Alter Bridge at Manchester Apollo – 9/11/08

There’s notices around Manchester Apollo tonight informing everyone that former Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins’ new band ‘Hot Leg’ will not be performing “due to illness”. When this fact is announced from the stage by Logan (6/10) vocalist Kenny Collins, a large part of the crowd cheer in approval leaving you to wonder what sort of reception Hot Leg would’ve received tonight.
Because of Hot Leg’s no-show, both Logan and Alter Bridge (10/10) are given more time and while this is undoubtedly a good thing in the case of Alter Bridge, one is left wondering when it comes to Glaswegians Logan. While not bad, nearly all of the songs seem to merge into one another with only ‘Hallowed Ground’ standing out. This is down to both the slightly generic style of Collins’ vocals and the band’s post-grunge sound which is more Seattle than Scotland. Already veterans of the Alter Bridge support slot (and you can see why), Logan sound a little too like tonight’s headliners, albeit a not-as-good version and this puts them in a bit of a catch 22 – they can either continue playing it safe supporting bands like Alter Bridge but be doomed to be second best, or they can break out and try and make a name for themselves. However they will have to do better than they did tonight.
Alter Bridge however, are in a league of their own tonight. These are the biggest venues Alter Bridge have played in the UK so far and the band are definitely embracing this upward trajectory. Guitarist Mark Tremonti is once again outstanding, proving that he is one of the most consistently underrated players out there, a man who can out-play most others in his sleep, no question about it. Alter Bridge know how good they are tonight, with the biggest example of the band’s rise in confidence being personified in singer Myles Kennedy. No longer just a possessor of the best voice in rock right now, but Kennedy has matured into a world class frontman, swaggering around the stage with just the right amount of exuberance that never manifests into arrogance and also proving that he is no slouch on the guitar himself as many of the tracks aired tonight from latest album ‘Blackbird’ will show, particularly the title track which tonight borders on absolutely epic. The rest of the set too is nothing short of amazing with tracks like ‘Before Tomorrow Comes’, ‘Brand New Start’ and bona-fide rock anthem ‘Open Your Eyes’ moving you to places you never thought you’d go. The sheer quality of Alter Bridge’s material really does take your breath away and not only is it a mark of a truly great band that they recognise and fully embrace their own talents but they also have such (well justified) confidence in their latest material – 10 of the 17 songs aired tonight are from ‘Blackbird’ – that they can play for ninety minutes and there are still songs you wish they’d played. With any justice, those songs will soon be filling arenas in 2-hour sets.

Setlist:
Come To Life
Find The Real
Before Tomorrow Comes
Brand New Start
White Knuckles
Buried Alive
One Day Remains
Watch Over You
The Damage Done
Ties That Bind
Blackbird
In Loving Memory
Metalingus
Open Your Eyes
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Broken Wings
Travelling Riverside Blues
Rise Today