20 September 2010 (gig)
21 September 2010
The performance area was packed – I mean ‘Front Row breathe IN, second row breathe OUT’ sort of packed – and when Glenn Hughes hit the bass notes and Joe Bonamassa kicked into the riff and Jason Bonham beat the life out of the skins for ‘’Black Country’ you just knew it was going to hurt tomorrow. But oh, was it worth it!
In terms of style and delivery Black Country Communion are a real throwback to the days when Deep Purple or Sabbaff or Uriah Heep were playing Hammy Odeon or The Roundhouse but they also have modern sensibilities so this never felt like it was left in the stone-age of rock. Bonamassa is too good a guitarist and Derek Sherinian too subtle a keyboardsman for that to happen but they do do all the good things that those classic bands did as well.
They played every number from the album and showed just how great rock ought to be played. Glenn Hughes up close is a terrifying vocalist – you can understand why he was asked to do stints with some of the greats – and no mean bass player and Bonamassa shocked us all by showing that the man can shred along with the best (worst?) of them, thankfully he also showed that there is room for a real Blues-rock player in a power rock setting. Derek Sherinian has always been a subtle but very fine synth and organ player and although his subtlty was lost on occasion the depth he brings to the sound is crucial. The real surprise to me was ‘The Kid’ – Jason Bonham; I have always known he was a drummer of real power – he is the son of John ‘Bonzo’ Bonham after all – but live he is much, much more than just a powerhouse. Not many people can play as hard as he does and also do subtlety.
As for best moments – ‘Black Country’ was huge, ‘Beggarman’ really got the heads pumping, ‘Sista Jayne’ brought the best out of all of the band – really there wasn’t a single moment to savour, more like an hours worth.
At last a supergroup who actually are worthy of the term.
Picture credit Christie Goodwin.
