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Events and Reports - Whitesnake - Live with Warrant at Coushatta Casino, Kinder, LA, May 21st, 2011
Let me start out with some boring backstory to this whole adventure. In 1990, when I was but a kid, but still a Whitesnake fan, I was cheated out of going to see them (and my mother didn't get to go either, who was, still is, and will be - til death does her part from this Earth - a huge Whitesnake fan). Fast forward twenty one years. I still have never been to a real "rock" concert (plenty of country concerts under my belt though), and the opportunity arises that it is a possibility that I could end up attending a concert from the very band I have wanted to see for literally decades. A two hour drive from my house, tickets a bit on the pricey side, and some incredible (and insane) obstacles that had to be faced and eventually beaten into verbal submission before the show could literally take the road.
But on Saturday, May 21st, my cousin Alyssa and I did indeed hit the road. It was time to prove to the world that dreams do come true, and how! Determination and patience. A good mixture of both goes a long way...
Coushatta Casino is a big place. It is certainly not on the same scale as Foxwoods in CT, but big enough that you have to take a shuttle bus to the venue. After some walking around and general confusion, we found the bus and made the journey over to the biggest of the barns called "The Pavillion". There were some people out front still loitering, although it was just a few minutes until the show was scheduled to start (and they never do really start "on time", country concerts have shown this to be true). There was everyone from trashed ZZ Top rejects wandering around unsteadily to fifty somethings squeezing into their 80s hair metal gear, with mixed results... so there was certainly a variety to the audience. We checked in, had our purses searched and made our way to our seats, which were surprisingly really good.
The tickets were bought pretty much last minute, so I expected to be stuck way in the back, but we were on the end of a row of seating, on floor level, not terribly far from the stage. There was all this empty space to the side, which is good, since I'm average in height and can't really see over anyone's head. A nice clear shot of the stage. We could see everyone clearly except when cowboy hat was blocking my view, more on that later... They had two huge screens mounted that would show the on stage action which was nice. Sure we could see what was going on on stage, but having the zoom to highlight the action was a nice touch. Probably something they do at most concerts, but it was appreciated here too.
Warrant was also on the bill. They haven't played many dates this year, and I was eager to see how they fared with Robert Mason at the helm. I've had "Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich" since cassettes were popular when it was first released, and have followed Robert Mason's career since Lynch Mob in 1993, so no stranger to either... and excited to see them both in action. It wasn't long until the lights went off and Warrant took the stage. What a drastic difference between the ambient recorded music wafting through the place and the raw assault of a real live band cranked to ten on stage. At this point I had to run to the bathroom and missed the first song, but was back for number two (song, that is).
The first thing a Warrant veteran fan would notice is how energetic and charged the band was. They just assaulted the first few songs. Robert was all over the place, hitting his notes with passion and ease. The crowd went wild for the big ballad "Heaven" and the thunder thump of "Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich". The new songs went over fairly well, with "Sex Ain't Love" making the biggest impact from the "Rockaholic" album, though most everything they played came off of "Cherry Pie" and "DRFSR". There was no "I Saw Red" or "Mr. Rainmaker". The show looked to be about to wrap up and Alyssa whispered to me if they were going to play "Cherry Pie" and sure enough... that was the next song they cranked out. They just kind of walked out when their set was done. It seemed obvious that an encore would be on the way ("Mr. Rainmaker"? "32 Pennies"?) but soon after the lights went on the stage was being torn down and being prepared for Whitesnake.
The set seemed rather short, at around 45 minutes or a little less. The band seemed rushed to squeeze everything in, and there was very little interaction with the audience between songs, although Robert did encourage people to sing along with him, and how much more fun and better it sounded when the crowd was screaming along to the songs. I was happy to oblige, though it was painfully obvious that many people that were there only knew "Cherry Pie" and nothing else. I even heard one person remark that that was the only song they had ever heard by Warrant so the show was boring, I couldn't help but thinking "then why are you even here?"
We managed to catch Robert and Jerry after the show and they both signed the back of my ticket which was awesome and very nice of them since they were in such a hurry...in fact, mine was the last thing he signed... something about not being able to stay out signing things while Whitesnake was on stage. I wish I had brought one of my cds for him to sign, I certainly have albums with Mason's voice on them.
In a nutshell, Warrant was full of energy and nailed all the songs perfectly. "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was one of the highlights, even though the crowd wasn't quite as in to it as a few of the other songs, but they really nailed the attitude of the track. Nicely done. If you get a chance to see Warrant, do so. Even with a short set it was worth it.
We were still wandering about when the sound of The Who's "My Generation" could be heard and the lights went out again. I knew this was the precursor to part two of this grand event, and we scrambled back to our seats. Then it was time for the main event... Whitesnake themselves... they were ready to make some noise and it was going to be a wild night... the track list was heavy on "1987" and the new one, "Forevermore". While they didn't play "One of These Days" (which they had been earlier in the tour) and also dropped "Fare Thee Well" (the studio track was piped in after the encore, but that doesn't count), what they did play was nothing short of amazing.
