A combination of bitter weather and transport snarl ups meant I missed opening act and Wolfgang Van Halen’s current project, Mammoth WVH. I was, however, in plenty of time to see Halestorm’s fiery, combative set. Plenty of others were too. The arena was as busy for Halestorm as for the headliners. Lzzy Hale is a phenomenon. Fronting the band with her terrifying yell, she has become one of the most popular and recognizable vocalists in heavy rock. She uses her position to champion mental health awareness and is a role model for women in rock. More power to her.

I last saw the band at Ramblin’ Man in 2018 where the reception was healthy, but tonight – with a couple of successful album releases since then – this felt like a step up. Indeed only three tracks have survived from that setlist: the towering ‘Love Bites (So Do I)’; ‘I Get Off’ with an extended, set-piece guitar/vocal section and the crowd-rousing closer ‘I Miss The Misery’. There’s also an opinion-dividing drum solo from Lzzy’s livewire brother Arejay Hale.

Material from the new album gets a good airing. The best is the furious title track ‘Back From The Dead’ and the anthemic ‘The Steeple’. This is a band that puts a lot in to the show and leaves nothing behind, all enthusiastically acknowledged by the audience.

The same goes for Alter Bridge. But there’s gulf in talent and style. Everything about this Alter Bridge show screamed masterclass. I dug out my review of the band from late 2019. One of my last gigs before lockdown. There’s an overwhelming urge to use the same phrases and reflections. Not because the band are repetitive, but because their standards are so high and the experience so fulfilling. ‘A near perfect immersive experience of dense, layered riffs over shifting powerful rhythms and soaring vocals’, I wrote. Yes, yes. I can do no more than to offer up the same overview this time around.

The new album ‘Pawns and Kings’ is very strong and tonight’s gig features three cuts, but there is a strong emphasis on early material, with the 2004 debut ‘One Day Remains’ and the follow up ‘Blackbird’ contributing eight songs between them.

It was the new album that kicked things off, with a grungy ‘Silver Tongue’ firing up the crowd and then straight in to a heavyweight ‘Addicted To Pain’. Mark Tremonti on guitar wringing out the solos with his foot on the wedge, throwing old school shapes; and stage left, Brian Marshall on bass, head tossed backwards, grinding out the rhythm. Between them, Myles Kennedy gets chance to properly open his lungs on the gorgeous ‘Ghost of Days Gone By’ and then on ‘Before Tomorrow Comes’, both of which have more melodic elements in the chorus and encourage the arena masses into backing vocals.

There’s nothing melodic about ‘This Is War’ which is the heaviest, dirtiest, most brutal track on show and which has me and my mate mouthing respectful expletives at each other. Fantastic.

It is this balance and changing emphasis between power and melody, between lead-weight rhythms and harmonic, descant vocals – sometimes in the same song, sometimes back-to-back in different cuts – that sets Alter Bridge apart. By turns I’m marvelling at Tremonti’s guttural riffs and screaming solos, next I’m blown away by Kennedy’s compelling vocal hooks and tones.

Then, to confuse things, they swap roles. ‘Burn It Down’ has Tremonti with a fine lead vocal and Kennedy on stirring lead guitar. The reworking turns a track that might be passed-by on album into a highlight of the set.

‘Cry of Achilles’ comes next with another murderous riff and that gigantic chorus that has everyone singing. Marshall’s bass catches the ear in the mid-song change-down, before a melodic guitar solo brings us back to the choruses and a smoking second solo/outro.

The now traditional acoustic interlude sees Tremonti and Kennedy side by side for ‘In Loving Memory, leading sweetly into ‘Blackbird’ which seems to embody the gilded hallmark of every Alter Bridge highlight in one track. The two principles share the lead breaks. The former offering something measured and tonal before the latter’s screaming fireworks.

The rest of the main set passes in a blur. ‘Pawns and Kings’ bleeds into ‘Wouldn’t You Rather’ with that little guitar/synth/rhythm shuffle on the chorus that is so addictive. Then a couple of crowd favourites in the harsh, riff-driven ‘Isolation’ and ‘Metalingus’ to keep the intensity levels high.

There’s a mercifully short break before the encore. Alter Bridge tend to tweak their setlists during the tour and on this last night of the current outing, we get ‘Rise Today’ and ‘Open Your Eyes’ to bring the house down. Cue extended thank-yous and selfies. I called the 2019 gig one of the best I’d seen in the decade, little realising how few would be the subsequent medium-term opportunities for live music. With all that has passed, three years later I find myself even more grateful that this band continue to hit those ever-so-lofty standards. Simply awesome.

Review by Dave Atkinson
Photos by Dave Craig

Album Review

Gig review (December 2019)

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

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Power Plays w/c 15 April 2024

ENMY The Ledge (FiXT)
KAROBELA Get Hard (indie)
KATH & THE KICKS Neptune (indie)
THE BEE TELLERS River Poem (Black Sand Records)
LAUREN FREEBIRD Like A Bomb (indie)

Featured Albums w/c 15 April 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023
14:00-16:00 KATARINA PEJAK – Pearls On A String (Ruf Records)

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