DPAS LIVE REVIEW

WHITESNAKE
The Regent, Ipswich
May 10th 2003

David Coverdale and his hired hands arrived in Suffolk for a warm-up show for the Monsters Of Rock tour (why they need to warm up after 30 plus US dates is beyond me!!!!!!!!!) and delivered a set biased towards the earlier era of the band. Despite this, they opened with Bad Boys from the poodle perm era.

Mr. C is looking and sounding very good indeed. Slide It In, Slow and Easy, and a cracking Walking In The Shadow Of The Blues really showed off his singing, as apart from the shouting he did so much of on the Slip Of The Tongue tour. Love Ain't No Stranger, Is This Love and Crying In The Rain kept up the good work, but the highlight of the evening was, as expected, an emotionally charged Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City, with the Whitesnake choir (Ipswich branch) doing the song and DC the justice deserved. Here I Go Again, Fool For Your Loving and Give Me All Your Love brought the main set to a close.

DC and his bandits came back to deliver a storming Still Of The Night, but not before DC had delivered an acapella version of the first verse of Soldier Of Fortune ( He had done the same with Sailing Ships earlier in the set after someone had shouted out for it!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Tha backing band proved unimpressive apart from drummer Tommy Aldridge who looked like an atomic windmill behind the kit. The guitarists, although good enough for the later stuff, just lacked a certain something... feel for the material I think I would say.

A good night, though Whitesnake used to send me home feeling I had seen something very special, not tonight sadly.

Paul Thomas