As Tesla plays CA State Fair, concertgoers talk shared name with the car brand
As the sun set on the eighth day of the California State Fair, thousands of attendees gathered Friday for a better view of Tesla.
No, not the Elon Musk-founded car brand. The other Tesla: a hard rock band formed more than 40 years ago in Sacramento.
Almost 2,000 fair-goers purchased tickets to the concert, said State Fair media director Darla Givens, and hundreds more peppered the stage’s surrounding lawns. The fair was the third Tesla concert for Janie Hernandez, 55, who has been a fan since the 1980s and frequently recommends Tesla to her friends. But in recent years, Hernandez said people have had difficulty following her suggestion.
“They’re like, ‘Are you talking about the car?’” Hernandez said. “No.”
When Hernandez does talk about Tesla — the vehicle manufacturer — it’s without the same reverence she affords the band. She has become a detractor of the electric vehicle brand in the last year. She has company: Sacramento residents now have their own chapter of Tesla Takedown, an organization that demonstrates its opposition to Musk and his politics by picketing outside Tesla dealerships and dissuading potential buyers. At the State Fair, fans of the band were divided on the brand.
Tesla — the band — is composed of Sacramento natives Frank Hannon and Brian Wheat, the group’s guitarist and bassist, respectively as well as vocalist Jeff Keith, guitarist Dave Rude and drummer Steve Brown, according to its official website.
For Kenny Sorenson, 61, the State Fair was a reunion: He grew up going to school with Hannon and Wheat, and, during the summer, he and Hannon regularly swam in Sorenson’s pool. Sorenson has been a fan of the band since their inception. While it went through a string of initial names like City Kidd, Sorenson said, it landed on its current moniker as a nod to the inventor, Nikola Tesla.
“I like ‘Tesla’ the best,” Sorenson said.
So does long-time fan Morris Silva, 63, who has been listening to the band for more than 40 years.
“I got six other brothers, and they’re all Tesla fans,” Silva said. “Even my mom was.”
Silva said Tesla is the catchiest iteration of the band’s names and, unlike Hernandez, he feels the name is made better by the prevalence of the car company. Silva said he has a personal connection to the brand since his niece and nephew both work for Tesla in Dublin.
For Ed O’Neill, 64, the name is far less important than the music. He said the band’s name changes were a natural progression. Plus, he is indifferent to the company. But according to O’Neill, who is now close friends with Hannon, the shared name has caused issues with branding, like jockeying for website domains.
O’Neill, clad in a Tesla T-shirt from a past tour, arrived to the State Fair early with Hannon.
“I drove him here tonight,” O’Neill said. “He needs to be focused on this. I enjoy helping out.”
O’Neill’s car? Not a Tesla.
