While my brother had records from other “hair metal” bands, Cinderella always stuck out to me because they weren’t a run-of-the-mill band from that era. Long Cold Winter, the album and song, had a ton of bluesy rock n’ roll goodness on it. Vocalist/guitarist Tom Keifer brought solid riffs and a Brian Johnson-esque vocal assault that perked my ears up.

This early interest has led me through a few turnstiles to enter a Cinderella concert. Seeing Keifer, guitarist Jeff LaBar, bassist Eric Brittingham and drummer Fred Coury tearing through their classic tunes is always a treat. However, after their 2006 tour, Keifer had his left vocal cord begin hemorrhaging again, so it remained to be seen how they would hold up now.

As the light dimmed and the projection screen at House of Blues went up, it was clear it was show time. The red LEDs of the band’s wireless units moved around the stage, the opening riff of Once Around the Ride kicked in and with a flash of light the show began.

Keifer stepped to the mic and, honestly, he sounded better than he did in the old days. LaBar’s lead work was scorching, as were the vintage guitar spins and theatrics. The interaction between the members displayed the fun they were still having after all these years.

The set list was a tour of the hits for Cinderella. As Once Around the Ride ended, Keifer handed his guitar off, held the mic over the audience and kicked into Shake Me. About halfway through the song, Keifer got his guitar and tore through the solo.

Obviously not one to be content with just singing, Keifer spent the night alternating between a cache of guitars that would have a collector drooling, not to mention playing lap steel, piano and saxophone. It was overwhelming to watch as he would change instruments up to 3 times on some songs.

Not to be outdone, LaBar played acoustic on the quiet parts of tracks like Heartbreak Station before ripping through the leads on his electric. He also played some great slide parts and even some harmonica. See why Cinderella is not a run-of-the-mill band for their era?

The banter, on this night, was pretty sparse. There were calls for sing-a-longs on Heartbreak Station and Don’t Know What You Go (Until It’s Gone) and a few thank-yous. However, the rock n’ roll did the talking above all other things on this night. A set-closing 1-2 punch of Nobody’s Fool, featuring the entire building screaming along on the chorus, and an extended version of Gypsy Road left no doubt to the band’s width of musical influences and abilities.

Of course, the band could not stop there! After a few moments of applause, stomping and screams, Keifer’s began playing A Long, Cold Winter from off the stage. The bluesy riff filled the room as the band strolled back on stage to complete the song, which featured a solo showdown between Keifer and LaBar.

As the guitar faded out, the band kicked into the final song of the night, Shelter Me. It was a perfect way to end a night of killer rock music. The entire audience in the packed House of Blues sang along and poured themselves out as the band did the same.

I walked into this show no knowing what to expect and walked out with a bounce in my step. The cool, rainy air made the walk back to the car that much better and I caught myself still singing the chorus to Shelter Me as I unlocked the door. That is a definite sign of a great show.