Photography Reviews

Concert Review: Monsters of Rock Cruise – Day 3

By Shannon Wilk / May 16, 2023

As we reach Puerto Plata, DR, we also reach the halfway point of the Monsters of Rock Cruise. The week full of rockstar encounters, concerts and sun forges on! This was a lighter day for me, shooting just 4 shows – Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown, Tesla, Eclipse and Doro. Here’s how it went…

I started day 3 down in Studio B checking out Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown. Coming from Nashville, Tennessee, Bryant brought blues, folk, country, americana and straight-up rock n’ roll influence to MORC. Their set included just a couple songs off their latest full-length release Shake the Roots, and surprisingly not a single song from the band’s EP released in March of this year. The band definitely got my attention with their eclectic style paired with groovy tunes fit for anytime. Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown are some of music city’s finest and they certainly should not be overlooked.

Next up were one of the week’s headliners, Tesla, at the Royal Theater. The band features ⅗ members from the classic lineup – the iconic raspy vocals from Jeff Keith, melodic and bluesy rock riffs from Frank Hannon and the heavy bottom-end bass from Brian Wheat. Joining them are long-time guitarist Dave Rude, who has been with the band over 15 years now, and the drummer Steve Brown, who joined the group just 2 years ago. Their hour-long set was filled with primarily classic Tesla tunes, as well as one newer song, Time to Rock, their August 2022 single release.

After Tesla were fan favorite Swedes, Eclipse, at the Pool Stage just after 8PM. Smoke filled the stage and the band walked out to the crowd’s cheers. After a fantastic performance at the Pre-Party, the bar was high for these 4 gentlemen. The high energy performance from all of the musicians in the band really gets the crowd going, plus their very ‘80s rock-influenced sound gets everyone singing and dancing making for an amazing time all-around. From the opener, Roses On Your Grave, to the very last song, Viva La Victoria, Eclipse gave 110% and it showed. 

My last stop for the night was Doro and her talented band down in Studio B. The ‘80s heavy metal queen from Germany hasn’t lost a beat in all her decades in the music business. In head-to-toe leather and a big grin on her face, Doro belts out her heavy metal anthems as the crowd raises their fists in the air from start-to-finish. She clearly has an amazing relationship with her bandmates as they all interact so well together on that stage. Doro never disappoints!

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