When Tesla performs at the AVA Amphitheater on Friday, July 4, the band will unleash a “classic” set with a few extras mixed in.
“We’re doing our classic thing — all the hits and the standards,” said guitarist Dave Rude.
“We like to have some room to move around so we can play different stuff for the diehard fans, who see multiple shows.
“We really, honestly get a lot of people who see us multiple times a year. I don’t see anything wrong with finding a set that works and sticking to it. We like to make it a little more special.”
Among those “must-do” tracks are “I Love You,” an acoustic-driven cover of the Climax Blues Band song.
“We’re going to record it again in the summertime and re-release it,” Rude explained. “I feel like that song was written for us to cover. Now, I only hear our version of the song. I can’t imagine someone else singing it.”
Rude is joined in Tesla by vocalist Jeff Keith, guitarist Frank Hannon, bassist Brian Wheat and drummer Steve Brown.
On its tour, Tesla will touch all sides of its creative discography, including the heavier edge of electric songs like, “Modern Day Cowboy,” “Hang Tough” and “Edison’s Medicine.” Joining “I Love You” on the acoustic side is “Signs,” a cover of the 1970s song by Five Man Electrical Band.
Tesla’s music embodies 1970s rock ‘n’ roll, reflecting its influences like Bad Company, Grand Funk Railroad, AC/DC, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith.
The band’s 1986 platinum debut album, “Mechanical Resonance,” included Top 40 hits “Modern Day Cowboy” and “Little Suzi.” 1989’s double-platinum “The Great Radio Controversy” included hits “Heaven’s Trail (No Way Out)” and “Love Song.”
The success led to spots touring with Def Leppard and David Lee Roth. In 1990, Tesla released “Five Man Acoustical Jam,” a reimagined collection of its hits, along with covers by the likes of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. “Signs” is included in the collection.
Other 1990s albums from Tesla include platinum-selling “Psychotic Supper” and “Bust a Nut.”
Tesla has released nine new albums since 2000, most recently the single “All About Love,” from the EP of the same name.
Rude joined the band in 2006, after meshing with his bandmates over their love of music.
“Musically, we’re all lifers,” he said.
“We just can’t stop performing. Music feeds itself. We love to play. We love to write. We love to perform. We’re lucky enough to do it for a living. We get to travel by bus and see all of these different places.”
Music is Rude’s longtime love, fostered by seeing Poison and Warrant in the early 1990s.
“It was super fun,” he said. “I was a kid. Just to see a show like that blew my mind. I had been looking at these dudes in magazines and videos and listening to their records. Seeing them in real life was just mind-blowing for me. It was just like I saw Superman.”
Arizona is always a fun place to perform, Rude said. He called the Grand Canyon State “beautiful” and “unique.”
“We were driving from the airport to the show and Arizona has such a unique vibe. I do love to be there. The shows are always great. We did the Pima County Fair a long time ago. There was all this weird animal stuff. I looked to the side while I was playing, and there was a camel.
“I thought, ‘What is going on? This is a rock show. Why are there cattle over there?’ It was a funny thing.”
He’s looking forward to performing at the AVA Amphitheater, as casino gigs impress him. For one, Tesla gets a rare hotel room, and the musicians are well taken care of.
“When I was growing up in the 1980s and 1990s, I thought casinos were for old people,” he said. “It’s not that way anymore. The newest, hottest bands are doing casinos, too. They’re great gigs.”
Tesla
WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday, July 4
WHERE: AVA Amphitheater at Casino Del Sol
COST: Visit website for information
INFO: saaca.org/ovconcertseries.html
This article appears in Jun 26 – Jul 3, 2025.
