Alter Bridge
31st March 2017
Powerstation, Auckland, New Zealand
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Matt Henry Mendonca.
What do a 94 year old and a (now) recently engaged young couple from Tahiti have in common? They both happened to be attending the Alter Bridge show last night at Auckland’s Powerstation.
Starting the night out on style is New Zealand’s one and only Like A Storm. Formed back in 2005, three brothers (Chris, Matt and Kent Brooks) decided to move to LA and work as hard as they could to make it. And make it they have. Two studio albums later and numerous tours with high profile bands such as Drowning Pool and Steel Panther under their belt; Like A Storm currently hold the record for being the highest charting NZ Hard Rock band in American Radio History. The brothers (along with Zach Wood on drums) cut a formidable sight on stage and as they begin to play their first song of the night you just know it’s going to be good show. Chris with his black spiky hair and trademark rocker look steps up to the microphone and states “We travel the world telling everyone that we are from Auckland, New Zealand; and now we are finally back here to play for you guys”.
‘Become the Enemy’ is started off with a venue wide chant of ‘”Hey” fists in the air for emphasis, and features a bit of Didgeridoo work in the middle by Chris, a rather novel addition to any rock song. ‘Break Free’ was more of a ballad and was written by the band when they first moved overseas and began to chase “this crazy dream”. Recently released ‘Pure Evil’ gave us a taste of the heavier version of Like A Storm and certainly had the crowd moving as one to the hefty bass lines. And while it lacked some of that raucous energy of the original, their cover of AC/DC’s TNT was a hell of a lot of fun and saw Chris climb down into the front row and then go for a wander into the middle of the audience; high fiving and singing as he went. They are polished and they are tight, with just the right amount of Rock n Roll swagger, and while they still carry out some of the cliché band tricks of ‘which side of the audience is louder’ the fans loved every single minute of it. Towards the end of their set Chris points out the brothers 94 year old Grandad who has come to see them play live tonight, and if that isn’t pure rock I don’t know what is. Finishing on ‘Love the way you hate me’ a favourite among the fans – Like A Storm left a lasting impression on everyone attending.
Now it was time for the main act, the crowd pushing themselves towards the front as the lights dimmed. As Alter Bridge walked out onto the stage the cheers were almost deafening, only increasing in volume at the appearance of Myles Kennedy dressed in a simple short sleeved black shirt. Wasting no time the band hit the crowd with ‘The Writing on the Wall’ from their recently released album The Last Hero, an album focused around the theme of being a hero in society and people’s disillusionment with their current leaders. ‘Come to Life’ with its heavy riffs and the catchy chorus of ‘Farther than the Sun’ certainly had the crowd warmed up and salivating for more, but when the opening notes of ‘Addicted to Pain’ came charging through the sound system like an unstoppable locomotive all hell broke loose. The front rows were almost layered on top of each other, fans clambering to get that few inches closer to their idols on stage, Tremonti’s flying finger solo cutting through the air with the ferocity of a tiger. Even a couple of small technical issues with the microphones could not detract from this spectacular opening to a set.
Kennedy addressed the audience stating that “It’s been awhile – way too long” before beginning to play the opening notes of ‘Cry of Achilles’ displaying to all that he is not just a superb vocalist but a pretty outstanding guitar player to boot. Joined onstage by Mark Tremonti on lead, Brian Marshall on bass and Scott Phillips on drums the four piece are no strangers to the world of live music having toured together for well over ten years. Known for their live performances, Alter Bridge made the entire show look effortless as they worked the stage. Followed by another crowd favourite ‘Ties that Bind’ and this show was already surpassing the estimations of many in the audience and when Tremonti stepped up to the microphone and gave an epic performance of ‘Waters Rising’, it was official that this show was now off the scale. Kennedy’s vocals are flawless, no more so than when he brings out an acoustic guitar and plays ‘Watch over You’. ‘Open your Eyes’ encouraged a chorus of voices to join Kennedy’s, the smile on his face displaying his obvious enjoyment of the crowd participation.
Closing their set with ‘Metalingus’ it was obvious that the boys were going to come back and give us just that little bit more. But not before giving the fans (many of them seeing Alter Bridge live for the first time) the chance to begin a chant with supporting foot stomp. Arriving back to thunderous applause, Kennedy grinned and asked “If we come back, will you come back” before the band roared into the first single off the latest album entitled ‘Show me a Leader’.
And then came something that none of the audience expected. Kennedy raised the house lights and began to tell of how earlier in the day at the meet and greet he had received a request from a guy who had some very important business to do. Kennedy invited a young Tahitian man by the name of Kevin on stage and handed him the microphone; Kevin explaining to us that while his English was not very good, he could think of nothing better than coming to our beautiful country to see the best band in the world and to propose to his wonderful girlfriend. Luckily for all she said yes, Tremonti quietly playing the first bars from the wedding march on his guitar as they kissed. This wonderful moment once again proving just how much Alter Bridge care about their fans and go out of their way to ensure that everyone feels a part of the live experience. Alter Bridge played their last track for the night ‘Rise Today’ and took a huge amount of time to shake hands in the front row, hand out pics, set lists and genuinely just ensure that the crowd knew how much they appreciated them.
An absolute class act.
Alter Bridge:
Like A Storm:
Were you there at Powerstation for this good old fashioned rock show? Or have you seen Alter Bridge somewhere else? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
- Writing On The Wall
- Come To Life
- Farther Than The Sun
- Addicted To Pain
- Ghost of Days Gone By
- Cry Of Achilles
- Island Of Fools
- Ties That Bind
- Crows On A Wire
- My Champion
- Waters Rising
- Watch Over You
- Isolation
- Blackbird
- Open Your Eyes
- Metalingus
- Show Me A Leader (Encore)
- Rise Today (Encore)
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