Alter Bridge

Reports that straightforward, no-frills hard rock is dead have been greatly exaggerated; if you need proof of that, Alter Bridge would be more than happy to provide it. They’ve only been going for a decade, and they’re hardly household names, but they’re already veterans of the UK arena circuit, and were second only to the mighty Aerosmith on the bill for this year’s final day of Download Festival. Frontman Myles Kennedy has a prodigious work ethic; his other job, if you can call it that, is fronting Slash’s band, and he tours extensively with both outfits. Despite everything he puts it through, though, his voice remains as fierce as ever; he has one of the finest deliveries in modern rock, with the kind of classic sound that allows him to pull of Guns n’ Roses classics with Slash as well as sound genuinely aggressive and forward-thinking on Bridge material. Last year, the band’s fourth record, Fortress, met with superb reviews, with an average of 81 on Metacritic; it also saw them solidify their reputation as one of the finest live acts in rock, with a UK arena tour enjoying a rapturous reception in October of last year. Kennedy will be back on Slash duty in those same huge rooms later this year, putting Alter Bridge temporarily on the back burner; rumour has it, though, that they’re already lining up UK dates for 2015.

The Raven Age standing in for Sevendust gave an energetic but altogether forgettable performance.

Shinedown excelled with crowd pleasing hits and incredible stage presence connecting with the audience in a unique way.

But the crown goes to the main guys AB for most incredible and memorable performance, possibly of the year for most of us. Electrifying the crowd with the sheer magnitude of their presence they filled the gigantic arena effortlessly. They tore the atmosphere with heavy classics such as Cry of Achilles, tore our heartstrings with light acoustic numbers such as Watch Over You, brought us to the present with new fan favourites such as Native Son from their latest album Walk the Sky before sealing the deal with the immortal Blackbird and a beautiful encore including the very apt Godspeed.

These guys are already known for their humble and friendly manner on stage and off and this was greater emphasized with this engaging appearance. With such times as Myles' controlling the audience to 'Santa Tremonti' giving away his signature PRS guitar to the crowd member who 'went the wildest' during Pay No Mind this band cannot be more loveable nor revered.

The perfect way to end such a busy and exciting year for rock, Alter Bridge have quite nicely cemented their place as the greatest active rock band of our times.

Wow, Alter Bridge were amazing to see live. My wife and I got the VIP upgrade. There was a delay for the VIP part (about 1.5 hours late which at the time was annoying), but after that it was fantastic. The meet and greet part was pretty quick, but shaking hands with my idols was amazing. The photo with the band was also pretty quick so make sure you have your game face ready (I sort of look like a dork with a smile from ear to ear). Our venue nearly forgot (or did forget) about the sound check, but then we ended up getting in to hear it before the opening band (Like A Storm) came onstage. Sound check was great as well. Myles and the band had a bit of a laugh with us here.
The opening band Like A Storm were really good. They had a short set list, and also played T.N.T from Australian rock heroes AC/DC which got the crowd involved.
When Alter bridge came out, the crowd went crazy. They are amazing entertainers, and really know how to put on a good show.
I would definitely go to another Alter abridge show, and would also do the VIP upgrade again.
Cheers Alter Bridge.

I've seen Alter Bridge several times now since discovering them 4 or 5 years ago and this was the best of the lot. They are a band currently at the top of their game as regards performing. The new album is great and it's good to see Myles playing more lead. He's a great lead player. But then there's Tremonti, who is absolutely incredible. His playing is effortless. Between them they are among the best front pair out there today in my opinion.

Some different songs in the set list this year and one or two of my favourites didn't make it in, but overall it was bloody great. Kennedy is a perfect gentleman and all round nice bloke and whilst he might not run around like Axl Rose, he is engaging and interacts well with the crowd.

This show also had Like A Storm ,Gojira and Volbeat on the bill, so an incredible night's entertainment. 10/10

What can I say...... A fantastic evening of live music topped off by Myles & co..... I watched them 2 weeks earlier in Manchester which I'd have to rate as 7 out of 10..... But seeing them in the first direct arena at Leeds I'd rate at 9 out of 10...... Only negative for me was having gojira as one of the support acts whose music genre was completely at odds with the rest of the other bands...... Which inc " like a storm" & "volbeat" who were fabulous and could probably healined the venue..... Excellent value for money and would encourage all those fledgling rockers to go see these bands.....

I'd never seen a didgeridoo used in a metal band until that evening! Like a storm

Neil

Das Konzert in Zürich war super. Gute, abwechslungsreiche Auswahl der Stücke, die Musiker kamen sympathisch rüber, wechselten immer die Aufstellung (ausser natürlich der Drummer). Besonders gefallen haben mir die Momente, wenn Kennedy ein gutes Solo begann und es dann Tremonti vollendete. Im Gegenzug hat Kennedy Tremonti dann natürlich bei der Stimme übertrumpft, ohne dabei jemand flach herausgekommen wäre. Im Gegenteil, Tremonti sollte noch öfter Singen! Sound und Lautstärke waren richtig, ausser dass Tremontis Gitarre bei seinen Solis etwas untergegangen ist. Das Komplex 457 hat als Location für eine gute Stimmung gepasst. Eine grosse Band in einem fast intimen Rahmen.

Well, the line up was pretty great. Not a fan of anything as heavy as Gojira but the others were great.
Alter Bridge rattled through a large catalogue of tracks with great professionalism and style. There was only one problem - the sound quality. Frankly it was crap. I've seen other bands at Leeds First Direct and never had this problem so can only assume it was the setup on this occasion. Overly loud and distorted. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with loud, but there was no clarity at all. Myles's vocals were lost in a bass ridden mess of sound, and Mark's lightening work on the frets was frankly lost.
Really disappointed as I'd so looked forward to this concert.

Alter Bridge was awesome. They put on a kick ass show. The meet and greet however, feels a little bit impersonal. The access to the soundcheck is awesome and I loved that part, but meeting the band was super quick, like less than a minute. I didn’t expect much, but not even a handshake? I just decided to enjoy it for what it was. They were awesome dudes and I will see them again.

I saw them at the Wiltern in L.A. The staff was nice for the most part. When my friend needed medical attention because she full blown passed out and fell on the floor, they weren’t very prepared, but the medic was a very nice guy who I 10 out of 10 would see if I was dying.

It wasn’t my first AB show and for sure tours after new album pay the need to play new not so famous songs.
And for sure Myles Kennedy (have seen him many times also with Slash) isn’t a “showman”....
But he’s just one of the best singer in the story of rock and Tremonti has written and play “hard” so beautiful songs that the audience seems ecstatic .. and honestly me with them. The audience chorus after “open your eyes” made Myles thrill to the point of making him say that he was experiencing one of his most beautiful performances.
Carlo

Would definitely like a refund or another show put on WITHOUT the glaring IN YOUR FACE lights throughout the concert. I came to see the band perform...not just hear them which I could have done at home listening to their albums. Many of the other concert goers had the same complaint. Very disappointed that the lights shined on us and not the performers. I have attended many of their past concerts from the beginning of their existance and totally enjoyed them but this was a waste of money and irritating to say the least. Shame on you Alter bridge!