It’s time for the UK to experience the phenomenon that is the Thicker than Blood Tour, brought to us by none other than Extreme and Living Colour. The UK leg began tonight in Newcastle-upon-Tyne at the 02 City Hall.
Opening up tonight, Living Colour set the scene for a truly memorable evening. Celebrating the birthday of the great Jimi Hendrix, they opened their short but oh-so-sweet set with Cross Town Traffic and so the funk began. The band have retained their original line-up and their authenticity to a funked-up rock outfit with nothing left back in the dressing room has stood them well over time. After a couple more tunes including debut single “Middle Man” it was over to the Hip-Hop roots of bassist Doug Wimbush for a trip down memory lane as we celebrated 50 years with a medley of great tunes such as “White Lines” and “Apache”.
All killer and no filler the set flew by and with “Love Rears its Ugly Head”, “Glamour Boys” and the finale of “Cult of Personality” they definitely left the full hall wanting more, for those fans who had not come across them before it was a treat I am certain that they will want more of.
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Following a brief changeover period, the lights go down, the backdrop is lit up and the huge gorilla from the “Six” LP covers gals in the audience, as we expectantly wait for the show to start.
Oh boy, do they come out hot !! They waste no time in showing just what a gifted set of musicians they really are. The opening trio of songs, (Its a) Monster, Decadence Dance and #RIOT run one into the other with seamless ease. Frontman Gary Cherone darts and weaves across the stage giving the performance of his life (the same as he does every night) , Nuno Bettencourt shows that his guitar-god status is well and truly deserved and of course nods to his 1980s routes with all the flash and panache that we come to expect. Keeping it all together is the bass of Pat Badger and bringing the rhythm, Kevin Figueiredo. This has to be one of the finest examples of live musicianship I have ever had the privilege to witness, a rock show for the 2000’s but with its roots firmly planted in 1980’s Hair Metal.
With no less than 6 tunes from the latest LP ..is that a nod to the title ? The rest of the setlist is just one massive tune after another, each one building on the next. There is no doubt in my mind that this band is giving us “the” live performance of 2023 and possibly beyond. The big hits litter the setlist “Hole Hearted”, “More Than Words”, “Get The Funk Out” but we also get glimpses of the past with a medley of tunes from the first Extreme LP, along with nods to the 90’s and beyond. There really was something for everyone covering the history of this great band. Then we get to “that” guitar solo , “Rise” the tune brings the evening to a fitting end leaving the Newcastle audience streaming out into the cold night air uttering words such as “my God how good was that !!!” .. a fair review of an outstanding evening of powerful, melodic rock performed to its best.
“SIX” is out now, stream and order it HERE.
Photography: Mark Ellis
Catch the “THICKER THAN BLOOD TOUR” Here:
Mon, NOV 27 – O2 City Hall Newcastle – Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom
Tue, NOV 28 – O2 Academy Glasgow – Glasgow, United Kingdom
Thu, NOV 30 – Manchester Academ – Manchester, United Kingdom
Fri, DEC 1 – Wolverhampton Civic Hall – Wolverhampton, United Kingdom
Sun, DEC 3 – O2 Academy Bristol – Bristol, United Kingdom
Mon, DEC 4 – O2 Forum Kentish Town – London, United Kingdom
Thu, DEC 7 – Salle Pleyel – Paris, France
Fri, DEC 8 – Z7 Konzertfabrik – Pratteln, Switzerland
Sun, DEC 10 – Huxleys Neue Welt – Berlin, Germany
Mon, DEC 11 – Live Music Hall – Cologne, Germany
Tue, DEC 12 – Melkweg – Amsterdam, Netherlands
Thu, DEC 14 – Muziekcentrum Trix – Antwerpen, Belgium
Fri, DEC 15 – Rock Out Festival 2023 – Augsburg, Germany
Sat, DEC 16 – Alcatraz – Milan, Italy
Tue, DEC 19 – O2 Forum Kentish Town – London, United Kingdom
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