Caught Live: ALTER BRIDGE; o2 Academy Birmingham 26 October 2010

Because, once again, I left it late to get a ticket for this gig, all that were left on the night were balcony spaces. Which was better than I got at Manchester, because that sold out some time ago and I missed it! Alter Bridge's popularity is increasing all the time in Great Britain and after a two-year absence from these shores there was huge interest in these dates. While they've been away, singer Myles Kennedy has played shows with Slash, raising his profile even higher, while across the pond the other three reunited with Scott Stapp and took Creed back out on the road. That was controversial and enough has been written about it, suffice to say I was pleased that Alter Bridge did return as they promised (!)

The o2 Academy in Birmingham is a new venue to me; it replaced the old venue across town (which was demolished last year) and this new place is sited alongside one of the main roads leading to the city centre. There was an enormous queue at the venue when I arrived and I would guess that the place held close on 3000. What I could see of the downstairs looked completely packed and there were plenty filling the small seating area in the balcony as well as plenty more opting to watch from the back. It's been a while since I was obliged to be seated at a concert so I was unusually comfy and with a clear view of the stage when support Slaves To Gravity came on. They played for around 45 minutes and were good live, but their material didn't do a lot for me. They made all the right moves and their singer (a good vocalist, I have to say) said all the right things, most notably bigging up the headliners, but despite an enthusiastic, energetic performance, I wasn't hooked. Of course, with a crowd as partisan as Alter Bridge's, any band not called Logan are going to have a hard time opening this show (Logan supported in 2005 and 2008, and because they have a similar style, went down well) and these guys were received politely at best.

It was a good half-hour before the headliners emerged, while the increasingly restless crowd chanted the band's name, and a huge roar went up when the lights finally went down and the singer appeared. They opened the set with 'Slip To The Void' from the new album, before giving us TWO tracks in succession from previous album 'Blackbird'. The set was loaded more towards the older material than the new record, which was a little bit surprising as when they toured in support of 'Blackbird' in early 2008, they played a lot of songs from that album. This time round, we got most of the favourites from that album again!

It's not a complaint since I actually prefer the last album to the current one, but I did wonder which record they were promoting! So out for another airing were 'Before Tomorrow Comes', 'Buried Alive', 'Brand New Start' and 'Blackbird' (preceded as ever, by a snippet of The Beatles' song of the same name) among others, but no 'Watch Over You'.

That was intended to be played in the encore, but when the guitar tech brought on the stool only to remove it again almost immediately, it was apparent they'd changed things around a bit. At several points during the show, Kennedy apologised for not being at his best, although he was hitting high notes in places, there were others where he almost 'talked' through the words. I thought he sounded in decent nick generally, though (those songs must be extremely hard to perform night after night), but he was quick to acknowledge the vociferous 'choir', proclaiming that they 'kicked his ass'.

It was noticeable that although the new AB III songs were cheered, the older songs were greeted with a roar that almost lifted the roof off the new venue. Maybe the new songs are not that familiar yet, but perhaps it isn't just me that isn't 'feeling' the newie quite like the previous records. Alter Bridge at their best are capable of raising the emotions in the most hard-bitten rockers, and songs like 'Broken Wings' and 'Brand New Start' certainly do that, while the likes of 'I Know It Hurts' aren't quite at that level. They ended the main set with 'Isolation', before playing what I now know to be a truncated encore, first playing 'Open Your Eyes' complete with crowd participation, and culminating with 'Rise Today'. (They have been playing both 'Watch Over You' and 'Wonderful Life' acoustically on the other dates.)

Nevertheless it was still a long set, with almost everything I wanted to hear performed I had little to complain about. The other thing I observed from high up in my lofty perch was how much Kennedy has become the figurehead of this band; he's no longer the unknown singer in Mark Tremonti's project, he's very much the leading light of the group now. The Slash gig plus those Zeppelin links (it's now known he did rehearse with Page and co) have transformed the previously slightly shy frontman into a rock giant. If the Creed thing does take hold across the Atlantic once again, Kennedy won't be left high and dry.

However such speculation is for the future; for now let's hope they mean it when they promise 'Don't forget we're here to stay' in their song 'Come To Life'. If they are, arenas beckon next time round.

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Caught Live: Lacuna Coil; o2 Academy Liverpool 27 September 2010

It's just over a year since last time the Italian goth-metallers pitched up in our fair city, and now they're back again - this time at the o2 Academy across town. Last year was a very low-key date; they brought no real stage show for their gig at the Masque (or Barfly as it was still known then), just themselves and their gear. This time they did bring a stage set and a few of those fancy LED strip lights often used by bands in arenas nowadays. However the downstairs part of the o2 Academy is not an arena, just a small venue and the place was absolutely packed as I got in, moments before the headliners hit the stage. The floor was completely full and there were people straining to see through the gaps in the wall near the bar, and on the steps. The turnout was probably sufficient to justify putting them on the larger upstairs floor; I've seen a few bands play that floor with less people present than the attendance this night so I do wonder why they had to play the lower floor. However in future, I'll get there sooner (!)
(In my defence, sometimes they tend to put the bands on late at the o2)

Although I strained to see and was often making use of the handy TV monitors that were showing the onstage action, the band gave a fine performance, crammed as they were on the tiny stage. Once again it was lead vocalist Cristina Scabbia who was the centre of attention, as she appeared on stage about a hundred digital cameras immediately trained on her. (Not guilty this time, Cristina - too far back!) It seemed to me that co-vocalist Andrea Ferro was more involved this time; he seemed a more peripheral figure last year but here he was right up alongside the Goth Goddess and it definitely came over more like a vocal team rather than him backing her up. Unlike most bands of this type, where the male vocal is mainly a 'death grunt', Ferro's cleaner style sat better with me. The crowd were definitely up for this show, Scabbia had no problems getting hands raised and clapping, and singing along, particularly when they played their cover of Depeche Mode's 'Enjoy The Silence'.

The band's style of alternative Metal is rather groove-orientated, built on the drumbeats of 'Criz' Mozzati and there are only limited use of guitar solos in the material, personally I like a good air guitar solo but shredding isn't really what Cristiano Migliore and Marco Biazzi are about. The emphasis is very much on those heavy, rhythmical guitar riffs laying down the foundation for the two vocalists. As a result, it sometimes felt a bit one-dimensional to me however well they played; the only real change in tempo came when Scabbia sang the slower 'Wide Awake' mid-set. The set did feature songs old and new; as well as tracks from current album 'Shallow Life' they did earlier songs like 'Honeymoon Suite' (presumably nothing to do with the 80s AOR band!) and 'Half-life', which went down well with the faithful.

