Black Country Communion & Michael Schenker - Glasgow 02 Academy -29/07/2011

Black Country Communion & Michael Schenker - Glasgow 02 Academy -29/07/2011

With the range of musical tastes divested amongst tonight’s gig goers’, wearing T-shirts by bands such as, Alice In Chains, The Ramones, Rush and even Level 42, Michael Schenker’s role as special guest might have seen a bit tricky but being ‘Armed & Ready ‘(sorry about that) along with a careers worth, of well chosen MSG, solo material and Scorpions’ number‘s, paved the way to the main event of Schenker’s set, when erstwhile UFO bass player Pete Way miraculously, if not mesmerically appeared to help blow the cob web’s off two classic UFO numbers, in ‘Rock Bottom’ and ‘Doctor Doctor’ (if High Voltage need a headliner next year. If only UFO’s plus Pete Way’s and Michael Schenker’s Management could get the guys to reunite for one classic run through of the Strangers in The Night album; brilliant!

An overtly long intro heralds the arrival of BCC, they thunder through openers’ ‘Black Country’ and ‘One Last Soul’ as if their royalties depend on it, to summarily arriving at Joe Bonamassa - Jimmy Page tribute pairing, of ‘Battle of Hadrian’s Wall’ and ‘Songs of Yesterday’, both beautifully crafted but unnervingly, if not eerily shadowing the style and sound of songs from Zep III & IV! While both Glenn Hughes bass posturing and Joe Bonamassa’s sublime guitar technique steel the out front limelight, it’s the bottom end, style, class and sheer professionalism, of both drummer Jason Bonham and keyboard player Derrick Sherinian; who deserve real credit. Both are outstanding, none more on supplying the extra, texture, tone and muscle that flesh out Joe Bonamassa’s, ‘Ballad Of John Henry’ into something very special indeed! Jason Bonham’s excellent drum interplay to help kick off Sherinan’s keyboards solo, helps Derek thunder on into a terrific ‘Bach’ tinged masterclass, their respective talents resurface again with fantastic bass-drum and Hammond Organ pumping dexterity on set closer ‘Sista Jane’.

Encore, well, we get BCC’s ‘Man in the Middle’ strange (where as ‘All Messed Up’ from Gary Moore’s Run For Cover album as a tribute to Gary would have been nice and certainly BCC a band to do the song justice)! Plus, you guessed it (?), ‘Burn’! Overall - terrific, but tragic(!), that they charged upwards of £45.00 a ticket (incl booking fee), with people been on holiday, going on holiday, or basically strapped for cash, being only two albums, in, this not even an arena show, surely when they get to that difficult 3rd album, make sure the record company insert in a CD, or have the ability for the fans to

download, a £10 off voucher; redeemable against the price of a ticket (Alterbridge arena show tickets are around £30.00 - BCC guru Kevin Shirley - you have been warned – if you looking to record a live DVD/ album off the back of the next record - you need a audience to make it work!

Stewart Eadie Words