KEN TAMPLIN

One of the highlights of the day, and cutest moments of the whole weekend, was when Ken Tamplin’s two kids took to the stage to introduce their dad and his band. Looking hugely familiar to many, we soon recognised their cheeky faces as the two little rockers from the cover of his latest release ‘Wake The Nations’. Indeed they were so adorable they not only made the whole room sit up and take note, but they also showed just how an introduction should be done.

Ken has worked with so many big names over the years and so it was with little surprise to find him backed by Howie Simon on lead guitar, and Glen Sobel on bass. If this guy looked familiar as he peaked out from behind the drum kit then that’s because we’re more used to seeing him with the glam rockers Beautiful Creatures.

Although we weren’t familiar with Ken’s work it soon became apparent that it spanned material old and new. Not only that but a lot of the punters here today did know his material and were more than eager to sing along to all the words with him.

The set was littered with nice touches here and there. Not only did he bring his kids with him and let them introduce the band, but he also took the time out to hand flowers out to the crowd quite early on in his set. This wasn’t tacky in the least, although if most bands had done the same it would have appeared that way. It was a genuine gesture of gratitude to the people who had come to see the band perform and who were more than happy to accept such a touching gift from Ken.

One really cool thing about Ken’s set, and there were many things that make this LA rock icon super cool, was that a lot of members from the other bands came out in their droves to watch his performance. Indeed during the lively rocker ‘Story Of Love’ we spotted the lovely Patricia from Nexx in the crowd giving it the horns and rocking like a woman possessed! Right on there sister!

As the set continued the sheer quality and professionalism of Ken’s performance shone through for all to see. His voice isn’t a million miles away from that of David Coverdale and I guess that’s one of the reasons it’s so easy to get into the songs.

Not content at merely handing out flowers to the crowd, Ken proceeded to throw out a few handfuls of CD’s of his new album. After that he decided he wanted to get even closer to his fans and went walk about while still playing the guitar, shaking hands and pecking the cheeks of adoring females as passed by.

The set was heavily guitar led and I think that was largely down to Howie Simon of Talisman fame and his shredding on more than a few songs. Together with Ken’s lively vocals it kept the set fresh and the fans awake.

The performance was nicely topped off with the meaty rocked up version of Toto’s hit Rosanna. Brilliant end to what was a very energetic and classy performance by this well seasoned performer and his band. Looking around the room it was easy to see the songs had been thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated by Ken’s fans old and new.