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At the beginning of September this year, about 7 months after discovering this incredible band, I decided: I will also be in Milan to see THEM.
Saturday, 29.11.08
4:40 PM My bassist and I arrive by car at the entrance of the Montecchio Maggiore highway, we park and wait for the good Manager, who arrives after a few minutes. We hop into his speedster, armed with good will, and enter the fantastic world of toll roads.
The average speed is around 130, and in less than 2 and a half hours, we are at the gates of East Milan. We stop at a service station for a sandwich and a bathroom break, then set off again. We turn on the GPS, and after 20 minutes, we see the venue. The queue is around 450-500 people, but our mission now is to find parking, a task I believe even Chuck Norris would have given up on (if you were there last night, you'd definitely understand why I invoke a deity like Him).
7:30 PM The relentless rain only further congested the traffic, increasing the difficulty coefficient raised to the power of three, matched by the number of swears per minute (Mosconi's Law). But then, after scouting the entire area, we see a man in the distance wearing a raincoat, holding a bunch of keys!! With a philological reasoning, we deduce that... Oh! To hell with it, let's ask him directly, we lower the window and: - Excuse me, are you leaving?
He replies: - Yes, I am. And we: - Can we follow you?
Thus, miraculously parked (as Biscardi would say), we return to wait in line in front of the venue.
We arrive, wait, elbow our way as necessary, and enter after about 10 minutes.
Inside awaits us a revelation: the LOGAN! an unprecedented and well-measured force, two guitars and a bass as one with the insane drum wall.. The singer mimics the one from Pearl Jam, the somewhat nasal voice reminiscent of Jack Black. Fairy-tale melodic lines, well-timed breaks.. power ballads à la Skid Row and heavy riffs à la Disturbed, but more rock and cheeky. A broad engagement, truly a nice surprise!!
9:00 PM The band finishes, and Alter Bridge's equipment is set up; after about twenty minutes, the lights go out and the frenzy begins: the first two songs ("Come to Life" and "Find the Real") are pure frenzy, the crowd goes wild, and seconds later, the venue already reaches near boiling temperature. But we don't stop; the quartet, until the sixth song, shows no signs of pausing and knows how to enchant us. A ballad with the acoustic guitar ("Watch Over You") of intimate and melancholic beauty, and immediately it resumes with the intense "One Day Remains". Mark Tremonti from the effort (it seems like he's straining while doing the solos) swells his cheeks, and down come cascades of notes… Spectacular, indeed, a show within a show. The singer is a beast and often gets the audience to interact with appropriate vocalizations during the songs. In short, a fake improvisation that always puts on a show and raises the adrenaline.
All the classics, like "Open Your Eyes", "Metallingus" and "In Loving Memory" are sung in unison by those present, and the 4 big guys are visibly moved and put their heart into every note.
Another 2 Magic Moments:
1) The metalhead behind me (about 2 meters tall, with a beard and long hair), upon hearing the opening of "Blackbird" bursts into dignified tears, putting his hands over his face, while his friends console him with friendly (and not very manly) pats on the back.
2) The cover of "Travelling Riverside Blues" done with the slide guitar was one of the most pleasurable experiences I've had without taking off my pants. I had goosebumps. A sexy voice full of swagger and devoid of any sense of modesty had everyone clapping in rhythm, all the way to the orgasmic scream that pierced more than one eardrum. Simply Awesome.
The evening concludes with "Rise Today", impeccable and super-powerful, and I feel good, maybe it's the wine, or the smell of "doctored" cigarettes lingering in the venue, but I have the feeling of having experienced a swift, badass, and perfect night.
Sunday, 30.11.08
12:17 AM At a service station outside Milan, we chat with two guys from Sardinia about the concert.
We agree on everything; their only complaint was about the volume of the voice, perhaps at times buried by the guitars. Yes; it could be... but I didn't notice, having sung from start to finish along with 2,000 other people. Then we exchanged a couple of bands to listen to (Mayfields 4, Saliva, Tenacious D), and by 2:30, we're home.
P.S.
Score 10/10, also for the quality/price ratio of the ticket (and the merchandise), and for having found parking with a photonic stroke of luck.
Cheers!
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