Adrian Vandenberg makes his first visit to United States since his time in Whitesnake. It was an evening filled with Whitesnake classics, and Vandenberg originals. Adrian put together a very proficient band, and they were able to carry out any song they wished to play. The audience consisted of seasoned crowd who grew up with Vandenberg, and witnessed Whitesnake’s domination in the late 80s and the early 90s. The audience was clearly pleased with the song selection, and the effective delivery.
Adrian Vandenberg, now 70 years old, but still playing with a heart of twenty-something rocker. He was just as energetic on stage as he was when he played with Whitesnake back in 1990. It’s inspiring to see that type of energy! Vandenberg’s delivery was flawless, his leads still possess a lot of feel and color. He’s still the world class player he always was. David Coverdale knew what he was doing when he pursued Adrian to be in his band.
Vocalist, Mats Leven, was the undisputed star of the show. Due to the nature of the songs performed, Leven, was the focal point. He quickly won the audience over with his easy-going manner, and great delivery. Trying to sing Whitesnake was never an easy task, David Coverdale is certainly one of the greatest vocalists of all time. Leven was able to contain Coverdale’s mannerisms, while applying his own voice to the process. This made his singing very authentic and original. Whitesnake songs came across very believable, and well received by the audience.
The show stopper was definitely Sailing Ships, a Whitesnake song later also covered live by MoonKings, Vandenberg’s other project. It was delivered acoustically, only by Vandenberg and Leven, and certainly took the audience by surprise. It was followed by Hit the Ground Running, a hard rocker from his latest album Sin. The band encored with Burning Heart, perhaps the most known Vandenberg track from the early 80s, only to climax with Still of the Night, and Here I Go Again. Just as the band said their final goodbyes, they were brought back for another encore. This time they ended for good with Love Ain’t No Stranger.
It truly was a great show, entertaining, and well put together. There were some complaints that too many Whitesnake songs were being played, but the show was billed as such. When looking around, everyone was having a great time. The few purists who only wanted Vandenberg’s solo material were in the minority. Adrian gave the audience exactly what they came for. And if it was Whitesnake heavy, so be it. Those songs are timeless, and it’s very unlikely they will be performed by anyone else live at this point. Enjoy the moment, and performers like Adrian Vandenberg because their time is slowly running out.
Mark Kadzielawa
No comments:
Post a Comment