LIVE REVIEW: Alter Bridge @ O2 Arena, London
If it wasn’t the intermittent train strikes causing havoc to travel plans, it was the sudden appearance of snow relatively close to Christmas. Despite frozen tracks leaving various Tube lines in disarray we wandered off to the last night of the Pawns & Kings Tour, featuring a star-studded billing of ALTER BRIDGE, HALESTORM and MAMMOTH WVH, at London’s O2 Arena.
MAMMOTH WVH proved to be a bit of a family affair for this tour. Founded by Wolfgang Van Halen during his tenure with his father’s band VAN HALEN, this was originally a solo project. After VAN HALEN’s disbandment, Wolfgang would go on to become an official member of TREMONTI – Mark Tremonti’s solo band. Now touring with guitarist Frank Sidoris who plays with SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS, it’s little wonder the arena was nicely packed to scope out the musician coming from incredible stock.
Promoting the project’s self-titled album in 2021, patrons were treated to seven tracks of effortless hard rock virtuosity. It’s difficult to talk about Wolfgang without mentioning Eddie Van Halen but the two are worlds apart. The Van Halen on stage that evening oozed the same charisma of his father but on a slightly more subdued scale. The velvet vocals of Mammoth blanketed the crowd in the warmth of comfort amid the bed of infectious riffs. While Mr. Ed’s bouncy melody lured us in further still. This was a band which ran like a well oiled machine and didn’t let the prospect of their first outing in the o2 Arena daunt them.
While the crowd took a moment to vocally warm up to MAMMOTH WVH, by the midway point in the set, the appreciation in the room was palpable. The heavier chorus of Epiphany captivated the harder rock fans in the audience. The lilts of melody within the second verse reverberated in the small gaps in the crowd allowing for the drops to hit much harder. MAMMOTH WVH’s set was intended to be all about the music so any spoken interlude was short and sweet. Except for the introduction of Distance. Written as a coping mechanism in response to his father’s declining health, Wolfgang took the opportunity to pay small tribute to Eddie, a sentiment which carried further still into the production as family photos of the legendary guitarist were projected onto the screen.
Closing with the heavier You’re To Blame and ferocious Don’t Back Down, we couldn’t help but feel this set was a little too short for them. With guitar solos littered throughout the set, they left us wanting more rather than being self-indulgent. That’s the sign of a good support act after all. We wait for a headline tour with a lot of anticipation.
Rating: 8/10
Halestorm
Resurrecting tour lineups of the past, Nashville based HALESTORM’s entrance to the stage certainly made people pay attention. Lzzy Hale’s characteristic voice teased the crowd with the opening of The Steeple. The growl residing in Hale’s vocals pricked the ears. Screams from the crowd punctuated each line. Hale stood armed with a striking red guitar and the full band kicked in to usher their congregation forward. We were indeed among HALESTORM’s people as the crowd drowned Hale’s voice out quickly, singing every word with increasing vigor.
Love Bites (So Do I) and Wicked Ways followed in quick succession, making for a highly energetic opening. Hale’s growls remained a constant throughout each song. Attention diverted to Hale’s brother Arjay who commanded the drums without breaking a sweat during the faster former. Neon green hair swished with each change in beat and cheeky facial expressions became infectious.
With Bombshell being an anthem for those identifying as female, Hale further cemented her status as a present day icon in the rock and metal world. Adoring fans embraced the moment to feel their femininity while Mine allowed them to do the same with their primal sexuality. Mine’s riffs simply sizzled over Arjay Hale’s pounding beats. The real jewel of the set came with the ballad Familiar Taste Of Poison. The complete opposite to the ferocious growling or screaming we had been getting all evening, Hale’s soul-filled vocals were a joy to take in which left us wondering why there wasn’t more of that on display. It can be argued that this was Hale’s, and indeed the band’s, performance of the evening. Everything from this older cut had been mixed well and created an atmospheric number which became a talking point for many after the show’s end.
This was to be short lived however as a drum solo from Arjay – including a comically large pair of drum sticks at one point – paved way to Back From The Dead and the return of the somewhat abrasive vocal delivery. There is no doubt Lzzy Hale is one of the best female rock performers of our time. That isn’t in question. What attention is being drawn to however is the somewhat lack in variety of material and tones. This is an incredibly talented group of musicians and they have enjoyed a steady trajectory, but there is so much more of them to showcase.