After just over an hour they ended their main set abruptly, so much so the crowd were a bit caught off-guard and didn't know whether or not to cheer for more for a few moments. They did reappear for two more songs, playing the catchy 'Spellbound' and 'Our Truth'. The latter was dedicated by Scabbia to the late Sophie Lancaster, while Ferro also dedicated it to the memory of former Metallica bassist Cliff Burton, pointing out it was 24 years to the day since the bus crash that killed him.

Once again then, a good gig from a band who you might expect to see in larger venues than this; their style is not completely to my taste but what they do, they do well, and in Cristina Scabbia they have a singer who can cross over to more traditional rock fans. Hopefully next time, if they do come here again, it is in the larger venue where they can be seen properly by everyone who shows up!

Caught Live: Glenn Hughes; Picturedrome, Holmfirth 24 September 2010

Although I knew about this tour for several months, I only decided late on to go to the show at Holmfirth, a picturesque town in the West Riding of Yorkshire best known for being the setting for BBC sitcom 'Last Of The Summer Wine'. This is only the second time I've seen the self-styled Voice Of Rock live too; whenever he's played his homeland in recent years I've either been out of the country when he was around or he just hasn't been near this part of the world. He did play a show at Manchester University the night before, but as I've been there umpteen times I fancied a bit of a change of venue so the decision was made to venture out into Yorkshire to a venue I'd never visited before.

Despite the association with Cleggy, Compo and Foggy, Holmfirth's Picturedrome has been playing host to many top rock artists; Asia are frequent visitors and the likes of Joe Bonamassa have also played the venue. I got into the town at around 8:15 after a journey through some very steep hills to reach the place and found the venue reasonably quickly. Finding the way in was another matter! The front door was closed, and a sign told us to 'enter down the side of Lloyds TSB' (a nearby bank) Entering the venue down a dimly-lit side alley, we had to go past a bar first and negotiate the way past the hordes of drinkers to another room, where the door to the theatre itself actually was. Not the easiest of access, then but once in my impression of the place improved rapidly. The entrance was actually to the side of the stage, so once entering the floor the stage was immediately to my right and, even better, was not yet full! This despite it being close to showtime and the crew were already setting up for the headliner. The main hall is a reasonable size, about the same size as Manchester's Academy 3 but less cramped. There was a bar to the back of the hall, and a balcony, and the place looked appealingly old-fashioned despite being converted from a cinema to a rock music venue.

Glenn Hughes and his band came on just before 9pm, to generous cheers from the mainly 40-something crowd. Opening with the Hughes-Thrall favourite 'Muscle and Blood' he was right on top of his game from the word go; that voice in tip-top shape and his playing excellent. I often found myself watching his fingers - he's a very accomplished bassist although more renowned for his throat than his skill on the four-string. He had with him guitarist and (Scott Gorham circa 1978 lookalike) Søren Anderson, new drummer Pontus Engborg and keyboard player Anders Olinder. The latter looked somewhat out of place at the side of the stage in his white jacket, almost like a fan watching from the side while the other three gave it everything, but there was nothing wrong with his playing. A former colleague of Hughes may well have described that as 'a side order of keyboards' but unlike other side orders, he was fully visible and not placed behind a curtain.

Hughes promised us a 'rock and roll set' as opposed to previous tours where he pledged to be more funky, but when he rocks, he is funky and when he's funky, he rocks. That's just the way he is, whatever he plays his soulful influence is never far from the surface. It's probably that which keeps him popular too; he is a very intense, dynamic performer and your attention is always totally focused on the slightly-built bloke on the bass. He may be the Voice of Rock, the funkmeister, or whatever, but the sheer power of his delivery hits home harder than many current Metal bands who think that just being LOUD is enough.

The set delivered was a real mixed bag; including solo tracks from several albums, a few Purple favourites, a Trapeze number dedicated to former bandmate Mel Galley and even a track from the new Black Country Communion album which he made with such heavyweights as Joe Bonamassa and Jason Bonham. It seems odd that he's touring solo just as the album from his new band is hitting the shelves, but this tour was arranged months ago and Glenn seems to be on a mission to get out as much music as he can do. To quote from one of his own songs, he 'cannot stop the flood'. I would like to see him live with that stellar line-up at some point too, but the guys he had with him tonight gave great service. The drummer was even affectionately described by Hughes as 'Chad Smith's Son'!

The band played for almost two hours and ended with a fiery (pun intended) rendition of 'Burn' where Søren Anderson got to do a terrific impression of Blackmore's solos. He would stand out in most other bands, but here, it's all about the man from Cannock.

So, an excellent performance from the 58-year old Hughes. In a year where we've lost so many greats it's heartening to see someone from that era still at the very top of his game, and let's hope there'll be much more to come.

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Mathew Street Festival Liverpool 2010

August Bank Holiday rolls around again and here in Liverpool that means the Mathew Street Festival. Seemingly now recovered from the 2007 debacle where the outdoor stages were cancelled at the eleventh hour, this year's event had the streets closed and the six outdoor stages setup on both the Sunday and the Monday. The event has attracted criticism as well as huge crowds, because of the emphasis on tribute bands (it grew from the annual Beatles convention which saw many bands from across the world arrive in Liverpool to play the music of the Fab Four), but this year the organisers have moved to address that by also adding a 'fringe' element showcasing new bands in indoor venues. As well as that they set aside one of the outdoor stages for new or original bands on the Sunday, however the main attraction is that there is something for everyone, and so the traditional line-up of tribute acts drew the large crowds once more. There's so much on that you cannot see it all, and so what I will write about here is the music I got to catch over the two days.

On the Sunday there was a stage devoted to the 1970s; with tributes playing the music of Squeeze, T.Rex, Roxy Music, KISS and even the Bay City Rollers (!) Hotter Than Hell, a European-based KISS tribute played at midday on this stage and drew a decent crowd. They've played this event before and came dressed as 'Love-Gun' era KISS complete with make-up, costumes and axe-shaped bass. Their 'Gene' was almost indistinguishable from the real thing, and they gave a short set even including 80s hits such as 'Lick It Up'. Their 'Paul' sometimes strained to reach the Stanley high notes, but let's be fair - that voice is not easy to pull off! So an entertaining start, even though they didn't have the pyro and effects of a real KISS show, they were fun all the same. However, I still prefer Dressed To Kill! Following that it was a trudge through the crowded streets to the Classic Albums stage; Guns 2 Roses were due on at 1pm and had an expectant crowd (estimated at around 5000) waiting. However they were held up by around 15 minutes (cue jibes at emulating the real Axl a bit TOO much!) and we learned this was because they had been stopped by the police on the motorway heading up to Liverpool! They were literally struggling through the crowds to make it onto the stage and managed to play a shortened set of only about 5 songs. That was a shame they had to shorten it, but it's a tight schedule at this event. We therefore got treated to 'It's So Easy', 'Paradise City', 'Sweet Child Of Mine' and 'Welcome To The Jungle' with hardly any chatter. There was however time for 'Axl' to let us all know they would be performing later that night at 'Revolver' a rock club just across the Mersey in Birkenhead. So yours truly noted that and made hasty plans to head over there that night!

