Thin Lizzy – Leeds O2 Academy – 16 December 2012
Support tonight was
from Jettblack, and to honest I was a little disappointed as I’d rather hoped
to see FM who were doing dates earlier in the tour. Jettblack provide
straightforward 80’s tinged rock n roll. They were without their lead singer, who was
appearing in War of the Worlds, but put in a fair performance.
I’d not seen Thin
Lizzy before. The original “farewell” tour was in the middle of my A levels so
I didn’t go (I still failed) I thought I might get to see the Scott Gorham /
John Sykes version support AC/DC but that never came off. I had resisted the
temptation to see the latest incarnation until now, and what a mistake that was.
Any worries about the
quality of this line up were immediately dispelled with the opening tracks of
Are You Ready and Jailbreak. Ricky Warwick delivered the songs in his own great
style with just a nod towards original Thin Lizzy working through classics like
Killer on the Loose, Dancing in the Moonlight and Waiting for an Alibi which were lapped up by the appreciative Leeds crowd. The sound throughout was load but crystal clear.
Darren Wharton helped
out with the vocals by doing the gentler parts of Still in Love With You.
Throughout, Brian Downey and Marco Mendoza delivered a tight paced rhythm
section for the rest of the band to build the songs around. Whisky in the Jar
provided the opportunity for a great sing along before the brilliant Emerald where
Scott Gorham and Damon Johnson delivered the classic twin guitar dual in all it’s
glory, much to the crowds delight.
The main set was
brought to a close with, of course, The Boys are Back in Town before they returned
with an encore of Rosalie and Black Rose.
A great performance,
my only regret is that I’d not gone to see this line up earlier.
NH