As a sold out
crowd noisily filed into The Joint, the Hard Rock’s newest entertainment venue,
they probably had no idea what they were in store for.  As ushers led people to their seats,
photographers readied their gear as to assure not to miss a moment of the action. Moments later, Bad Company took the stage to a blacked out auditorium.

A band as
legendary as Bad Company needs no opener and wasted little time getting down to
business. The audience was in it from the second the band took the stage, as they took to their
feet for a rousing rendition of “Can’t get enough”.  The stage was simple enough to say these guys
were just here for the music and no fancy pyrotechnics were necessary.

After standing
behind a piano from center stage and belting out “Run with the Pack”, Paul
Rodgers then introduced the members of his solo band as well as the members of
Bad Company.

He was very happy
to introduce the three original founding members, to include himself as lead
vocalist, Mick Ralphs on guitar as well as backup vocalist, and drummer Simon
Kirke.  Members of his solo project were
also in attendance with Lynn Sorensen on bass and Howard Leese on guitar.

After all
introductions were made the pace quickened and the bass intensified with the
crowd really getting into it as the band played on through such hits as
“Youngblood”, “Seagull” and “Gone, Gone, Gone”. What everyone really seemed to enjoy is when BadCo played “Oh, Atlanta”
but customized it for Oklahoma throwing in Tulsa instead of Atlanta. 

Paul seemed very
approachable, even greeting a few devout fans stage side while he sang.  The mood of the The Joint seemed to reach a
climax when the lights were brought down, the instruments went silent, and the
disco ball spun to life lighting up the entire room as the first notes of
“Shooting Star” were played.  The crowd
involvement for this song was unlike any other on the night, with Paul directing
each side of the room during the chorus. He thanked the audience for being so involved and then asked for them to give
themselves a round of applause. 

As the first set came
to a close with a rocking version of “Rock N Roll Fantasy” the lights went down
and the band disappeared.  Moments later
to a chanting assembly of fans the ensemble played their self-titled track “Bad
Company” to which everyone knew the words. Just when the crowd thought they were done, the trio
returned to play “Preacher”, “Simple Man”, and “Rock Steady”.

{gallery}entertainment/2010/bad_company/gallery{/gallery}

Photos by: Kevin Pyle

As Paul and the
gang gathered at the front to take a bow before leaving the stage, he reminded
fans to “take care of each other and take care of the planet”.  A fitting message from a man who has done
just that over the past 40 years through his many charitable contributions to
music itself.