Following that it was a choice between T.Rex tribute 'TooRex' on the 70s stage, or on another stage set up by the Superlambanana, was 'Are You Experienced' - a Hendrix tribute which has become an established act at the event. Hendrix won, and so I headed over there to watch guitarist John Campbell and his pals. When they concentrated on Jimi favourites they were good, but their set fell a bit flat at the inclusion of Dylan's 'Like A Rolling Stone'. I assume Jimi used to perform this song himself, but this was drawn out into an audience participation slot and in a short set, that's a mistake. Just deliver the hits! With all these acts, they're used to playing for longer in bars and clubs, so it really doesn't pay to do something like that. When 'Hendrix' or John Campbell did the favourites like 'Purple Haze' and 'Voodoo Child (Slight Return)' he and his band went down better. After this set I took a break as standing up straight for hours does my back no favours at all, and headed for a bite to eat and a sit down. The last act I wanted to see that day was 'Mercury'; a Queen tribute who were slated to play on the main stage sited near the Mersey Tunnel. This stage was themed on Live Aid and had tributes to many of the well-known bands who played that day. Usually Queen are represented by the Argentinian band 'Dios Salve a la Reina' but this year we got a different tribute band. However, their approach and look is the same as almost everyone else who performs as Queen - put the singer in that yellow jacket and white trousers and give the guitarist a Red Special copy! So many tributes to Freddie focus only on that 1986 look, and from this fan's viewpoint I'd like to see one of them dress as he did, say circa 1978. Anything to change the constant stream of yellow jackets! Singer Joseph Lee Jackson did do a creditable performance as Freddie, he has the moves (and particularly that swishing right arm) down pat, and has a powerful voice. He hasn't got Freddie's range (but who has?) and sounds more like later-era Mercury than the earlier incarnation, but he did do the hits justice in my view. Despite being a Live-Aid themed stage, the set Mercury gave included later hits like 'I Want It All'. To their credit, they, like Dios Salve A La Reina, do the whole of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' live - including the 'Galileo' bit which even the real Queen never did live. It does help when you've got about 50000 backing vocalists in the audience, of course! The crowd at the main stage was enormous, so much so I had no hope of getting anywhere near the stage so I watched it from the back! In fact, I was closer to the stage when Queen played their last gig ever (at Knebworth) than I was this day!

Later that night I did make the trip over to Birkenhead to see Guns 2 Roses; the venue (Revolver) puts the bands on so late though, that it was midnight when they finally appeared! That means that for me, it is necessary to drive to the place as there's no realistic way of getting back over to our side at 2am in the morning. The fact that there was a big stage at the exit of the Queensway tunnel also meant a diversion through the new tunnel further up the Wirral, but the trip was worthwhile to see the band play a much longer set even including a couple of 'Chinese Democracy' tracks! For GnR fans who are disillusioned with Axl's antics and revolving door line-ups, try these guys - you'll get a full set and they will turn up (traffic police permitting!) and play!

The next day turned out to be a scorcher, I'd expected rain but the sunshine brought the crowds out in huge numbers. I was later getting into town than the previous day, and the first act I saw was local blues legend Connie Lush. She's been around the scene for many years, and has won multiple awards. She showed us why during her short set on the 'Female Singers' stage, demonstrating a phenomenal range and power. Although she is a little too purist 'blues' to my Metallic tastes, there's no denying she is amazing. She and her band 'Blues Shouter' play frequently across the country and abroad, worth catching when in the area.

Following that, I took a bit of a chance (!) while resplendent in a Led Zep T-shirt, and headed over to the 'Modfest' stage. This celebrated the 1960s Mod era with tributes to such acts as The Kinks and the Small Faces, but among this line-up was one Bruce Foxton - the genuine article with his sort-of tribute band From The Jam. When he put this band together he had original Jam drummer Rick Buckler along for the ride, but the sticksman has since left the act and nowadays Mark Brzezicki (once of Big Country) is in the drum stool. The crowd at this stage was substantial, with what I suspect were Anfield Road End regulars from the 1980s packing the front! Chants of 'We Are The Mods' emanated from that area all through the set, as the band (featuring Weller soundalike Russell Hastings) ran through a crowd-pleasing set including virtually all the Jam's hits. Fortunately no-one pulled up your correspondent for the choice of T-shirt (although it's long enough ago now to confess, I once saw the Jam in 1981) but, powerchords are powerchords whether played by a bloke in a suit or in denim and leather! The irony of hearing 'Start' (which is a blatant rip-off of The Beatles' 'Taxman') played at an event that has its roots in Beatles celebration was not lost on me, nor was it lost when they played 'Eton Rifles' - David Cameron's favourite song of course and presumably one liked by fellow Eton pupil Iago Foxton - Bruce's son! Those old songs were politically charged but now, it's just a nostalgia trip and one that did go down great with the crowd to be fair. For all that, I wouldn't go and see them live indoors - doubtful the crowd there would be quite so tolerant of a Metal fan - even after all this time!

After that energetic set, it was straight over to the Classic Albums stage for another one - by 'Nervana'. These guys had travelled across the Atlantic to play this event, although not Seattle (they hail from Boston) they played tracks from the 'Nevermind' album to an enthusiastic and large crowd. Their 'Kurt' lost some accuracy points from me though; not because he was right-handed (I can accept that!) but he looked far too healthy to be Cobain, plus he had clearly washed his hair and shaved! Tut-tut, you've got to look like you've been eaten and thrown up to carry off the Kurt look!
That said, they played great - 'Teen Spirit' went over really well as you'd expect and they even did 'Endless, Nameless' (the hidden track). So although I blame Kurt for just about everything that went wrong with the rock scene in the 1990s and since, this was a good one.

