Mike Tramp & Marcus Nand – Debonair Hall, Teaneck, NJ 04 May, 2023
Circling the US behind the wheel, hitting city to city, is nothing new for veteran rocker Mike Tramp. A true road warrior with paper map in hand (map phone app), Mike has likely been in and out of exit on Route 80 from coast to coast over the last 20 plus years. In the Spring of 2023, Mike & road mate Marcus Nand (lead Guitarist & Vocalist), are covering the pavement as a tandem duo embarking on the “Songs of White Lion” tour.
Always a bit of an underappreciated 80s band, the content in their four studio albums contain some great material of not just the MTV hits, but great deep tracks, and perhaps most important being the amazing guitar work of Vito Bratta, & the mature topics covered in the lyrics of many of the tracks. During the show, Mike explained to the audience the purpose of why he re-recorded & released an album in 2023 of the most important tracks to him, is because his vocal range has changed with age, yet the tracks that are dear to him and need to be played to the world to hear as he can perform them 35 plus years later just in a new way (wow, an honest musician not trying to make excuses!).
Presenting the material in a pseudo storytellers like setting, the songs were complimented by great narratives that were as fun as the music itself! For example, Mike’s lukewarm opinion about the Fight To Survive album, how his goal was for Marcus to learn Vito’s parts to near perfection leading up to the recording of new album (BTW, Marcus worked on it for a near year prior!), the people who supported him back in their formative L’Amour Brooklyn years (his home away from home as Mike phrased it) , some who were in attendance on this night, & his forward-thinking on some of the lyrical content that he described as something he’d be proud to sing about 30 years later when he’s in his 50s (could Little Fighter or Cry For Freedom ACTUALLY be about saving the Whales?). And then there were some innocent jabs at Motley Crue & Skid Row, funny & all said in good humor.
I even had the chance to talk metal with Heavy Metal comedian Don Jamieson who was in attendance.
All in all, I can’t “WAIT” to see the band again.
Metal Walt
Setlist:
- Lonely Nights
- Hungry
- Love Don’t Come Easy
- Broken Heart
- Tell Me
- Cry For Freedom
- Till Death Do Us Part
- Little Fighter
- Living On The Edge
- Wait
- When The Children Cry
- Radar Love
- Farewell To You
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