The Dead Daisies & The Answer: The Riverside, Newcastle
TWO of the newer generation of classic rock bands, The Dead Daisies from the US and Ireland`s The Answer, went straight into the calendar as soon as the dates were announced. Since the last appearance of the Dead Daisies in the region, Richard Fortus and Dizzy Reed have joined the hugely-anticipated Gun 'n' Roses reunion leaving the door open for former Dio and Whitesnake six stringer Doug Aldrich to jump aboard.
Aldrich is the perfect choice re-uniting him with former bandmates Marco Mendoza and Brian Tichy. With former Motley Crue and The Scream singer John Corabi adding his own inimitable brand of powerful, gravel hewn vocals to the mix alongside the band's brainchild, guitarist John Lowy. Drawing on songs mainly from their two Corabi-fronted records, they delivered punchy takes on Mexico, Song and a Prayer and the hulking Funk groove of With You and I, while Lock `n` Load was the sole representation from the Jon Stevens debut.
The Dead Daisies set the bar unbelievably high for The Answer who closed the show with their brand of classic blues-infused hard rock.
Ten years on from their debut and six albums later, The Answer still have the original County Down line-up. The impressive live unit built around the Bluesy tones of Cormac Neeson and complemented by guitarist Paul Mahon opened with the title track to Solas. Singer Cormac Neeson certainly has the pipes to bring the likes of Demon Driven Man to life, but the show just lacked the charisma of the Dead Daisies.
Mick Burgess
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