Coverdale, who was always all cheekbones and mousse, now resembles a pop-metal Joan Rivers. Ghoulish but fit, he strutted onstage in a white shirt with rhinestones unbuttoned to his abs. While it’s easy to poke fun at a 59-year-old man who still treats the mic stand like a phallus, it’s hard to deny that he still puts on a good show. But it ain't 1987 anymore. It was the kind of concert where women got on men’s shoulders not to flash Coverdale but to get a better angle with their digital cameras.
The band kicked off the set with “Best Years,” the first song from 2008’s Good to be Bad. It was a strange choice, but it showed that Coverdale and the boys were committed to pleasing their core audience. The Whitesnake catalog isn’t particularly difficult to play. Most songs feature a sing-along chorus and a by-the-numbers guitar solo. But during a live show, it helps to have musicians who can really play. Starting with lead guitarist Doug Aldrich, Coverdale has surrounded himself with killer talent. During an intermission just five songs in, the former Dio ax man showed off impressive fret work and an ability to shred far beyond what the set required. Drummer Brian Tichy later launched into a jaw-dropping exhibition that was equal parts John Bonham and Gene Krupa. Near the end, he tossed his sticks into the audience and played with his bare fists.
With its strong lead single “Love Will Set You Free,” the band’s latest album, Forevermore, stands up to much of its past work. The songs are catchy, and they rock harder and faster than the big hits that casual fans came to hear. It’s as if Coverdale were making up for all the years he spent peddling mid-tempo ballads. Aldrich played the acoustic intro to the album’s title track. Channeling ‘70s album rock, he switched to electric for the song’s heavy climax. Another new track, the slide-guitar-driven “Steal Your Heart Away,” served as a raunchy complement to the crowd favorite “Slide It In.”
The night’s biggest disappointment was the predictable closer, “Here I Go Again.” Guilty pleasure or not, it’s the band’s greatest gift to popular culture. Coverdale simply phoned it in. The chorus was strong, but the frontman screeched it out. That’s a shame, considering that his voice is 90 percent what it was 25 years ago.
For the encore, the band ripped through “Still of the Night.” It’s one of the few Whitesnake singles that approaches actual metal, and the band knows it. Coverdale let the crowd fill in a few lines, but it was clear that the song is a personal favorite. Maybe it’s because the word “love” isn’t in the title. Though those who attended had fun, it’s hard to deny the fact that the band played only 11 songs. But no one seemed to care. Coverdale screamed and moaned and shimmied, and the fists never stopped pumping.
Set List:
Best Years
Give Me All Your Love
Love Ain’t No Stranger
Is This Love
Steal Your Heart Away
Love Will Set You Free
Forevermore
The Deeper the Love
Slide It In
Here I Go Again
Encore:
Still of the Night
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