Wild Horse Pass has a special place in Kelly Keagy’s heart.
The Night Ranger drummer/singer was performing at the Chandler casino when a beautiful woman caught his eye. He tried to connect with her that night but couldn’t. A few weeks later, she wrote “great show” on Facebook.
Keagy recognized her immediately.
“I thought, ‘I want to meet that girl,’” he recalled.
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They spoke every day. His first date with Jennifer Attar was in her hometown of Chicago. Eventually, they married during a difficult stretch marked by her brother’s death.
“But I think it helped everyone,” he said.
Now living in the Valley with Attar, Keagy and Night Ranger are going back to the scene at 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10, at Gila River Resorts & Casinos – Wild Horse Pass. Night Ranger — which also includes bassist/singer Jack Blades, guitarist Brad Gillis, keyboardist Eric Levy and guitarist Keri Kelli — has helped keep the band relevant.
“We just look around and go, ‘Can you believe that we’re still here?’” he said.
Their secret is simple: communication.
“If one of us has any miscommunications, we go, ‘Wait a minute, come here, let’s shut the door. Let’s straighten it out.’ Five minutes later, it’s over. Check your ego at the door,” he said. “Then you can bring your ego on stage.”
The band’s energy is unmistakable, high‑octane, joyful, never lazy, he said.
“If you’re just going to call in that performance, then why?” he said. “We’d rather not play if it’s not going to be 100% or 120%.”
To complement Night Ranger’s shows, the band has added screens and visuals, weaving in archival footage. And of course, there’s “Sister Christian,” a song that Keagy sings.
“It was in ‘Friday the 13th,’ part 90,” he joked. In “Boogie Nights,” the track plays a pivotal, unforgettable moment, which Keagy called “crazy.”
Keagy is Zooming from his East Valley home, where the desert light hits his small home studio in a way that makes even long mixing days feel a little softer.
“Everything’s pretty close,” he said. “I can do whatever I need to do.”
That studio — jammed wall-to-wall with gear — became his lifeline during the pandemic. Night Ranger had a record to make, but the band was scattered, and writing on Zoom was, in his words, “impossible.” He cut vocals from that tiny room, then drove to a friend’s studio to track drums. “We always do records when we’re in one room together,” he said. “So yeah, absolutely disappointed.” Still, he made it work. That’s the through-line of Keagy’s career: the work always gets done, even when the circumstances are absurd.
Keagy is finishing his third solo album. As of early summer, he has mixed nine songs for the as-of-yet unnamed record. On Aug. 28, Night Ranger released a “Best Of” record built from its 20-year relationship with Frontiers Music.
To support it, the rock legends released a newly remastered version of their classic power ballad, “Sister Christian (2026).” The “Best Of” album also includes two bonus tracks: a fresh take on “Wasted Time,” recorded at Sweetwater Studios, and a festive live performance of “Feliz Navidad.” The album was released on CD and vinyl. The double LP is available in three colors: black, gold, and orange splatter.
After 44 years, what keeps Keagy going? The audience.
“They come enthusiastic every night,” he said. “And we’re proud of our music.”
