Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone)”. Oddly enough that was in 1989, some thirty years ago. Friday evening he finally returned to the Falls with his new band the Tom Keifer Band. I don’t know if he had any idea this is the same building he played all those years ago. On his last visit the building was known as the Niagara Falls Convention Center before it was converted into The Seneca Niagara Casino & Resort some fifteen years ago.
Tom has put together a very strong and capable band. His current band consists of drummer Jarred Pope, bassist Billy Mercer, keyboardist Kory Myers and guitarist Tony Higbee, Keifer’s wife Savannah and Kendra Chantelle handle backing vocals and percussion.
Keifer wasted no time diving into the new album Rise as “Touching The Divine” kicked the show off. What you got was basically the best of Tom Keifer as he neatly mixed in selections of his solo material alongside the best of Cinderella. As far as deep cuts were concerned there really weren’t any this time around.
The songs that stood out were the title track “Rise” which went over very well, “Shelter Me” and the aforementioned “Don’t Know What You Got. While the latter did not feature all the ballyhoo it did 30 years ago, it was executed with an accompanying vocal by Savannah Keifer, and went over as the best sounding song of the set.
Keifer and his band delivered a raw, pulsating 90-minute set. Perhaps the lone downside was the sound which at times seemed to have the instruments drown out Keifer. The Bear’s Den is known generally for its pristine sound but for whatever reason seemed off the mark at various times.
It is no secret that vocal issues have plagued Keifer throughout his career. He has persevered through many tough times and to see him still performing at this level is an astonishing feat this late into his career. Keifer did not hold back as he showed why he is considered one of the best front-men from the 1980’s circa. The extremely strong-willed Keifer has showed a determination never quite seen before. The fans are really lucky as they are the ones who benefit with now two great solo albums to play alongside their Cinderella collections.
Set List
Touching the Divine
Night Songs*
Coming Home*
It’s Not Enough
Somebody Save Me*
Rise
Nobody’s Fool*
Solid Ground
Bad Seamstress Blues / Fallin’ Apart at the Seams*
The Last Mile*
Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone)*
Shake Me*
Shelter Me*
Encore
Long Cold Winter*
The Death of Me
Gypsy Road*
*-Cinderella songs
