Alter Bridge + Black Stone Cherry
Live @ Palasesto 22.10.2011

THE REVIEW

There's no two without three... And does the fourth come by itself? Hell no, it doesn't... Three is said to be the perfect number, but not in this case.

Concerts start at 20:00, yeah right... The Black Stone Cherry already start blasting their powerful hard rock infused with frenetic blues and that touch of southern that never hurts into the ears of the large audience that arrived by 19:30. A band that really exceeds expectations, proving that they deliver much more live than in the studio.

A D-E-V-A-S-T-A-T-I-N-G rhythm section with a possessed drummer who literally beats the instrument senselessly from start to finish, bass pounding like a hammer, and a wild, bouncy guitarist... And a special mention goes to frontman Chris Robertson, also a very fine guitarist, who possesses an amazing voice. The songs just flow beautifully, the new single "In My Blood" is a joy to listen to, and the audience enjoys vocally accompanying the band in all the tracks, much to my surprise, from "White Trash Millionaire" to "Blind Man", through "Lonely Train", up to a truly moving unplugged version of "Peace is Free" right up to the triumphal "Blame it on the Boom Boom"... And off we go... Four slaps to everyone and goodnight!

For me, it could end here... They were enough for me... But I remember I'm here for Alter Bridge...

Half an hour of disassembling and reassembling and we're off... Of course with "Slip to the Void", everything seems perfect but... Myles sings terribly in twang both the low and high parts... Might be the amplification that needs adjusting... When the rest of the band kicks in, it's a small disaster, Tremonti's guitar so sharp and overpowering that it drills into your brain, the bass is there, isn't there, who knows... The drums equalized horribly! The kick drum in constant reverb, nonexistent snare, timid cymbals, let's not even talk about the hi-hat, and the tom(s) sounded like small trash cans for separate collection growing.

It gets a bit better after the first three songs, Myles finally hits me with the final high note in "Find the Real" and I enjoy it a bit, I admit, but something is always off, they are an amazing band, with technique to spare that they could sell cheaply for how much they have... But the sound was truly forgettable.

Same show as the previous concert at Alcatraz, but this time declining... Myles often deliberately lowers the tone in verses to not overdo or maybe because he's not in top shape, who knows, but I honestly expected more from a singer of his caliber. I understand he has to support a slew of dates with both Alter and Slash, and you can't mess too much with the voice, but since the first time I saw the band at the Fillmore in Piacenza, something has changed...

And that something I don't like at all.