Doug Aldrich handled the solos for the first half of the set and Reb Beach pretty much took over for the second half. It was a nice way to showcase both guitarists equally. When you employ the best, as David always does, it only makes sense to give them their due. They took the opportunity and ran with it. The night was filled with insane guitar pyrotechnics and obvious mastery of the instrument, culminating in a guitar duel that saw Doug and Reb coming on and off stage to solo, and then together to trade licks and downright six string battle. It was electrifying. Drum solos usually bore me but Brian Tichy was tossing the sticks, catching them, never missing a beat. He threw them out into the audience and then just went at it with his hands. A very different and unique performance that the crowd just ate up.
But it would have been difficult to not get lost in the essence of Whitesnake. David Coverdale did all his typical moves, using the mic stand as a rather sexy stage prop. In between songs he interacted with the audience, his deep voice rolling across The Pavillion in a wicked velvety purr. He sang his heart out, and those that have criticized he doesn't have a voice anymore were obviously not at this particular show. All the older songs I know, every nuance by heart and he did them complete justice. While I am not rock concert veteran, I have been to dozens of country/western gigs and few could even hold a candle to the proficency and sheer excellence of the well oiled hard rock wheel that kept turning called Whitesnake.
They started off with "Best Years" from "Bad to be Good", the only song they played that night that I didn't know by heart, soul and blood, but it was a good opener, got them warmed up and ready to roll into the next few. "Give Me All Your Love" and "Love Ain't No Stranger" sounded magnificent, David prancing around on the stage and manic guitar solos, Doug can really channel those blues undertones. The newer songs did quite well too, with "Steal Your Heart Away" being my personal favorite and the rolling rhythm of their new single "Love Will Set You Free". These two translate to the live setting just perfectly, sounding fresh yet retaining that WS stamp, in spades.
It was about around this time when Cowboy Hat Dude showed up and decided to stand in the very spot that obstructed my view of most of the stage. The next few songs I spent trying to move around so I could see to either side of him while his giant skyscraper tall Cowboy hat was blocking me from seeing over half of the stage. In frustration, I even texted Alyssa (it was really too loud to talk, so we texted a bit during the concert) wishing for him to move. Well it was a bit more rude than that, but you get the picture. Instead of watching an Aldrich solo, I was treated to Cowboy Hat's...hat. Not cool. He did move though after a couple of songs and peace was restored, forevermore.
Speaking of... "Forevermore" (the song) was a highlight, as it was technically one of the more difficult songs on the list, this huge epic ballad that begins soft and then builds into a crowd screaming climax, all instruments blazing. It was ecstacy being able to hear this played live, and to such an accurate degree. "My Evil Ways" seemed to go on forever, with the guitar and drum solos breaking it into two end pieces. It gave David a breather, and he needed it because some of the best was yet to come. "Ain't No Love In the Heart of the City" is one of my personal favorite Whitesnake tracks, not even being a 'Snake penned song, but a cover from one of the first WS albums back in the 70s. It just rolled through you like hard rock magic... "Fool For Your Lovin'" brought the energy back and "Here I Go Again" brought the house down.
The lights cut out, and after Warrant had not made an appearance for an encore, I was a little skeptical on whether Whitesnake would come back out, even though the audience was making a storm's worth of noise. Sure enough they came back out before they were too frenzied. "Still of the Night" had yet to be played after all... and was it worth the wait. They threw themselves completely into the track, David singing parts and having the crowd scream "still of the night" back at him and bits of the chorus. I knew every word of course and was shrieking and yelling along with everyone else for all I was worth. They extended it for awhile, just keeping it rolling with Reb and Doug blazing on the guitars and David's screams of "Still of the Night". It was epic, and in my mind - everything that hard rock and heavy metal is all about. There was nothing gentle about this, it was pure sex, energy and rock n'roll. What a way to end a night. All the Whitesnake musicians came to the front and took a bow which I thought was classy, before they went off stage for a final time. Thus it ends... and the journey back home began.
My first "rock show" but certainly not my last. If Whitesnake plays anywhere near you, they are definitely worth the drive to go see. I would have spent ten times that to experience the 'Snake. Nothing can ever prepare someone for the thrill it is to see a live rock show... do it at least once in your life. And I leave you with this quote from David himself, "don't ever let anyone... make you afraid." With all the trials and tribulations I have gone through since first wanting to see them in 1990 until now, it seemed like he was speaking straight to me, for me. And that was a powerful thing. A completely exhausting, thrilling and amazing experience.
The set list is a little spotty for Warrant especially because I was so excited I completely forgot what to log or what was played when. It was just adrenaline rush from start to finish. The order is probably screwed up too...
WARRANT
Sure Feels Good to Me
Down Boys
Sex Ain't Love
Heaven
Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich
Life's A Song
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Cherry Pie
WHITESNAKE
Best Years
Give Me All Your Love
Love Ain't No Stranger
Is This Love
Steal Your Heart Away
Forevermore
Love Will Set You Free
Guitar Duel
My Evil Ways
(with Guitar and Drum Solo)
Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City
Fool For Your Lovin'
Here I Go Again
Encore:
Still Of The Night
| | Written by Alanna
Thursday, May 26, 2011 |
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