Black Star Riders open proceedings in style for a night of blistering hard-rock action at the 3Arena. The outfit formerly known as Thin Lizzy prove they have successfully established their new identity by entertaining with a set primarily culled from their excellent two long-players All Hell Breaks Loose and The Killer Instinct; the title tracks from each being two highlights. Phil classics are present and correct too, though, as ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’ and ‘Whiskey In The Jar’ receive a raucous response with Ricky Warwick once again proving himself an exemplary frontman.
David Coverdale then leads his Whitesnake cohorts through a career-spanning bevy of hair metal faves including ‘Burn’ and ‘Mistreated’ from his Deep Purple tenure. A commanding presence, the plummy-voiced frontman is in garrulous form and surprisingly fine voice. Naturally ‘Fool For Your Loving’, ‘Here I Go Again’ and ‘Still Of The Night’ induce mass hysteria.
Speaking of which, headliners Def Leppard’s appearance is liberally peppered with tracks from the multi-million selling album of the same name. However, testament to the success of their current self-titled long-player is that they open with recent outing ‘Let’s Go’ to a euphoric reception.
Joe Elliott and co are all in sparkling form delivering a high-octane hit-packed performance which also doffs its cap to David Essex via a stunning version of ‘Rock On’ and showcases the frontman’s acoustic talents on a solo rendition of ‘Two Steps Behind’.
The show is a tour de force and is evidence of an act at the height of their powers. Elliott pays tribute to his bandmates throughout, especially ace guitarist Vivian Campbell whose spirited attitude to his cancer battle has bestowed him with deserved hero status.
A triumphant ‘Rock Of Ages’ and ‘Photograph’ bring the curtain down on an unforgettable night.