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DPAS
LIVE REVIEW WHITESNAKE David Coverdale and Whitesnake gave it the full and utter treatment at the NEC, but there was something missing at Birmingham.....and not just the audience of the two-thirds full NEC. It was the keyboards - they were practically inaudible from where I was sitting, I could only hear them during the song intros. The set list I think was the same as the other reviews I've read, except for the 'one-man Jukebox' as Mr. Coverdale very genially called himself. 'Lie Down' and 'Mistreated' were just two of the acapellas he treated us to, with his voice in very fine form to match his sense of humour. There's no doubt that having seats up in a tiered area doesn't help with atmosphere, but I had a few scans round at people in my zone and I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only one who felt a little subdued. In the Hammy Odeon days, it didn't matter if your ticket said "Row ZZ, back, back, BACK, circle" - it meant standing. No, actually it meant ROCKING - but in the seating of the NEC, 2003 - it was a different, more restrained story. I cannot deny that all those standing down on ground level were having a thumping time, but I believe it was due to being in such proximity to the sheer charisma of D.C. that carried them along. Upstairs there were but a few standing, and a handful more than just me either without a smile or all but bemused in their body language, compared to those hot and sweaty nights of years gone by. True we're all a bit older and by nature a touch more inhibited, which must contribute somewhat, but in my opinion there was a bigger factor at work. Unquestionably the band did get stuck into everything - but it seemed a waste for such talented musicians to parade around in a stereotypically heavy metalesque manner. It was unintentionally amusing for the first song, but with the closing chords of 'Bad Boys' they had exhausted their posing repertoire, had to go back to the beginning, and we were then stuck in a four minute loop of what looked like constipation impersonations. Quite rightly each to his own, but what is a terrible shame, is that these obviously (technically) very skillful players didn't appear to be able to feel the music, as well as previous Whitesnake members - it was difficult to differentiate one solo from another. I went along to hear some great rock music in a style that was completely unique, and instantly recognisable as Whitesnake. But the arrangements at Birmingham just didn't seem to show the songs off to their best. The order of the day was obviously play it fast, and play it very very hard - which practically over-ran those great melodies, and severely compounded the problem of the non-existent keyboards. If it wasn't for the unmistakable vocal talents up front and centre, it could have been any Heavy Metal band up onstage, and I was there feeling (as I still do now), that Mr. Coverdale and his fantastic songs are worth much more than that. I left a while before the end, as the class that used to set Whitesnake apart from the rest was missing for me. There was of course a time, when to even think about leaving early at a 'snake concert was unpardonable, but regrettably, those days are gone. The memories are much too good not to take a chance, so the next time Whitesnake, or David Coverdale returns, I will be back. However I'm not so sure the same can be said about the one couple I saw, or the other couple I shared a conversation with ...... on what seemed like a very long walk back to the car park. |