Venue: The Star Theatre, Singapore
Date: 5th March 2020
Promoter: LAMC Productions
Review by: Anna F.
Special Thanks: The LAMC Productions team
AAmid concert cancellations left, right, and centre, it was a wonder this particular one remained unscathed. And you would think that the turnout would take a hit, as people continued to avoid crowded spaces and large gatherings like the plague, but the crowd was ready to rumble from the get go, with beer in hand and spirits ignited.
Whitesnake put on a show of epic proportions, with hypnotizing visuals only accompanying the insanity of the band’s celebrated career, as they blew through their catalogue of hits, performing tunes like “Slide It In”, “Is This Love”, “Still of the Night” and “Here I Go Again”.
Formed by David Coverdale, alongside Tommy Aldridge, Reb Beach, Joel Hoekstra, Michael Devin and Michele Luppi, the English hard rock band pulled out all the stops, not once faltering and entertained the crowd with humour, wit, and sheer talent.
Singalongs were aplenty, with the entire audience thrilled to bear witness to the legends they grew up listening to and idolizing. Hanging on the promises and songs of yesterday, it was time to live out their wildest fantasies of just being in the same room as these decorated musicians.
The highlight of the set was an epic drum solo, with Aldridge playing without sticks towards the end. ‘Indestructible’ was the adjective used by Coverdale as he introduced the drummer and the solo spoke for itself, with unimaginable fills, hits and crashes (and perfectly timed lighting too). The audience could only watch in silence and amazement.
Coverdale was the lead singer of Deep Purple from 1973 to 1976, after which he established his solo career. And 42 years after forming Whitesnake following his departure, he didn’t seem at all jaded of the whole shebang, nor like he was showing any signs of slowing down any time soon. Judging from his live vocals and charisma alone, the man definitely has a couple more decades and tricks up his sleeves.
“Be safe, be happy, and don’t let anybody make you afraid,” Coverdale said with a smirk, as he took another sip of his drink and got back to business.
Business as usual, it surely was for the seasoned rockers – they ain’t never gonna stop.
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Shortly after, Lauretta Alabons of LAMC Productions came out to thank the audience for showing up and supporting the events planning company through tough times over the years, and then introduced Senior Parliamentary Secretary Amrin Amin, who also said a few words. Apparently, he too grew up listening to the two bands on the bill and gave a reassuring speech on how our lives will go on – virus, or no virus.
And with that, the headliners, Scorpions, emerged with a bang and showed everyone that they are still here, still relevant, and still able to put on one hell of a show, 55 years after their inception. Consisting of Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine, Matthias Jabs, Paweł Mąciwoda and Mikkey Dee, the rockers performed tunes like “The Zoo”, “Tease Me Please Me”, “Still Loving You”, and “Rock You Like a Hurricane”, the latter two for the encore.
Synchronised head banging, a guitar billowing smoke fumes, and an airborne drummer are just some elements of their performance, which was peppered with just the right amount of theatrics. Offering a mix of hits from the last five decades, the band made sure to include the crowd in every way possible as they worked the entire length of the stage. They also indulged in singalongs and tossing out drum sticks and guitar picks to the crowd throughout the night, and not just at the end.
Once again, the drum solo stood out as one of the highlights of their set – and it was hard to miss since Mikkey Dee was literally airlifted along with the drum risers – to deliver the kind of drum solo that leaves you speechless, completely blown away and shaking your head in disbelief.
To think that we were somehow deserving to be included in such a momentous occasion and able to witness two icons of hard rock and heavy metal, whose collective careers encompass nearly one hundred years of music, on one stage and on the same night, sounds almost unbelievable. And being there to see it happening with your own eyes was ethereal and otherworldly.
It’s rare these days to have bands lasting for decades and musicians actively touring the world even in their seventies, but both Whitesnake and Scorpions proved that the music and the fans are here to stick around, through the difficult times, and when it matters most, enduring the strongest winds of change.