Bad Company @ Artpark, Lewiston, New York 7-16-13

Many bands are celebrating 40 years in music with tours this summer; KISS, Lynyrd Skynyrd and England’s own Bad Company, to name a few. Well, the place Bad Company performed is celebrating it’s 40th anniversary too. Artpark, located in Lewiston, NY, is also 40. It was a match made in heaven, despite the soaring temperatures. Original members Paul Rodgers, Mick Ralphs and Simon Kirke are steering the 2013 version of Bad Company along with recent Hall of Fame inductee Howard Leese on guitar and Todd Roning on bass.

The band came out and kicked into what else but “Rock and Roll Fantasy.” A great way to start as Rodgers was smart to hide from the heat by wearing a baseball cap the entire show. The heat index didn’t damper Ralphs’ or Leese’s spirits as they delivered every note with precision. The songs sounded fresh and weren’t dated at all. Kirke was also spot on throughout the evening and even added his vocals and tambourine to the encore of the night in “Seagull.” He joined both Ralphs and Rodgers as they had only their acoustic guitars and it was a very fitting way to close the show.

They dedicated the song “Gone, Gone, Gone” to Boz Burell, as photos of their late bassist accompanied them on the screen behind the band. Rodgers stated, “He may be gone but we will never forgot Boz,” as they went into the song. Rodgers also handled piano on a handful of numbers and as stated earlier, he played acoustic guitar on “Seagull,” which may have been the highlight of the night.

The real gem though, is Rodgers himself, and the fact that he still sounds as good as ever. Not too many singers have that kind of vocal range in their early 60s, but he still does. This is one of the tours that is a MUST SEE to add to your 2013 summer concert calendar!

Set List:

Bad Company
Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy
Burnin’ Sky
Running With The Pack
Feel Like Makin’ Love
Gone, Gone, Gone
Electricland
Ready for Love
Honey Child
Movin’ On
Shooting Star
Can’t Get Enough