Following that, I was going to call it a day but decided to wind down by watching at least one Beatles tribute at the festival they inspired. There were two stages devoted to Beatles music on the Monday; one concentrated on the early period and the other on their later output. The dividing point was 'Revolver' and so the last band on the 'early Beatles' stage were to perform that album. Handily, the band were themselves called Revolver! Hailing from Dundee, they played all the album from 'Taxman' (it was nice to hear that song after hearing 'Start' earlier!) through to 'Tomorrow Never Knows'. As they had a few minutes to spare at the end, the compere allowed them an encore and told them it didn't matter what song they played as long as it was early Beatles - so they ended the day with a rendition of 'All My Loving'. It was noticeably more laidback in this crowd than for the other sets I saw, but that was a good thing from my point of view since I was fit to drop by that point! All the members of Revolver took lead vocals, although not always the ones you expected - the bassist took lead on 'Yellow Submarine' for example, and the drummer sang several songs.

So that was my Mathew Street Festival for 2010; once again it proved to be a massive draw for people far and wide, and it's to be hoped next year is as successful. As I write, I read that the local council are actively seeking sponsorship for next year's event - fingers crossed that a media partner gets involved (I'm looking at you, Radio City and Granada TV!) as that would help push it still further.

Caught Live: Skin, o2 Academy Liverpool, 8 June 2010

The past month has been the blackest one I can ever remember for fans of our kind of music. We seemed to be losing rock musicians every week including one of my favourites, Ronnie James Dio. After such a depressing time where the music mags were publishing obituaries every issue, what was really needed was a good old fashioned hard rock gig to lift spirits. Enter a good old fashioned hard rock band, in the form of Skin who pitched up at the Liverpool Academy, during a run of dates which will end with them performing at the Download festival, not once but twice!

Despite having their classic debut album and the follow-up, 'Lucky', incredibly this was the first time I'd ever seen this band live. They were active for much of the 1990s but their style of classic hard rock, complete with lead guitar solos, strong vocals and actually enjoying themselves didn't go down well at all with the prevailing doom 'n' gloom mood left behind by the grunge boom. They finally called it a day in the late '90s; guitarist Myke Gray went on to play briefly with a punk band (Schism) before joining Right Said Fred (!) for a time. He then reinvented himself as a fitness trainer and life coach, whereas the others apparently vanished from view altogether. Somewhat surprisingly, the band reappeared last year, initially only to perform at the 2009 Download festival and then to perform a few dates, but the shows went so well that the reunion has continued into 2010, with a new album in the offing.

The band were playing the downstairs part of the o2 Academy, before a small but lively crowd who cheered every move from singer Nev Macdonald. Perhaps in tribute to the recently passed Dio, the intro tape was Rainbow's 'Long Live Rock 'n' Roll', before the guys emerged to a loud cheer. Much of the set was given over to their old songs but they did deliver a few new ones from their recent acoustic album; whether the material was old faves or new songs it was all enthusiastically received by the crowd. This was a band that clearly enjoyed playing live and interacting with the audience, the grin on Macdonald's face never shifted all night and Gray was throwing himself about the stage, geeing up the crowd and putting a great deal of effort in. Just as well he's in such good shape!

However the real star was the singer; he sounds good on record, but live he is really something special. This was a performance from the very top drawer; he has the sort of blues-enriched voice that harks back to the classic era of British rock. He can hold his own with the very best in the business, let's hope that this time around he and his band receive a bit more recognition than they got in the 1990s. He was home with hard rockers but really demonstrated his range with the gentler stuff, such as 'Tower of Strength' and 'Reunited', both of which had the crowd cheering him long and loudly. They played two encores, surprisingly they chose not to do their cover of EMF's 'Unbelieveable' but the songs played were enough to please this crowd. They brought out their support act, singer Matti Alfonzetti for their last song; he is also a fantastic singer as was demonstrated during his own set. For that, he played solo and acoustic, but Skin's Myke Gray and Colin McLeod appeared on stage to accompany him on two numbers, much to the delight of the early attendees. That was a rare thing in itself, the support act being accompanied by two members of the headline act - although the fact that Gray used to be in a band with Alfonzetti (Jagged Edge) may have had something to do with that!

There have been a few comebacks in recent years with the resurgence of old-school rock, make sure you don't miss out on this one and be sure to check out Skin live.

Skinfreak - official website

Caught Live: KISS, Echo Arena Liverpool 4 May 2010

Kiss openly admit that they have been influenced by many British rock bands from the 1960s and 70s; most notably Slade and they have, like many American classic rock acts, cited our very own Beatles as influences. In spite of all this, they have never really become established over here despite their huge success back home. This tour is their first visit to the UK in several years, they have 'retired' at least once in the meantime but here they are, now without founder members Peter Criss and Ace Frehley, but with Eric Singer in the Cat makeup (who has actually been involved with Kiss for almost 2 decades now) and more controversially, Tommy Thayer in Ace's mask and costume. Ace Frehley actually did carry out his promise to retire after the band's 'farewell' tour and so when Simmons and Stanley changed their minds and broke out the Max Factor once more, they recruited former Black 'n' Blue guitarist Thayer in his place.

The last time I saw Kiss was with the original four, headlining at the 1996 Donington festival. The show was typically large-scale, but I was less than enthused with the actual concert. With that in mind, I had few expectations of this show and had in fact only booked it because it stopped off in my city. I cannot claim to be a fully-paid up member of the Kiss Army (Kiss Territorials is probably more like it!), which is just as well, considering that this show was added to the tour some time after the original four dates were announced. Those who are big fans will have booked for one of those shows, and with money being tight these days it would be a big ask to go to another concert which was added later, even if that show was in your town. I fear that's what happened at this show tonight; the turnout was not great, if I'm honest I think it was less than half full. I had little problem finding a nice spot about ten yards off the front, there was loads of room when I arrived and only the lower tier of the arena was being used for seating. Had I been a bigger fan of the band and had booked for, say, the MEN Arena I would be less than pleased that they were coming to my town if I had spent my money already! This is something that does need to be looked at in my view, when there are gigs like this in our town they should be supported but it's made difficult when the date is added some time after the original batch is announced.

The smaller crowd was not lost on frontman Paul Stanley, who very early on in the show declared that although it was obviously not the biggest crowd it could still be the loudest! With that he made a point of involving those who had showed at every turn, getting them to cheer, shout and sing frequently. Despite a recent hip replacement, he looked agile and trim, and was in excellent singing form. Gene Simmons was, well, Gene. Stomping around the stage like he owned it (he probably would do if given a chance!) poking out that tongue, spitting fire and spilling fake blood, he was in his element playing the showman. He was hoisted high up into the arena (at great speed, I must say!) to perform 'I Love It Loud' - how he does that without getting vertigo is beyond me! Not to be outdone, Stanley was flown across the floor in a harness, to a platform near the mixer where he played 'I was Made for Loving You'. If the band were disappointed by the turnout, they didn't let it get to them and they delivered a polished, professional show with everything a Kiss fan could want - pyro, flashbombs, rocket-firing guitars and a set packed with classic songs and some from the new album 'Sonic Boom'.

