Rock legends Night Ranger to perform at Riverside Casino

It's not easy to keep the core of a band together for nearly a half-century, but that's what Night Ranger has been able to do since it formed in 1982.

Vocalist-bassist Jack Blades, drummer Kelly Keagy and guitarist Brad Gillis have been intact since the pop-rock band released its first album, "Dawn Patrol," 43 years ago.

"Being around for as long as we have is a feat," Gillis said while calling from his East Bay home. "You have to learn not to yank each other's chains too hard to be around this long. There's got to be a lot of humor and joking around for a band to sustain for as long as we have."

Having an array of melodic hits helps keep a band going as well. Months after signing a record deal with The Boardwalk Entertainment Co., Night Ranger hit the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 with the infectious single "Don't Tell Me You Love Me."

"It helped that we received such a boost from MTV," Gillis said. "That song and a lot of other ones we made were just built on power and fun. Big guitars and great hooks helped us find an audience."

Night Ranger, which will perform Thursday at Riverside Casino & Golf Resort, had a few other songs the band intended to include on "Dawn Patrol." However, the band's label encouraged the group to place those on their second album, "Midnight Madness."

"It was a great idea since you wait your whole life to make that first album," Gillis said. "When that happens, you put your best songs on that album. A lot of bands that do that fall into a sophomore slump of a second album. But that didn't happen for us. We had 'Sister Christian' set to go on our first album, but our label said to hold on to it."

"Sister Christian" is the band's signature song and biggest hit. The track was inspired by Keagy's little sister, Christy. "Sister Christian" peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the charts for 24 weeks.

"It was an incredible time for us," Gillis said. "You had 'Sister Christian' and 'You Can Still Rock in America,' which Jack and I wrote. We were looking for an anthem type song to play live. It worked. 'You Can Still Rock in America' is the first song we wrote. It worked out perfectly."

The third single, "When You Close Your Eyes,'" hit number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100, and Night Ranger was a hot commodity months after the release of "Midnight Madness."

"Say what you want about the '80s, but it was a blast," Gillis said. "The '80s was a decade of decadence. I have so many great memories in Los Angeles. We would either be hanging out at the Rainbow Room, The Roxy or the Whiskey a Go Go. We used to bring people back to our studio, and it was such a good time. We were in our mid-20s. We made the most of it."

Gillis enjoyed the road just as much with Night Ranger, which also includes guitarist Kerri Kelli and keyboardist Eric Levy.

"We toured with some huge bands at the start of our career, like Kiss and ZZ Top," Gillis recalled. "But when 'Sister Christian' broke, we became headliners. I remember our first gig as a headliner. It was in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. I can still see the marquee. 'Night Ranger, sold out.’ That's the kind of stuff you never forget."

Night Ranger's hits from the '80s remain resonant. "The songs still sound fresh since they're catchy and they're guitar driven," Gillis said. "That kind of stuff doesn't go out of style. A big hook and some heavy guitar works well."

Gillis learned all about that while playing with Ozzy Osborne in 1982. Gillis took a hiatus from Night Ranger to embark on a six-month tour with rock's Prince of Darkness.

"I learned a lot from Ozzy," Gillis said. "I was a fan of (Osbourne's guitarist) Randy Rhoads."

After Rhoads died in a tour bus accident, Gillis played tribute to the guitar icon in a club. "A guy came up to me after I played and said he could get me an audition with Ozzy," Gillis said.

Gillis was tabbed and had a memorable time.

"I can never forget that experience," Gillis said. "Ozzy had his demons, but he was very much dealing with Randy Rhoads' death. After going out with Ozzy, (bassist) Rudi Sarzo left the group to go back with Quiet Riot, and I left to go back with Night Ranger. It was what I needed to do and all of these years later, we're still at it."