Alter Bridge – What Lies Within Tour // Daughtry // Sevendust // Live Review // 3 Arena // Dublin
Road Trip!!!
Tonight we’re off to see the mighty Alter Bridge, who are back in Ireland after a few years’ absence. Believe it if not I have never seen Alter Bridge all these years, everytime they have played Belfast (My Hometown) I have been away on holiday in Florida! I shit you not! It’s like Mark and I are doing a house swap! #agirlcandream
Tonight we have a killer lineup with two blistering bands supporting in Sevendust and Daughtry. Sevendust I have never seen before as this is their first time in Ireland and Daughtry maybe 12 or so years ago from memory. So this is one sick lineup for sure.
It’s an early start, a 7 pm kick-off, and Atlanta rockers Sevendust take no prisoners as they rip through a savage set. Punch after punch, they deliver a hard-hitting, frenetic set that has the 3Arena rocking! The light show looks glorious once you get the opportunity to step back and take it all in, the soundtrack unforgiving as they slam out track after track in a short but sweet set that really hits the mark. Frontman Lajon Witherspoon says, ” Will you have us back, fuck yeah, we will! The 3 Arena approved this message! Sevendust release their 15th studio album ‘One’ this coming May, and I, for one, will be delving into their back catalogue with serious intent after catching them live and giving me a taster of what this iconic band can bring to the live stage.
Photography by Mark McGrogan
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A short breather, and we have the mighty Daughtry up next. This lad has done so well since his days on American Idol; that is well behind him, and he has forged an amazing career as a solo artist ever since. A plethora of killer albums and gargantuan hits have solidified his position as a rock god in his own right! I’ve followed Chris’ career since those early days, and he’s turned into a mammoth performer, grown in stature exponentially and has produced some seriously polished music throughout. The band bangs out a few modern classics before they treat us to a Journey cover, and then Chris goes solo for ‘Home’, showcasing that sweet as nectar voice. #mancrush feel-good rock, you can’t beat it! A killer set by the big man, packed with a big stadium anthem tracks and old favourites that had the arena on its feet. Great to have you back in Ireland, Chris!
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Photography by Mark McGrogan
Now for the main attraction, Alter Bridge just dropped their self-titled album just a few weeks ago, and our very own Dublin reviewer is here in the building screaming like a little girl up in the rafters. I only started listening to the album a week or so after its release, but can’t stop playing it now! It’s an absolute beaut! An album that takes you on a rollercoaster, taking you to the limit and back, the boys clearly are getting better with age. They should totes do the full-time, might even be able to make a living at it!
But in all seriousness, I am looking forward to catching them live after all these years. I’ve seen Mark any time he’s been in Belfast, and Myles has passed through the city twice now and even once they were in the city within 48 hours of each other playing the same venue. 9:15 and the lights drop and one by one the gents take to the stage and kick in with their self-titled album’s opening track ‘Silent Divide’, and the 3Arena goes wild! The three songs in the pit whizz by, and once out, you get to appreciate the full scale of their touring setup. The stage bathed in glorious light, video screens serving as a collage, providing backlight, all while beams of light stretch out into the audience, bathing the 3Arena in a light akin to something from War Of The Worlds! Quite the sight!
Myles tells us tonight will be a set packed with songs from across all eight studio albums, so a blast from the past for sure and a trip down memory lane for many. Hearing all the early classics was special, but one of my favourite tracks off the new album is ‘Tested And Able’, and they played that right after ‘Open Your Eyes’, giving us a taste of the two extremes from the earliest music to their latest offering. A savage track on the album and absolutely killer live!
As we head towards the finale of the evening, the band treats us to ‘Blackbird’ and blows my mind as they slay that one in the flesh; it just further drives home the songwriting prowess of this band; the music they have brought us over the years, it must be a nightmare trying to put together a setlist that keeps everyone happy. An amazing night’s music from start to finish, from Sevendust rocking in Ireland for the first time to Daughtry’s return and of course the glorious Mark Tremonti, Myles Kennedy and Alter Bridge as a unit, an unstoppable force for sure. I have been bitching for a while now about poor light shows at the recent gigs I have attended, NOT tonight, I have to applaud Alter Bridge as their setup this evening was glorious! The arena glistened, and it just made the whole event feel even more special. More of that, please.
Alter Bridge are:
Myles Kennedy Lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Mark Tremonti Lead guitar, backing vocals
Brian Marshall Bass
Scott Phillips Drums
Photography by Mark McGrogan
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