The addition of Singer and Thayer has actually reinvigorated the band; although they reformed in the 90s with the make-up and the original members, it was soon shown to be an unwise move as the old cracks appeared. With the return of Singer behind the kit, they sound solid and with Thayer handling the lead very well, the old stagers can concentrate on their showmanship. That's not to say Simmons and Stanley hog all the stage; Thayer and Singer are given a spot to play solo and fire some pyro of their own - Singer was given a rocket to fire at one point! Thayer is also given Ace's song 'Shock Me' to sing lead on, likewise Singer with 'Black Diamond'. Despite the old backronym 'KISS is Simmons and Stanley', this feels more like a band now. I enjoyed this show tremendously, they still have it and I would hope Stanley was not just being showbiz when he told us he and the band were having a blast at this gig and that he hoped they would play here again. If they do, they'd do well to list their whole tour itinerary from the off, rather than the piecemeal way it was done this time. Somewhere backstage in the Echo Arena, a tour promoter is applying ointment to his burned fingers...

Support came from Taking Dawn, the Las Vegas hard rockers had a thankless task opening this show before a sparse crowd there only to see Kiss, but acquitted themselves well. They play energetic hard rock/metal in a sort of 80s vibe, a sort of Skid Row meets Thin Lizzy kind of thing. Although they were greeted with near-apathy apart from a handful near the front, they performed with commendable enthusiasm and verve. Well worth catching if they play in the area again.

To sum up tonight then, it was an arena-sized show played before an Academy-sized crowd!

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Caught Live: The Union, Academy 3 Manchester, 15 April 2010

The timing of this gig was not ideal for me but as this show was the nearest one to me on this, the first full UK tour from Luke Morley and Peter Shoulder's new project, I was keen to go along. I was a massive fan of Thunder, Morley's previous band and was also well aware of the talent of Durham's Peter Shoulder, having seen his old band Winterville on many occasions until their sudden, unexpected split in early 2007.

The turnout at the Academy 3 was respectable, if not totally packed and I arrived in time to catch the last few numbers from openers Voodoo Six. Based on what I heard, they're a fine hard rock band although I thought the vocalist was perhaps not at his best, he seemed to be battling with a throat problem. I'd see this band again if they are playing anywhere near me, it's old-school hard rock of the sort I used to enjoy in the 1980s.

The Union came on some time later, to the sound of the Strawbs' song of that name; the irony of hearing that old song in an era when being 'part of the union' means nothing like it did when it was recorded wasn't lost on me (not to mention the fact that the first of the 'election debates' was taking place across town at the same time!)

That's about as political as this blog gets, on with the show!

Although billed as a collaboration between the former Thunder guitarist and the young gun from the North East, the live line-up is a four-piece which includes drummer Phil Martini and former Thunder bassist Chris Childs. The atmosphere at this gig was noticeably relaxed; even from my spot a few feet from the stage there was never any possiblilty of a moshpit developing! Peter Shoulder is no longer the slightly starstruck kid he was back in his early Winterville days, he's now matured into a confident frontman with a very easygoing stage presence. I'd almost forgotten just how good a singer he is too, he has that rich bluesy tone very much in the tradition of great singers from his part of the world.

I was unfamiliar with much of the material presented tonight, although they have made one or two songs available on MySpace or as downloads, and apart from the cover of 'Proud Mary' in the encore all the songs played were new. So, no Thunder or Winterville covers! That was probably a good thing, as this is a totally new project and although the rockier songs played certainly do display some of the Morley songwriting trademarks, there were also more acoustic/bluesy ones which were very suited to Shoulder's vocal. The band did note how quiet the crowd were in between songs (although the reception given to each song was warm); that may have been partly due to the audience's unfamiliarity with the songs but also it may have had more to do with the informal atmosphere. It was more of a club gig than a big production, though no less enjoyable for that.

If you were a Thunder fan then this band is well worth your time; however do not expect it to be Thunder Mk 2. There seems to be more scope in this band to explore different avenues, and I look forward to hearing the finished album and seeing the guys again soon.

Caught Live: Theory of a Deadman, o2 Academy Liverpool, 7 April 2010.

About the only thing I knew of this band prior to their gig in Liverpool was that they sounded like Nickelback. It turns out that the connection is far deeper than that; also Canadian, they were actually signed to Chad Kroeger's label and he had a hand in writing the material from their first album, released in 2002. A four-piece band, with vocalist Tyler Connolly using a two-microphone setup (one 'clean', one distorted) in similar fashion to the Nickelback singer, and with him also taking much of the lead guitar work, the focus is very much on Connolly and his throwback 1950's hair (!)

Their songs have much the same structure as their multi-million selling countrymen, with many singalong anthems made for the arena. The main issue I had with them was that they do not really stand out; it's not just that they sound like another more famous band (after all, the last group I saw at this place are also criticised for sounding like a much better-known band from their own land!) but that they could be just one of any number of North American groups playing this style. I could imagine their songs being used in a soundtrack to the latest drama on CBS, or as a backing track to a commercial aired on TV across the pond. The fact that their guitar tech wore a 'Late Show with David Letterman' shirt spoke volumes; it's that sort of pseudo-alternative rock that seems to do so well over there.

They do have some good songs, but nothing that really latches onto the brain the way Nickelback have done. For all their detractors, Kroeger and co have the knack of writing that song which hits the spot. If they can break through with one song in that manner they will probably take off, but for now it's strictly a cult following. The crowd at the o2 was a reasonable turnout, maybe just short of a thousand and many present knew the songs. They did play well, although I thought Connolly's vocal was a little lost in the mix, but as stated before there is little to mark them out as special.

The same cannot be said for the support (Halestorm). A four-piece fronted by female singer/guitarist Lzzy (that's not a typo - she does leave out the 'i'!) they rocked up the place in fine style, after finding themselves opening the show with the withdrawal of Heaven's Basement from the bill. Lzzy introduced herself with an extended bout of shrieking and hollering, this slender dark-haired figure was not afraid to show off her impressive vocal range. The band play old-fashioned hard rock (comprising lead guitarist Joe Hottinger, bassist Josh Smith and Arejay Hale - Lzzy's brother - on drums) but their singer is far and away their best asset. She has power, range, and stage presence; it was like hearing Jody Turner (remember her?) in Suzi Quatro's shoes!
After hearing this band - again, a band I knew nothing about prior to tonight - I and many present were very impressed. They went off to a great reception, the best I've heard from a support act in years. After their set they conducted a signing session at the merchandise stand; the crowd they drew just for that illustrated how well they went down. Luckily for me, I got the last copy of their CD on sale at the gig for a bargain £2 - just because it was the display copy and the case was broken. Result - and all the band signed it! Speaking to Lzzy afterward, she was delighted with the way the band were received.