This element of showcasing came with the closing I Miss The Misery. Each member of the band had their time to shine in the winding outro. Many false finishes lead to further instrumentals and guitar duels between Hale and Joe Hottinger. This wasn’t a bad set and we have a lot of respect for everything HALESTORM has achieved. We just wanted to see and hear more of it.
Rating: 7/10
Seeing as their tour cycle for 2019’s Walk The Sky was unexpectedly cut short, ALTER BRIDGE were keen to make up for lost time. With the release of Pawns & Kings still fresh, the rock stalwarts launched straight into their recent single Silver Tongue. Where some may have considered this a bold move, the crowd became unglued as pockets of mosh pits were birthed. Thunderous riffs from the tandem of Myles Kennedy and Mark Tremonti tore through the arena. It was clear from the off this was a rejuvenated ALTER BRIDGE. Tying into Addicted To Pain from 2013’s Fortress, this set was going to be a statement of intent. When we discussed the band’s sound with Kennedy in a recent feature, this stripped back ALTER BRIDGE is where the singer-cum-guitarist felt most comfortable.
ALTER BRIDGE comes with the conundrum of how to fit a healthy mix of almost three decades of material into a conducive setlist. It wasn’t long until Ghost Of Days Gone By tugged at our heartstrings and nostalgia. Voices from the crowd soared into the ether, threatening to drown Kennedy out. Wheeling out Before Tomorrow Comes was an unexpected joy for many, the call of “We could be so much more than what we are” floating seamlessly into the sentiment of This Is War. Though not without Kennedy asking if anyone had actually heard Pawns & Kings yet. It was refreshing to be in the company of a band which was still unsure of their own popularity. Like critical acclaim and an arena at 75% capacity wouldn’t have given it away. By blending older cuts into newer, ALTER BRIDGE got to showcase how they have matured not only in their sound but in presentation also. The screens behind them lit up with slick animations peppered with imagery of themselves.
“I like doing this as it gives me a rest, but also means we can showcase this man to my left,” Kennedy smiled as Tremonti prepared to take up the vocal mantle. Many expected Rise Today as this is the tune he usually helmed. When Tremonti’s lower register blended with the morose tones of Burn It Down, the room was rendered silent. The vast difference in this guitar slinger’s voice due to his Sinatra project made this rendition astounding.
The subtlety of Cry Of Achilles’ wind-up into a higher energy was another example of a sublimely put together set-list. This ability to command an audience into their peaks and troughs is something ALTER BRIDGE has perfected. Nothing demonstrated this more so than the duo of In Loving Memory and Blackbird. The acoustic former performed on a dark stage with Kennedy, Tremonti and an acoustic guitar elicited pent up emotion. Tales of grief and lament silently filled the room as the latter sounded as beautiful as it had upon first listen of the album of the same name. Blackbird’s guitars swelled into a crescendo which pushed Kennedy and the crowd further than ever before. The pregnant pause at Blackbird’s end soon erupted into cheers of those finally feeling seen and heard.
If there were a complaint about this particular set, it would be that there were only three songs from Pawns & Kings. Wouldn’t You Rather would be Walk The Sky’s only contribution, though arguably the perfect segue into hard-hitting Isolation. Almost predictably, Metalingus was a highlight of the evening. With Kennedy’s voice showing age, the tone of the song slightly changed though this weathering only added to the sentiment of “I’ll fight to remain”. While this frontman appears shy and mysterious, the command he has over a crowd to transform the floor section of the O2 into a frenzied mosh pit is nothing short of incredible.
It’s Metalingus’ message of chasing a dream and standing up for yourself which encapsulated ALTER BRIDGE and the evening so well. Racking up 30 years as a band is now almost unheard of for a band that isn’t headlining the likes of Download Festival. This evening was testament to the illustrious career these four men have built for themselves. The crowd were abuzz with hot jubilance, us included. While this crew of reluctant rockstars may not appeal to everyone’s tastes, it can and should be argued that ALTER BRIDGE is the band of a generation.
Rating: 9/10
Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in London from Karolina Janikunaite here:
Like ALTER BRIDGE on Facebook.