Saturday, 12 August 2006
Here they go Again! Ready To Rock!Back in the days of the great hair metal wars of 1987-1990, Whitesnake were the biggest British metal band around. Conquering America like an invading army, bad bad boys running under cover of moonlight, leaving a trail of broken hearts, screeching guitar solos and stadium filling power ballads in their wake, they rocked you in the morning and rolled you in the night. They had the fastest selling album in their record companies history, and then…..nothing but silence. For years.
Numerous greatest hits packages later, its out on the reformation circuit for singer David Coverdale (the artist known as Whitesnake) and his band of what seems to be everchanging merry compatriots. Following their rejuvenation in 1987 with a far younger and more photogenic lineup, Coverdale has continued this by not so much reforming as remaking the band from scratch every tour, filled with fresh not-quite-so-young blood anymore, but full of the power of rock.
It’s like grunge never happened. More classic than Jurassic, from an era where the men were men and the women splayed themselves across the bonnets of fast cars in the videos, this is wall to wall classic rock, the hits , the singalong choruses, the loud hair and even louder guitars. Its everything you could ever want from a rock band ; balls to the wall full on rock n roll, drum solos, and squealing delivered by the best Whitesnake tribute band in the world.
With only one song written in the past twenty years aired tonight – the yet to be released new song ‘Ready to Rock’ (which is a very close cousin of Motleys Crue's 'Live Wire') – and nothing from the past four albums Coverdale has released (1989’s Slip Of The Tongue, 1994’s collaboration with Jimmy Page, 1997’s Restless heart and 2002s solo album into the Light), Tonight is a trip down the glory road of the 1980s.
But what a glorious road it is - starting with the Deep Purple Classic ‘Burn‘, a nod and a wink to Coverdale’s big break with Deep Purple before forming Whitesnake, the rest of the set is comprised entirely from the years 1978-1986. And Its full on chest-beating, headbanging, air guitaring classic rock anthems. And If – as Bill and Ted reckon – that air guitar cures smog, then after tonight, global warming is a thing of the past.
Filled out with a supporting cast of able musicians such as the able and impressive ex-Dio guitarist Doug Aldrich (complete with bare-chested sixpack), and guitarist Reb Beach (ex-Winger), along with drumming legend Tommy Aldridge, Whitesnake are a competent and classy outfit, though far removed from the outfit of the past whose back catalogue they play ; Now a sleek and efficient rock machine, Doug Aldrich plays like a demon, and the ‘Lord of the strings’ (as David Coverdale calls him) that is Reb Beach looks like he can’t believe he still gets to play rock god every nigh in front of thousands of fans, such is his enthusiasm and joy on stage. Tommy Aldridge on the other hand, shows every inch why he is a legend – playing with precision, passion – and even his bare hands during the drum solo; however, with his thick mane of hair he often resembles Animal from the Muppets , a manic blur of limbs and hair and precision pounding of the skins. And that’s even before bass player Uriah and the light up LEDs on his bass add another realm of glitz and glamour to the proceedings.
But all this would be mere window dressing without the main man, the white snake himself, David Coverdale. Self styled lotharian Sex God, leader of the band named after his own phallus, with Herculean hair and an open shirt, he is all man – and then some – on stage; not to mention a consummate rock god whenever he open uphis lungs and bellows ‘here’s a song for YA!’ at regular intervals, before teasing the crowd mercilessly like a prom queen on a first date. At one point, just before ‘Is this love?’, he romantically interjects into the proceedings – ‘You could meet your true love this evening….just don’t tell the wife.’. Who said romance was dead, eh?
But its not just romance we get this evening. From a band who Coverdale once admitted was about exploring the themes of love on a perpendicular and horizontal level (Missionary position guy, I guess?), we get wine, women and song. Every song tonight is either about his love for a woman in a physical sense , the power of rock, or both at the same time. Good time rock n roll through and through ; No distractions, no introspection, just hit after hit after hit, riffs the size of planets. Pure escapism and everything you could ever want. Its like grunge never happened. Forget nu-metal, this is tru-metal.
Whitesnake are everything you could possibly expect from them. Clinically precise, stadium filling anthems, Drum solos, pure testosterone and total enjoyment. The epitome of the much maligned hair metal genre, Whitesnake rocked like Muthas. With a back catalogue like this, its astounding to think of the utter classics that didn;t get played - tracks such as Judgement Day or Slow N' Easy - and that songs like 'Take Me With You' show us exactly who Guns N Roses ripped off the beginning of Mr Brownstone from. (And for that matter, At The Drive In ripped them off too, but thats another matter).
What you get with Whitesnake is big guitars, big hair, big choruses and a back catalogue crammed with classic songs and million selling hits - and every one of them all killer, no filler. Overblown, pompous, pretentious and over the top, Whitesnake are everything rock n roll should be but now isn't in this current deluge of uninspired, unmemorable, turgid pop-lite-punk and sludgy interchangable and forgettable metal currently clogging up the pages of Kerrang.It might be nothing more than a nostalgia trip, but the sheer quality of tonight shows you just how dire the current state of the metal scene is compared to the glories of years gone by. lets hope metal kicks itself back into gear soon, because Whitesnake are loud, proud - a night of pure escapism and rock n roll.
Ready N' Willing? Whitesnake delivered. And then some. You couldn't ask for anything more.
Setlist: Burn/ Stormbringer / Fool For Your Lovin’ / Love Ain’t No Stranger / Ready N’ Willing / Is This Love? / Ready To Rock / Guitar Solos / Crying In The rain / Drum Solo / Crying In the Rain part 2 / Ain’t No Love In The Heart of The City / Give Me all Your Love / Here I Go Again
Enc: Take Me With You / Still Of The Night
Enc: Bad Boys / Slide It In / Solider Of FortuneOnly registered users can write comments.
Please login or register. Powered by AkoComment 1.0 beta 2! |