So then, a good night; although the headline band were good, their support blew me away. Look out for Halestorm, they deserve to go a long way.

Caught Live: Airbourne, o2 Academy Liverpool, 2 April 2010

One of my favourite bands of all time is Bad Company; when the three surviving members of the four-piece announced a reunion tour last Autumn I was keen to go and see them. A bunch of scruffy Aussies put paid to that plan however, when they went and scheduled their gig at Liverpool for the same night as Bad Co's show at the MEN Arena, just up the M62 in Manchester. As someone who is constantly complaining at the gig situation in what is, after all, one of the most famous cities in popular music (plus the tickets for Rodgers and co were a wallet-mugging £35-£40!) the odds were stacked in favour of this hard-drinking, hard-partying lot from Down Under.

The o2 Academy was very busy this night, with three bands on this bill plus another show happening in the downstairs part (Airbourne had the larger stage upstairs) but I was delayed getting into the city, so I had missed both support bands by the time I got into the hall. The place looked very full, even the upper balcony was open and I reckon this show sold out on the night. Impressive stuff considering the competing gig happening 35 miles or so away.

Having seen Airbourne twice before, I knew what was coming, but they still stunned this crowd into silence with their relentless pounding anthems. I don't think half of them knew what had hit them! They've changed hardly at all since their last visit, every song is written to the same straightforward formula, with singalong choruses so that even if you do not know it when it starts, you certainly do by it's end! The subject matter is also pretty simple: songs about boozing, women, or boozing AND women! All delivered at an unrelenting pace so the effect is of being pummelled into submission!

About the only change to last time (apart from the substantial number of songs from new album 'No Guts No Glory' played) was when frontman Joel O'Keefe did his 'Angus' walkabout into the crowd. Not satisfied with merely walking through the audience like last time, he showed Antipodean disregard for health and safety by climbing up to the balcony - from whatever he could find for footholds - and walking along the FRONT of the balcony in front of the barrier, where he could have fallen at any point! Of course, once back on the stage he proceeded to do his favourite trick of bashing beer cans open with his head before lobbing the still-spraying can into the crowd.

Two albums in and those AC/DC comparisons have still not gone away; having seen the masters last year though I can testify that this is a completely different experience. It's a raw, primal, brutal gig as opposed to the polished professionalism of the Young brothers. The brothers O'Keefe are totally unreconstructed rockers, along with their partners David Roads and Justin Street on guitar and bass respectively. Both stay in the background, headbanging away as the play, but are integral to the monstrous sound cooked up. It could only come from Australia!

Like their illustrious countrymen, Airbourne prefer to call their sound simply 'rock and roll' - but this was heavier, louder, harder and more brutal than many bands I've seen who DO consider themselves 'metal'. There was even a moshpit forming towards the end of the set!

Before too much longer these guys will be playing arenas; whether they can keep the hard edge to their show when that happens remains to be seen. Until then, it is strongly recommended that this band be seen while they're still up close and personal.

Caught Live: Delain, Leeds Rio's 25 March 2010

Four months ago I'd never heard of this band, now I'm taking a long drive across the Pennines into Yorkshire to see them play live. What's the deal here then?

Delain are a band that started out as a studio-based vehicle for Martijn Westerholt, formerly the keyboard player of Dutch symphonic metallers Within Temptation, and brother of that band's guitarist Robert. Recruiting vocalist Charlotte Wessels, the duo recorded their first album 'Lucidity' using a substantial number of guest musicians, including Sharon den Adel from Westerholt's former band and the ubiquitous Marco Hietala, who appears on many projects but is best known for his role in Nightwish.

When the album became a success, Delain were forced to rethink their ideas and eventually formed a full band to tour with. Their second album 'April Rain' came out in early 2009 and it was later that year that the line-up began to stabilise, with the band touring Europe including some UK dates in support to Sonata Arctica. They feature a conventional symphonic line-up, with Westerholt and Wessels joined by a guitarist who doubles up on the inevitable 'cookie monster' vocals (Ewout Pieters, since 2009) a new bassist (Otto 'The Baron' Schimmelpenninck van der Oije - I think 'Otto' will do!) introduced only on this tour and drummer Sander Zoer. This tour sees the band headlining the regular rock club venues where previously they were supporting, and if the turnout at Leeds was anything to go by, drawing a good crowd where they play. Rio's is a rather small venue; set in a shopping mall it is not the easiest place in the world to find if like me, you're not a Loiner*

After three circuits of the area (the sat-nav kept misdirecting me!) I gave up and parked where I could, and walked. In the wrong direction! I had no clue where I was although the place was not far away, and in the end it was only when I spotted a long-haired guy wearing a laminate walking down the street that I thought I'd find the place. He was carrying a McDonalds meal in a paper bag, he must have been sent out to find some food, rock 'n' roll!

Sure enough, he led me right to the venue although he was probably unaware he had a lost metal fan tailing him (!) When I got in, the place was already fairly full. The inside reminded me a bit of Liverpool's Carling Academy (the downstairs part) but in reverse; the bar is to the right hand side and there are steps onto the main floor, with a raised part at the back. All of the decent viewing areas looked full while support Achilla were on, so I watched them on a handy TV monitor for their last two numbers. They didn't leave a lasting impression on me, apart from reminding me a little of Doro Pesch and Warlock from the 80s. However two songs was probably not enough to judge them on so I'll reserve judgement until I see them properly another time.

When they finished I did manage to sneak onto the main floor and get a fairly decent spot over to the left hand side of the stage. As is so often the case at these places, there were two beanpole fans in the middle of the crowd so it was a job to find somewhere to stand which was not directly behind them! The crowd settled and before too much longer, Delain came on stage, led by their guitarist and splendidly-named new bassist. The crowd (mainly comprising 30/40-something blokes like me!) roared in approval when Charlotte Wessels appeared; with long flowing dark brown hair and a long black dress, she made me think of a young Charlotte Rampling! Opening with 'Invidia' from the new album, the sampled backing vocals made me wonder if the set was going to be peppered with samples as so many bands of this type tend to do. However this band were far less reliant on the machinery; there was room in the music for Wessels to express herself vocally and for guitarist Ewout Pieters to play lead guitar, again more than other bands of this genre tend to do. What really impressed me was that when they did songs which on record, featured guests ('Control The Storm' featured Marco Hietala on the chorus, for example), rather than using a sample of the recorded vocal it was in fact Wessels who would sing it. She is no Hietala (thankfully, with all due respect to Marco!) but it was good to see the band tackle the material live as they were, as opposed to hitting the play button when the part required someone who was not on the stage with them. For the song 'The Gathering' Hietala's vocal parts were covered more than adequately by Pieters.

