Def Leppard, Whitesnake and Black Star Riders: MetroRadio Arena, Newcastle
IT may be only a couple of weeks away, but Christmas came early for Northern rock fans with a triple bill featuring some of the biggest names in the business.
It was a brave move putting Black Star Riders in the special guest slot. Forged out of the previous touring line-up of Thin Lizzy and including members from Alice Cooper`s band, The Almighty, Ratt and Megadeth, this was a group with a high pedigree and a collection of songs to rattle the cages of the headliners.
A 40-minute slot featured highlights from their two studio albums with a scattering of Thin Lizzy classics. Jailbreak and Are You Ready rubbing shoulders with Bound For Glory and Kingdom of the Lost, a song cut from the same epic cloth as the Lizzy classics Emerald and Black Rose. Guitarists Scott Gorham and Damon Johnson recreated the classic Lizzy harmonies to perfection while lead singer Ricky Warwick brought the genuine Celtic touch to the band.
David Coverdale was plucked from the obscurity of a Redcar boutique and thrust into the world spotlight when he made his debut with Deep Purple in 1974. Now more than 40 years later he has revisited those days with The Purple album, a collection of reworked Deep Purple classics with his own band Whitesnake. The firestorm take on Burn was kicked into life by new guitarist ex-Night Ranger man Joel Hoekstra and long-time sidekick Reb Beach.
Energetic takes of Mistreated and Gypsy and the reflective highlight of Soldier of Fortune showed Coverdale`s voice may have a more gritty edge, but his role as a star frontman remains undiminished.
Although this was a co-headlining tour, Def Leppard closed the show and for almost an hour-and-a-half delivered a greatest hits set featuring the fan favourites from Pour Some Sugar On Me, Animal, Hysteria, Let`s Get Rocked and Armageddon It.
Kicking off their set with a new song Let`s Go was a bold move but it`s forged in true Leppard spirit and sat well alongside their more well-known material.
A cracking, guitar heavy take on David Essex`s Rock On paid tribute to singer Joe Elliott`s love of 1970`s Glam Rock and a cheeky version of Lindisfarne`s Fog on the Tyne, complete with a Yorkshire-tinged Geordie accent, brought a light-hearted edge to the show.
The welcome return of guitarist Vivian Campbell after his treatment for cancer brought a cheer that could be heard on the other side of the Tyne. The ten-million-selling Pyromania supplied the encores with a thunderous Rock of Ages and Photograph bringing the evening to a climatic close.
Mick Burgess
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