To celebrate the end of my chemo, almost as I slipped a few weeks, my wife and I went to see one of the big rocking gigs of summer at the Wembley Arena. It was a good way to start post-chemo life, that's for sure. We got a load of scary death metal to get through as well.
Live Reviews
Whitesnake/Def Leppard
Wembley Arena
First thing that struck about the gig, besides the fact that the opening band were just lame—as one wag put it, "They need a bit more practice methinks"—was the sheer enthusiasm of the crowd. This was a bit of a co-headline tour of the UK. Although Def Leppard have a bigger set; it was clear to all that Whitesnake were there equals. Tonight saw the end of their full "Songs from the Sparkle Lounge" set with the videos and the whole nine yards. They head off with Whitesnake and Thunder for a few more dates in July. That will be a pretty awesome night of bluesy rock. Every single song was a sing-along; it was that sort of night.
Jimmy Page and Ritchie Sambora were in attendance for this gig and so were quite a few other industry types (inc. ole Cov's wife and daughter). It was quite a show. What first struck those of us who are veterans of London-based gigging was the fact that London Arena has been completely revamped. It stuck us that the new competition from the O2 and it several venues has forced them to up their game. The sound is excellent and the facilities are what you would expect from a major venue these days; even clean toilets and cleaners constantly making the rounds.
Whitesnake came out and delivered a solid set of both new material from Good to Be Bad and from their extensive back catalogue all the way back to the beginning. David Cloverdale’s voice was a bit wobbly at times but he made up for it with his quintessential front-man appeal. The guy is the pass master at taking the audience and making it his own. His band were as tight as a nut; as you would expect from Coverdale and Co. Their solo spots were even just enough, but not too much. Coverdale just knows how to make any venue seem like an intimate venue. The cracking end with "Still of the Night" left everyone wanting more.
Then after quite a quick change-over came Def Leppard in full voice. We were treated to quite an amusing retrospect of their entire career warts and all. Joe Elliot has upped his game having to follow David Coverdale. He was the consummate showman; playing to the crowd. He made sure to let us know that this was no farewell tour. As with Whitesnake it was a good mixture of songs from their latest album and their myriad of hits. The only one that was notably absent was "Love Bites". It was Def Lep. returned to their prime; with the lads delivering every ounce they could. Overall Def Lep probably gave a better performance by a smidgen.
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