Alter Bridge – Mean Fiddler 2004

I have no idea how this band passed me by when they first came to be. Alter Bridge are the musicians from American rockers Creed, with new singer Myles Kennedy (who some people may recognise from his brief appearance at the end of the movie “Rock Star” when he replaces Mark Wahlberg in the band Steel Dragon mid-gig). Their album, One Day Remains, has been out for some time now, and they’ve even already toured the UK once, playing the London University Students Union back in August.

This is their second time through, and they’re obviously moving up. This time, it’s the Mean Fiddler. Next time, it’s the Astoria (March 2005). And the album is superb, the best modern hard rock album of the year and for a long time before. This lot prove that Nickelback and their sololess radio-rock have a lot to answer for as they pump out quality song after quality song, each packed with melody, killer riffs and some excellent guitar work. To quote a Creed (and now very much Alter Bridge) fan I know, “they’ve learnt to play the guitar, haven’t they?”.

Opening band tonight were Ireland’s The Answer. They were pretty good. Better than expected having heard some of their lacklustre rockers on their website. They had some good rocking songs and a very Robert Plant-esque singer who’s voice was every bit as good as Percy’s. There’s certainly potential.

Alter Bridge played a non-stop set (pretty good for only 90 minutes), that was really high in energy. Only having the one album to play their own material from, the originals in the set were obviously going to be pretty predictable. Normally, I don’t go to see bands with only one record out, because quite frankly, what’s the point? You know exactly what they’re going to play. But being three quarters of Creed, I figured that gives them another three records to pick material from. Turns out, they didn’t. They played all their own stuff, plus some covers.

They played almost the entirety of their own record, including the acoustic one, but they did it with such energy and power you completely forgot they were all from the same album. For the covers, we got Deep Purple‘s Highway Star, which they’ve pretty much been playing every show so far, and Led Zeppelin‘s Rock And Roll, which I’ve not known them to play before. We also got an impromptu teaser of Sweet Child O’ Mine following a big shout from someone in the crowd, and a handful of AC/DC riffs.

Overall, the show was superb. Highlight of the set was Find The Real, which unfortunately they played very early, but every song was solid. Buy the album and go see them when they come back in March, it’s not every year a band this good plays the UK three times in the space of 6 months.

“ superb ”

Setlist: One Day Remains / Watch Your Words / Broken Wings / Find The Real / Burn It Down / Metalingus / The End / Shed My Skin / Guitar Solo / Down To My Last / Rock and Roll // In Loving Memory Of / Highway Star / Open Their Eyes

Written by Andy Lye
More: Gigs, Hard Rock, Alter Bridge, The Answer