Ted nugent 2017 Tour

When an artist has been on stage for five decades, playing memorable riffs and singing songs known the world over, many would think the time has come to let the hits stand and move to enjoy life. Nothing could be farther from the mind of Ted Nugent.

Nugent will perform at The Riviera Theatre in North Tonawanda on Monday at 8 p.m. With a new album to bring to generations of fans, he gives credit to many places for the longevity and the staying power of his music.

“Life inspires me. Freedom inspires me,” he said. “Mrs. Nugent inspires me. My dogs inspire me. My guns and marksmanship inspire me. Campfires inspire me. Trucks and race cars and trainwrecks and short skirts inspire me. Wildlife inspires me. The mystical flight of the aim … inspires me.”

More specifically, Nugent said he builds on the sounds he grew up hearing — some pioneers of rock ‘n’ roll — Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Little Richard, and Jerry Lee Lewis.

“My love of such powerful and intense music throttled my instinct to interpret it in my own touch and style,” he said. “Hence my signature Nugent guitar licks and lyrical delivery are straight from the … streets of America … I still love the musical adventure madly and I play and jam every day. Killer music erupts from my Gibson Byrdland on a daily basis, and grinding grooves and exciting guitar patterns erupt with a life of their own.”

Nugent has played more than 6,700 concerts. Over that time, songs assuredly find their way in and out of the setlist. Some perform better than others in a live setting than others. Nugent sees the life of a song in very specific terms. Each one a living creation.

“My music has a life of its own no matter where, when or how it is unleashed,” he said about his favorites to perform. “I swear I cannot wait to play ‘Stranglehold,’ ‘MotorCity Madhouse,’ ‘Wang Dang …,’ ‘Wango Tango,’ ‘Dog Eat Dog,’ ‘Great White Buffalo,’ ‘Free For All,’ ‘Paralyzed,’ ‘Snakeskin Cowboys,’ ‘Crave’ ‘Just What The Doctor Ordered,’ ‘Good Friends and a Bottle of Wine,’ ‘Need You Bad,’ so many of the new songs on ‘The Music Made Me Do It’ and hundreds of others. They are all an absolute riot to perform. But I must admit, we take it to the ultimate spiritual level when playing ‘Fred Bear’ for audiences loaded with hunting families that celebrate our sacred soundtrack.”

When asked where he goes from here, Nugent’s answer was an indicator that, even at 70, he has no plans to stop or slow down.

“Summer tour 2019 will truly be the best tour of my life,” he said. “The upcoming hunting season looks to be the best of my life. I am a fulltime crazy happy husband, dad, grandpa, musician, songwriter, TV host/writer/producer, author, employer, entrepreneur, hunter, fisher, trapper, conservationist, environmentalist, mechanic, farmer, rancher, sheriff deputy, writer, We-The-People American political force to reckon with and fulltime, nonstop gungho life adventurer. I don’t settle for the road less traveled, I stalk non-roads untraveled both literally and figuratively and am having the time of my life doing so. The music made me do it–again.”

Nugent hinted at what can be expected at the concert.

“Expect sheer rock ‘n’ roll outrage from the tightest band on earth and a ferocious animal dance music, soul music soundtrack of freedom, attitude, liberty, spirit and all-American defiance of all things status quo,” he said. “Oh, yeah, and some killer love songs too.”

For more information and tickets, go to rivieratheatre.org.