The ascendancy of rock acts to multi-platinum superstardom in the 1980s must have taken bands like Journey, Loverboy and Night Ranger by surprise. After all, those acts filled arenas and stadiums across the United States practically overnight. However, Night Ranger was an anomaly. Not only could the band’s drummer, Kelly Keagy, carry a tune, but also the other members—including Brad Gillis, Jeff Watson and Jack Blades—knew their way around a fret board and could sing their asses off. These days, we can enjoy the great hair explosion of the ’80s for what it was: a damned good party. Unfortunately, the descent of these acts in mainstream popularity has created smaller, less-appropriate venues for their music. It’s now 2005, and Night Ranger is headlining this year’s Sacramento Art & Wine Festival, alongside myriad food and wine vendors and children’s activities. The gig in Boston must have been canceled. It’s not a big college town anyway, right? Night Ranger plays Stage 1 on the Capitol Mall (between Third and Seventh streets) on Saturday at 5 p.m. The show is free and open to all ages. Visit www.metrochamber.org/artandwine for details.
(SN&R)