Bad Company / Joe Perry Project - Wembley 11th April 2010
Whoever runs the Wembley complex needs to have a diary. Due to the fact the FA Cup Semi Final between Spurs and Portsmouth started at 4pm we would be scheduled to arrive as 90000 leave. So a prebooked car park ticket and after a visit to IKEA we arrived around 5pm. No problem in the car park and a trip to the Moore Spice bar opposite the ground to watch the second half and extra time. Hearing the crowd whilst watching it on a big screen was strange!! Great fun when you don't care who wins and one Spurs fan even had a full knights helmet on!!
Trip across to the Arena with around 35000 cheesed off Spurs coming our way was fun too!!
Anyway back to the real reason for our visit.First up was Steve Rodgers(son of Paul)for a 20 minute 5 song acoustic set. Very good voice and a good response from the crowd too.
Now Joe Perry with Aerosmith is a god how is he as the main man? Not too bad I have to say. Although his between song ramblings have to be heard to be beleived. Joe shut up and play. In the 60 minute set we started with Let The Music Do The Talking and Walkin' The Dog and finished with Train Kept A'Rollin' and Walk This Way. All with Joe showing us why he is so adored. Inbetween we had the rest. Some of the new Project cd,some old Project,a bass solo,a song by Tab(his sons band)and a random Fleetwood Mac song. Joe sang on some leaving his singer to be back up or hitting a drum and not singing! A decent warm up with moments of brilliance all Joe's geetar playing!!
I have now seen Bad Company 3 times.Once supporting Deep Purple(blew them away!!)with Brian Howe,once with Paul Rodgers and Dave Bucket Colwell and now with the 3 remaining members(Paul Rodgers on vox,Simon Kirke on drums and Mick Ralphs on geetar) and Howard Leese(ex Heart)on second geetar and Lynn Sorensen on bass.
With the recently released Hard Rock live cd/dvd proving what a great band they are I was looking forward to it. Although internet reviews of earlier gigs had seen a 75 minute set and Leese playing nearly all of the solos.
So what did we get.
A setlist of
Can't Get Enough
Honey Child
Running With The Pack
Burnin' Sky
Young Blood
Seagull
Gone,Gone,Gone
Electricland
Simple Man
Feel Like Makin' Love
Shooting Star
Rock n'Roll Fantasy
Movin' On
Encores of Ready For Love
Bad Company and
Deal With The Preacher.
I have to say they were excellent. The Leese/Rodgers stories were correct with Leese doing most of the solos and doing a grand job. With the show being filmed for a live dvd they added 15 minutes to the set so happy with that too. The stage set up had 3 huge L.E.D. screens behind the band adding to the depth of the stage and during Shooting Star showing pictures of fallen stars like Bonham,Moon,Hendrix,Elvis and Paul Kossoff. Excellent lights show too.
The star of the show was Paul Rodgers. What a voice the man has and with probably the best out front sound at a gig I have ever heard a real treat. The acoustic led Seagull was brilliant. With an excellent 3 song encore rounding off the nite superbly.
A concern for the live dvd would be the crowd who were at best dull. I know a lot of them were old and probably haven't been to a gig for years but please express yourselves.
So Bad Company are back and what a treat. Where they go from here will be interesting but on tonite's showing in the live setting there are few bands comparable.
ME
10/10.
