February 17, 2020 (Denver, CO)
It just isn’t natural for one band to be this good for so long.
Then again, Alter Bridge hasn’t always played by the rules—a playbook that suits their fanbase just fine.
Amidst a snow-flurried evening at nearly a mile high above sea level (5,280 feet), Alter Bridge tour through a fiery set to a packed house at Denver’s historic Ogden Theater.
“There’s just something about this place that we love playing,” lead singer Myles Kennedy remarked to a boisterous crowd, many with cups of the Mile High City’s finest held high between balled fists and rock horns.
But that would be a rare break from the band in a night that saw the band rip through a blistering set list.
Like all sets on the Walk The Sky tour, the show began with the “One Life,” a synth-laiden track awash in swirling guitars and echo-swooned vocals. At only 1:30 seconds, the opening track on the band’s 6th studio album is also both striking (and fitting) in its ability to outlay the perfect canvas 100+ minute masterpiece crafted by a 17-song setlist 15 years in the making.
That singular track is that rollercoaster moment, where you realize you’ve reached the top of that first hill, and that there is no turning back. And you had better hang on.
Down the setlist Alter Bridge tore, hitting fast with the upbeat fist-raiser “Wouldn’t You Rather,” before throttling into the pulsating fury of “Isolation”—a fan-favorite from 2010’s AB3 album, before whiplashing back to “Pay No Mind,” from 2019’s Walk The Sky album.
Lead guitarist/songwriter Mark Tremonti, who with Kennedy, co-wrote much of Walk The Sky, dive-bombed, shredded and cut his way through line after line of death-defying solos—all while supported by the rhythmic craftsmanship of drummer Scott “Flip” Phillips, and the thunderous bass-stylings of Brian Marshall.
Perfected in delivery and effortless in transition, the band’s live set incapsulated tracks from 2019 that interplay brilliantly with hits from their 2004 debut album, as evidenced by the inclusion of “Ghosts” (2010), “Broken Wings” (2004), and book-ended by modern rock hit “Native Son” (2019). (A full listing of album release years can be found in the setlist posted below. It’s quite astounding, and deserved its own section.)
The seltlist continued its “rock” down memory lane, while hitting a full, unabashed sprint towards tomorrow. “Native Son” was followed by “Rise Today”—with the sing-a-long bridge culminating in cathartic harmony as a Colorado flag (singed to the band, from fans in attendance) was raised in the front row, and Tremonti brought the house down with that solo—followed up with “Cry of Achilles.”
As much as Alter Bridge appreciates their past, they’ve never forgotten their future, or their fans, as band loyalists were treated to “Forever Falling”—a song written and performed by the man, the myth the monster, Mr. Tremonti himself—and then peacefully transitioning into “In Loving Memory.”
What arguably every fan waits for at every Alter Bridge show, though, is the solo that has been named time-and-time again one of the best solo’s in rock music, of all time. And as I scan the room at all of us taking in “Blackbird,” having different pain for different reason, Mark—even for just a moment—takes it all away—performing what amounts to fret-board surgery on thousands of broken hearts at one time. Including mine.
What feels great though, is being brought back to life after that song—often with “Open Your Eyes”—as was the case last night. Kennedy remarked that in the 2004 video—the first the band had ever made—he didn’t quite know what to do with his hands. He knew plenty what to do with his voice, however, as the over 1 million combined views on YouTube (studio, acoustic and live versions of the song) can firmly attest to.
And of course, we got “Metallingus,” and a chance to do the “Mettalingus mosh”—Mile High style. Honestly, the crowd didn’t quite get it. No bother, though. The band still came back out and finished out a roundhouse right/left combo of “God Speed” and “Addicted to Pain,” before bidding us all “See you next time.”
The setlist represented a hard rock time warp, as triumphant as it was rebellious, for a band that has courageously faced, head-on, a challenging rock music environment in the United States, while thriving in European markets—drawing 15,000 per night, easy.
However, no matter the venue size and no matter the location, hang around any AB show long enough, and the talk will inevitability gravitate from how great their music is, to how great they treat their fans. From well-orchestrated Meet and Greet experiences offered at each show, as well as songwriting clinics offered by Mark Tremonti, fans are highly appreciative of anything and everything this band continues to do and stand for.
In fact, today, the band announced their third US leg of the Walk The Sky tour.
And fans are already planning to walk the sky, once again, for a band that has fought and naturally—with great music and great experiences—has earned their respect, for the last 15 years running.
Alter Bridge
Denver, CO – February 17, 2020 (Ogden Theater)
- One Life (2019)
- Wouldn’t You Rather (2019)
- Isolation (2010)
- Come To Life (2007)
- Pay No Mind (2019)
- Ghosts (2010)
- Broken Wings (2004)
- Native Son (2019)
- Rise Today (2007)
- Cry of Achilles (2013)
- Forever Falling (2019)
- In Loving Memory (2004)
- Blackbird (2007)
- Open Your Eyes (2004)
- Metallingus (2004)
- God Speed (2019)
- Addicted To Pain (2013)
Alter Bridge set: Appx. 100 minutes
Support: Clint Lowery, Deepfall
MavStar 