Wessels was a revelation; she had the crowd in her spell throughout, her rather honeyed vocals excellent and she appeared delighted at the reception given to her band by the crowd. With her movie-star looks she has the lot - in fact I'd go as far as to say Delain will do well to hang on to her, since she is destined for stardom with or without this band. Her style of vocal - silky smooth and seductive - is not what you'd think of as a typical Metal voice, but it works and marks out Delain from their symphonic metal contemporaries. They left to prolonged applause and cheers, with the singer promising that the band would return soon. If they keep that promise, let's hope for more dates this side of the Pennines, and I would guess that they will follow in the footsteps of Within Temptation and be playing much bigger venues next time round.

It's been a long time since I was this impressed by a band I'd never seen before but Delain's gig is an early contender for gig of the year. Just remember that name: Charlotte Wessels - you'll be hearing a LOT more from this lady!

*someone from Leeds!

Edit this setlist | More Delain setlists

Caught Live: Winger, Manchester Academy 3, 24 March 2010

I seriously considered getting a plain black T-shirt and a fabric paint pen, and scrawling 'WINGER' on it in crude letters in a tribute to Winger's biggest fan (Stewart from 'Beavis and Butthead') before going to this gig, but as I didn't much fancy a bass guitar wrapped around my head I played safe and wore my favoured Whitesnake T-shirt, in recognition of the fact that guitarist Reb Beach was back with the band that first made him famous.

It's well known that band leader Kip Winger was less than pleased with the constant ribbing of his band all those years ago, and especially at the sight of Metallica chucking darts at a picture of him in one of their videos. Considering all that, it's ironic that in 2010 it is Metallica who are the unapproachable stadium rock gods, whereas Winger are playing small venues on this tour such as the Academy 3 at Manchester University, a far more down-to-earth and up-close and personal gig. The turnout was actually quite disappointing; the Academy 3 (formerly the Hop and Grape) is small but still by my estimation only around 60% full. A shame, since those that stayed away missed a very good night of rock.

The opening act (Darkhorse) were on as I entered the hall, with few people here at this stage I was able to get a spot just a few metres off the front with no problems. The band played well, but their music was unspectacular hard rock which owed a lot to Lizzy, AC/DC and early Leppard. They certainly looked like they'd come from the early 80s too. However I've seen far worse, and they've got time yet to improve.

The support drum kit stayed in place after they finished and before long a band that really WERE from the 80s came on. I had no clue who they were, as six blokes obviously well into middle-age appeared on stage. One of their guitarists was a ringer for darts player Simon Whitlock (!) and the other looked like he should be playing prop for Sale Sharks! Fronted by a slender (but still older) gent with a strong voice, I was intrigued, since it was clear from their first song they were a very good band indeed.
It turned out that this band was Airrace - who made one album almost 25 years ago ('Shaft of Light') and disappeared soon after. Back in 1985, they got press attention mainly because of the fact they had Jason (son of John) Bonham on drums; he is not involved with the band nowadays but that didn't matter much to me since this was pretty much all I knew about them before tonight! The Simon Whitlock ringer was Dean Howard, who has appeared with many other bands including T'Pau, and the prop forward on the other guitar was Laurie Mansworth, once of More, who played at Donington almost 30 years ago. Both played very well as indeed did the whole band, and got a fine reception from a crowd which had swollen at the front.
They say that after 25 years, they are finally to make a second album ('Shaft of Light' has been reissued and was available at the gig) - a gap that makes Boston seem prolific (!) but based on what I heard tonight, it should be worth checking out.

After a prolonged break Winger finally emerged at 9:40 pm, with the bespectacled frontman reminding me of cricketer Daniel Vettori (there's a bit of an Antipodean sports theme going on here!) and, as yours truly was not wearing a crudely-improvised Stewart-style T-shirt, my noggin was quite safe from any basses! My main reason for coming was of course to see Reb Beach; I have only one Winger album (the second one, 'In The Heart Of The Young') and then only on vinyl, so it's fair to say I'm not exactly knowledgeable about their output. From the word go Reb was a totally different character to that I usually see with Whitesnake; much more to the fore and pulling endless guitar gurns as he shredded like crazy, he was clearly enjoying this gig, in a far more intimate setting than the huge stages he's been treading over the past two years. He seemed to be having a laugh and a joke with several members of the crowd too, and his singing was top-notch along with that of fellow guitarist John Roth. The band played a set that featured most of their fan favourites, with 'Easy Come Easy Go' appearing early on. It seemed to me that Kip's vocal was noticeably lower in pitch than in years gone by, but in any event it was subdued somewhat by a sound mix that was surprisingly heavy. Anyone who dismissed these guys as wimpy should have been at this gig - they definitely rocked hard!

Kip Winger is renowned as one of rock's premier bassists of course, and from my centre position I could clearly see how much he puts into his playing (all the while singing too) - he's not just tapping the bottom E string all the time, there's a lot of fills going on there and to see that up close was very impressive. He gave all his band members featured spots; first John Roth got to show his own solo skills and then was given a country-style lead guitar showcase, then Reb Beach was given the stage to shred to his heart's content. He kept it short but packed a lot in, and towards the end drummer Rod Morgenstein got his chance to do a similarly short solo. I prefer to just hear the songs rather than solos, but I suppose that is a part of an old-school gig and this was certainly one of those!

For the ballads, Kip played keyboards and the band did without bass altogether; an unusual approach I thought considering there were two guitarists, normally you'd expect one of those to take over a bass where keyboards are involved. It didn't seem to affect the live sound, though.
They didn't leave us without playing '17' of course, but I couldn't help but think that if 'she was only 17' all those years ago, surely she must be pushing 40 by now?

All in all then, a very good gig; two very good bands and an opener with potential. Well worth the trip up the M62, even if the band were and still are perceived as 'uncool' by those daft enough to be fashion victims still (as opposed to victims OF fashion as Kip and co were!). I'd go as far as to say that even Beavis and Butthead would have enjoyed the gig (even if they insisted on staying hidden throughout, huhhuhhuh!)

Next time you get a chance to see this band, take it.

Caught Live: Rammstein, MEN Arena Manchester, 2 February 2010

These German nutters have got to be Beavis's favourite band; the amount of fire (FIRE! FIRE!! FIRE!!!) that goes off during one of their shows is enough to kick-start climate change all by itself!

