Mark Kayat's Austin's Fuel Room Schools Chicago Venues By Featuring Lou Gramm During A Hall of Fame Night of Unforgettable Rock and Roll!

Review by Dylan Jordan | Photos by Tony Wasemann

Saturday night, all was well with Rock N’ Roll in the world. Especially when Legendary Ex-Foreigner lead singer/songwriter Lou Gramm and his band invaded Austin’s Fuel Room in Libertyville, IL.

The affable Gramm brought his brand of fun swagger onto the Fuel Room stage, electrifying the room with an edgy version of Double-Vision and never looked back.

Mark Kayat’s Fuel Room audience was mesmerized from the moment Lou skipped onto the stage, surrounded by one of the tightest bands you’ll ever witness.

Surrounded by exemplary rock impresarios AD Zimmer on bass, Michael Staertow on lead guitar, long-time keyboard player Andy Knoll and brother Ben Gramm kickin’ it on drums, Gramm’s lineup performed a clinic on how a Hall of Fame group really ought to sound and perform.

Once the music began, it was mesmerizing to observe the introverted Gramm come out of his “shell” and interact with his audience. Gramm’s stage presence and humble vibe had the audience eating out of his hand by the second song. By the midway juncture of the concert, Gramm’s Chicago fans were chanting “Lou, Lou, Lou” after every song.

With AD Zimmer and Michael Staertow anchoring the stage, like two rock and roll bookends on either side of Gramm, their exuberant stage moves whipped the crowd into a frenzy as they toggled from Foreigner megahits to some of Lou’s greatest solo hits like the chart-topping “Midnight Blue.”

Performing classic’s like “I Want To Know What Love Is,” to “Long, Long Way From Home,” Gramm and Co. solidified Gramm’s case for being a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Why the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland has not inducted Gramm/Foreigner into its “hallowed” halls is a musical tragedy, especially when you consider that Gramm and co-collaborator, Mick Jones earned induction into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame in recent years.

Leaving Gramm and Foreigner out of the Hall of Fame mix only underscores how inept the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is, leaving out the likes of peer groups like Deep Purple, The Doobie Brothers, Cheap Trick, Chicago (2nd largest record sales in US history!) and The Moody Blues-seriously?

Cleveland: “Mistake” by the lake indeed.

On this night however, taking in Lou and the boys at Austin’s was a magical evening at a magical venue. Many of the major rock venues would do well do study Mark Kayat’s well-run organization since nobody does it better.

Kayat, GM Greg & staff are a collective group of go-getters who are “can-do” workhorses who will go the extra mile for their loyal and new customers. And their food is not simply bar food. Austin’s has one of the most versatile menus in the Lake County region and North Shore. From mouth-watering steaks to tasty salads featuring a variety of choices like gourmet coconut shrimp, chicken and lean steak, music fans of every walk of life are treated to satisfying lunches and dinners guaranteed to ensure that they entire entourage does not leave the restaurant hungry.

Austin’s Fuel Room is the perfect venue to plan your entire evening, with top-shelf acts like Lou Gramm owning the stage after a robust steak or one of their Hall of Fame Burger’s fresh off the grill.

While Gramm and his mates shredded on prime cuts like: “Cold As Ice,” “Just Between You And Me,” “Urgent,” “Ready Or Not,” “Waiting For A Girl Like You,” “Blue Morning, Blue Day,” and “Head Games,” I thought the roof was going to explode when Gramm launched into “Hot Blooded.” At this point, the crowd was completely hypnotized by Gramm’s searing vocals, while Knoll, Staertow, AD and the younger Gramm wove a Hall of Fame worthy tapestry of classic rock for the ages. This was a clinic in how the classic rock genre needs to be played and performed as Gramm’s voice seemed to reach back into his early days, while recapturing the old magic of a 22 year old, owning the stage, the crowd and an entire fandom.

Add in Ben Gramm’s drum solo and the New York connection was complete: The entire band hails from Rochester, New York, except for Lou’s brother Ben, who resides in Manhattan.

These rocker’s came to play and when the audience demanded they return to the stage for their encore(s), Gramm and Co, did not disappoint!

The original “Juke Box Hero,” Gramm, whose book is titled under the monster hit of the same name, strutted out on the stage and tore…it…up!

For encore #2, the band came out, sans Gramm and blew the crowd away with their version of Free’s “All Right Now,” with Michael Staertow shredding the lead in ways that would have made Paul Rogers proud!

Re-enter Lou Gramm, ever the performer, always consistent with his unique vocal stylings, completing the audiences nostalgic journey during a night that every member of the audience will not soon forget.

Talk about a satisfying night of Classic Rock with one of the greats, Lou Gramm and his fine group of passionate musician’s-this was a concert for the ages that everyone should reserve on their bucket list.

Lou Gramm and his band were dynamic, while remaining humble and expressing their gratitude to their Fuel Room fans. It wasn’t so long ago that Mr. Gramm was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.

This difficult challenge was met with guts, determination to live and Lou’s resolute faith in God that motivated Gramm to take a look inward. Rather than live out his “life sentence” in fear, Lou decided that his children and family were too important to him to give up or fall prey to the diagnosis. So, instead, Gramm found a doctor in Boston who indeed performed the surgery to remove the tumor. Next, Gramm worked on improving his diet, nutrition and weaned himself off of addictive pitfalls that plague so many artists and musicians-all for the greater good: survival for both himself and his family.

Needless to say, it was Gramm’s transformative return faith and his undying love for his children that inspired Gramm’s next musical effort, a self-titled Christian album, that in and of itself, might have saved his life, while inspiring others to live as well.

On this amazing evening, the Fuel Rooms packed house were treated to an incredible celebration of Gramm’s 5 decades of rock history-what a gift!