Night Ranger, still rocking at 40, will bring the hits and more to the Coeur d’Alene Casino

It’s been 40 years since Night Ranger’s debut album, “Dawn Patrol” was released. The initial single, the anthemic “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me” peaked at No. 4 on Billboard’s Top Rock Tracks chart, thanks to heavy MTV play.

“Don’t Tell Me You Love Me” was revamped, along with other Night Ranger hits, when the veteran band performed with the Contemporary Youth Orchestra last November for a concert in Cleveland.

The resulting album, “40 Years and a Night with Contemporary Youth Orchestra,” will be released in October. Night Ranger performed with more than 80 musicians, ages 12 to 18.

However, Night Ranger, which has been on Bret Michaels’ “Parti Gras” tour for much of the summer, will perform as a quintet when the band plays Thursday at the Coeur d’Alene Casino.

“We love what we do,” vocalist-drummer Kelly Keagy said while calling from Syracuse. “It’s that simple.”

However, it’s not easy for the core of a band to remain together for four decades. But Night Ranger’s power trio of bassist-vocalist Jack Blades, guitarist Brad Gillis and Keagy continue their long-term relationship.

“We’ve become a family,” Keagy said. “We’ve grown up together and we all get along. I think part of the reason we get along is because we communicate.

“We also enjoy what we do together. If that weren’t so, we wouldn’t be around all of these years.”

Night Ranger has a deep catalog of songs and a number of hits, which continue to score airplay on classic rock radio. There’s the infectious guitar-driven “You Can Still Rock in America” and the muscular aforementioned “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me.” Both of those tunes landed in the top of the Billboard Hot 100 along with “When You Close Your Eyes,” “Sentimental Street,” “Four in the Morning (I Can’t Take Anymore),” and “Goodbye.”

However, the biggest Night Ranger song was crafted by Keagy. His power ballad “Sister Christian,” peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Sister Christian,” which appeared on the soundtracks of “Boogie Nights” and “Friday the 13th,” remains a fan favorite.

“We were just so fortunate with ‘Sister Christian,’ ” Keagy said. “You never know what’s going to be a hit. I remember what it was like when I was writing it. I wrote it for my little sister. It was a big brother/little sister thing. I remember visiting my sister in Oregon. I wanted to send her a message about growing up. It was about handling things in life. What I wrote turned out to be ‘Sister Christian.’ It’s amazing how the song has been embraced. Who could have guessed?”

Night Ranger isn’t resting on its laurels. The venerable band continues to make albums in an age of EPs and singles. Night Ranger’s latest studio release, “ATBPO,” which stands for “And the Band Played On,” dropped in 2021 and “Don’t Let Up” was released in 2017.

“We still want to create,” Keagy said. “I can’t imagine what it would be like to just play the old songs. We love playing our hits but we don’t want to just go out and be a nostalgia act. It’s cool that we’re still inspired and I still love to play and sing.”

Keagy, 70, is a rarity, much like Don Henley of the Eagles and Peter Rivera of Rare Earth, who plays drums and sings simultaneously.

“Since I was a kid I’ve always sung,” Keagy said. “I grew up with Elvis Presley and the Beatles. I learned to play drums and I just sang. It’s worked out for me. I love what I do.”

Night Ranger, which also includes guitarist Keri Kelli and keyboardist Eric Levy, has always been about substance as opposed to style.

“It’s about the songs,” Keagy explained. “We always aimed to write the best songs that we can write and to be the best musicians that we can be. It all started with the influence the Beatles had on us and so many bands. We always aimed high.

“Who knew that it would work out and we would become this band that not just has had some success but also stayed together for a long, long time? But the cool thing is that we are a band all of these years later and the fans still support us. We don’t take that for granted and we hope to be around for many years.”