It's the fourth time I've seen this band now and so I had a good idea of what to expect; more fireworks than on November 5th, enough pyro to make the fire brigade extremely nervous, plenty of carefully-choreographed but spectacular stunts and some of the heaviest music around to act as the soundtrack for all the firey mayhem. I'm not familiar with the current album 'Liebe Ist Für Alle Da' (with the exception of the controversial single 'Pussy') but that hardly mattered; the new songs sat comfortably with the older ones and as my grasp of German is limited at best, it still all worked well. It's been almost five years since the band last visited the UK, but although the set contained most of the new album the basic principles of a Rammstein show remain in place: blast the audience's ears with the music and toast them with the pyro! So out came the flamethrowers for 'Feuer Frei', vocalist Till Lindeman and both guitarists (Richard Z. Kruspe and Paul Landers) donned the firebreathing masks and spat huge jets of flame high into the arena (but not TOO high!); if that wasn't enough, Lindemann brought out a petrol pump (which of course threw more flame out) for 'Benzin', they almost torched themselves during 'Sonne' with flame coming from the front AND the back of the stage, and in the encore, 'Engel' was performed with Lindemann wearing a large set of 'angel wings'; needless to say THESE shot out fire too! But the craziest part was when a bathtub was brought on stage for 'Ich Tu Dir Weh'; the bathtub was intended for keyboardist 'Flake' Lorenz who, after a staged tussle with Lindemann, was dumped in the tub while the vocalist grabbed what looked like a milk churn and began to ascend from the stage on a platform. When he was high enough, he poured the contents out - not milk, but a flaming concoction that sparked as it fell into the tub, before the tub itself exploded! We were meant to think that Flake was still in it, of course, but once Lindemann and the rest of the band left the stage, he emerged from the tub unharmed, but now resplendent in a sparkly suit! Once back at his keyboards, he played while running on a treadmill that was set up where he stood!

The show owes a large debt to Alice Cooper and his rock theatrics; when watching Alice you're often wondering what is next in his box of tricks, and the German band's show runs in the same way. It's one stunt after another and you begin to understand why they have such a massive stage setup (the stage area was much bigger than anticipated; our seats were to the side but the stage was so much further forward than we expected that we were sat at a 90 degree angle to the front of it). We could see technicians behind the stage setting up the next prop throughout the show. The Alice thing was subtly acknowledged when during the song 'Wiener Blut', there were rows of babies (dolls, I hasten to add!) suspended from the ceiling, all shooting out lasers. At the end of the song, they all exploded and fell to the floor in pieces - still shooting out lasers!

I've gone on a lot about the show and the theatrics, but the music was delivered with precision and power, despite all that was going on around them. The band are often categorised as 'industrial' among other things, but this was as Metal as it gets for me. I was impressed in particular with drummer Christoph Schneider, much of the raw heaviness of the band's material is derived from his hard-hitting beats. The two guitarists tend not to show off with lead solos all the time, they play hard but never hog the limelight - apart from when fire-breathing! During the encore, Flake Lorenz got to do his crowd-surfing routine once again with the dinghy, unveiling a Union Flag for the British crowd while out there. A nice touch, seeing as the band had us all reciting German for the best part of two hours!

All in all then another spectacular from Rammstein, let's hope it is not another five years before we see them again. They did of course do their politically-incorrect song 'Pussy'; I did fear what they might do for that song based on that video (!) but it was a straight performance, until the end. The sight of the vocalist atop a flesh-coloured cannon will live long in the memory, but I'll leave you to guess what that cannon actually did!

Combichrist were the support act; four heavily-tattooed guys with no guitarists and a neat line in 90s industrial music. They gave a short set packed with incident; their drummer kept kicking his kit onto the stage and when he wasn't doing that, the other percussionist (playing bongos and toms) was lashing his own gear off his platform! With such an approach their material was heavily beat-laden, and they did make you think of early NIN, but they did a good job warming up a crowd there for one reason only. They even did a bit of a Who tribute in trashing their gear at the end of their set! They were good but probably with a longer set their material might have worn thin, 30 minutes or so was enough for me.

Set list:
Rammlied

B********
Waidmanns Heil

Keine Lust
Weißes Fleisch

Feuer frei!

Wiener Blut

Frühling in Paris

Ich tu dir weh
Liebe ist für alle da

Benzin

Links 2-3-4

Du hast

Pussy
---
Sonne

Haifisch

Ich will
---
Engel

Caught Live: Nickelback, Echo Arena Liverpool 17 January 2010

Nickelback vocalist Chad Kroeger was clearly enjoying his visit to Liverpool, hollering the city name long and loudly at frequent intervals. This date, one of only two UK shows on the current leg of their tour, came so soon after their last batch of arena shows that I thought they may have had trouble filling the venue. As I was able to get a standing ticket on the night, I expected to find a half-empty hall. However, upon entering the arena floor it was apparent that they had indeed sold well; all the seats looked in use and the floor was already filling up. I can only assume that they had a substantial walk-up crowd on the night, and that those who had bought in advance had elected to go in the seats. The show itself was broadly similar to that given in Manchester last May; the full production complete with pyro, lights and video screen was present and correct, as was the stage ramp with rotating drum kit. They did change the set list around a little, and they displayed a nice touch in performing 'I Ran (So Far Away)' for the local crowd; recognising the fact there's more to Liverpool's music scene than the Fab Four they delivered a much-rocked up rendition of A Flock Of Seagulls' 80s hit.

As with their previous show last year, there was a lot of humour and joking about between songs, both with the crew and the audience, in particular their guitar tech 'Timmy' is getting a following of his own, with five audience members decked out in T-shirts which spelt out 'T-I-M-M-Y' pointed out by Chad Kroeger. It is good to see a band of this stature involving their crew in the show, although Timmy is often seen adding additional guitar and keyboards. It was once again a professional production, this band are not claiming to be the saviours of rock, and it's unlikely they'll be remembered in revered tones in twenty years' time, but they do know how to put on a show, and they do have the songs which make it all possible. For the ten thousand or so who showed up at the Echo Arena, that is more than enough.

Support was from Daughtry, a band about whom I knew absolutely nothing. Their set was shortened, as I learned later, owing to technical problems, but their lead singer (after whom the group is named) had a good strong voice, well suited to the arena-friendly anthemic rock they peddle. They were decent live, but a little bit too polite for me. Their main problem is that there is already one Alter Bridge, and they do this sort of thing much better. That said, although I had not previously heard of them before, there were plenty present who had, and they did get a decent reception from the crowd. They do lack that killer song though, one which will lodge itself in the mind and strike a chord with the public. Nickelback have managed to do that more than once, hence their arena status today. If their openers can come up with something that has a similar effect, they will succeed.