Mid-week during Macworld off the halls of the Moscone Center, I was privileged enough to be part of a special first time ever concert featuring Tommy Shaw of Styx and Jack Blades of Night Ranger. Playing for a crowd of maybe fifty people, the classic rock icons performed various hits in a side room just down the corridor of the South Hall without a PA system. This wasn’t done to keep the noise down and prevent a mob of fans from busting down the doors to gain entry to this amazing acoustic concert, but rather to highlight some amazingly new wireless headphones by AKG. Well known for its professional microphones and headsets, AKG is bringing the sound of pros to consumers this year and through Harman/Kardon, AKG’s brilliance was highlighted on this night.

Harmon/Kardon set up Tommy Shaw and Jack Blades on a tight stage that found Tommy knocking his many guitars into others through the night. Tommy and Jack have played together since the early 90’s when they formed Damn Yankees with wild man Ted Nuggent. It was easy to see how well they get along through the night as they joked with one another and Tommy even took on a Night Ranger song lead vocals. Tommy’s masterful guitar playing was highlighted when he played the lead to “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me” in which Jack leaned over and listened for a brief moment and proclaimed, “He’s playing the lead to Hotel California!” So well done, no one noticed anything off until it was pointed out. Amazing.

Also amazing was the music in which we heard coming into our ears via the wireless AKG’s. I grew up in the boom-boom car beginnings, I like my music loud, but the AKG’s never pushed the envelope in volume, just sound. The sound was realistic sounding, not fabricated in any way. I removed the headsets a few times to “compare” live with, well, live on the headsets and never could I detect any difference. It was incredible. Toward the end of the concert, I did get static a few times from possibly fading batteries, but a quick press of the resync button had me in music bliss once again.

It was great singing as loud as I wanted “Too Much Time on My Hands”, “Sister Christian” (with a great behind the scenes story), “Blue Collar Man”, and classics by Yes, and Simon and Garfunkel to name just a few. It was a mind blowing honor to meet my guitar hero of my childhood, Tommy Shaw, after the private show as well. What a night!

Look for the headphones to grace our shores (already available in Europe) sometime this late spring. As for Tommy Shaw, he’s currently on tour with Styx (sans Dennis DeYoung). Catch them if you can.