Hi folks, well here was a show I was intrigued about but unfortunately due to lack of funds and a sitter for the kids, Rhonda and I were unable to attend ... So, where did this review come from, you're wondering?
Well, my mate Dave Dunford who I've known for around six / seven years now, stepped up to bail, oops, help me out! Thanks Dave!
It would've included Tesla too, who were special guests, but sadly, Dave got otherwise delayed.
I think he's done a very good job indeed, so I now give you a review of Whitesnake live at DTE - Yes, we call it Pine Knob, as it's got plenty of history, but unfortunately the name was sold off the corporate giants ... - Energy Music Theatre, located just outside of Detroit, in a north western suburb called Clarkston ... Over to you Dave!
Cheers, Al
Whitesnake / Tesla – DTE (Pine Knob) Energy Music Theatre, Clarkston, MI.
Sunday August 28th 2011
Unfortunately by the time I arrived Tesla were just finishing up their set so I really didn’t get a chance to catch them or provide any meaningful commentary on their show, but it appeared by the crowd’s reaction that they were pretty well received.
So straight on with the main act, Whitesnake, who hit the stage in front of a large back drop of their current album artwork – 'Forevermore.' I was a little apprehensive before the show, hearing rumors that David Coverdale’s voice wasn’t holding up well and that the show was very short by today’s standards. Being a big Whitesnake fan (more so the early years than the more commercially successful late 80’s and early 90’s – more of that later) I was hoping neither would prove to be correct.
The band hit the stage with 'Best Years,' a thumping track from their 2008 album 'Good To Be Bad,' moving quickly through 'Give Me All Your Love' and 'Love Ain’t No Stranger,' before pausing briefly for a little audience interaction before sliding into 'Is This Love?'
A couple of things hit me during the first few songs, firstly that Coverdale’s voice sounded fine, although far from the glories of his screaming heyday, I was pleasantly surprised how good his voice sounded overall. So perhaps the first rumor can be emphatically squashed!
The second thing that hit me was how awesome his new drummer Brian Tichy (who has worked with a number of artists over the years, most recently Foreigner and Billy Idol) was. I’m by no means a drumming expert but I was really impressed with his drumming style, his showmanship and how hard he hit the drums.
After 'Steal Your Heart Away' and 'Forevermore' (the latter sounding great with Coverdale’s vocals really strong) came the first intermission with Doug Aldrich and Reb Beach’s dueling guitar solos. Both guitarists have been with Whitesnake for a number of years and have received a lot of credit for the sound of the last two studio albums (along with some song writing credits too). Aldrich perhaps one of the most highly touted guitarist in recent years, and Beach a very strong player who is still as crazy on stage as he was when I saw him with Alice Cooper way back in the mid 90’s.
Next up was 'Love Will Set You Free' from the new album and then Brian Tichy’s great drum solo. To be honest, I like a good drum solo but over the years I can rarely remember one as impressive as this. Perhaps in recent times one that comes close was probably James Kottak on the last Scorpions tour, but mainly because of the video backdrop that accompanied his solo. But Tichy’s was just him, his drums…..and over a dozen drum sticks ! In a strange way, he reminded me a lot of the late, and more than great Eric Carr with his style and the sound he produces. Very impressive and I noticed the majority of the crowd still standing throughout. Talking of the crowd, hard to gage exactly how many people attended but overall I’d say the venue wasn’t even two thirds full. Admittedly it was a Sunday night….and the night after Alice Cooper and his band rolled though.
Anyway, after the drum solo came 'The Deeper The Love' and 'Bad Boys' before the band finished the main set with the commercially successful 'Here I Go Again.'
'Still Of The Night' was the only encore before the usual outro tape recording of 'We Wish You Well' played through the PA and the house lights came up.
I've gotta say, major disappointment! Excluding the guitar and drum solo we were treated to eleven songs, and in my opinion that just isn’t good enough. When you think of the career that Coverdale has had - 11 Whitesnake studio albums, not to mention Deep Purple and more! - and the songs he has in his back catalogue, I was personally disappointed that he didn’t play any of his 70’s ‘Snake classics, but as my buddy Al reminded me, to hear 'Lovehunter,' 'Ready An’ Willing,' 'Sweet Talker' and 'Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City' you probably have to catch the band live in Europe.
Honestly, I was pleased to have caught the band again, probably my 5th or 6th Whitesnake gig over the (many) years, but I left very disappointed with the number of songs and the overall length of the show. At least Coverdale sounded good though, which has to be very pleasing to him and that perhaps the overly short shows are geared towards helping him maintain his voice for the duration of the tour.
Rating: – Whitesnake 2.5 / 5…….Brian Tichy 5 / 5 !!!
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