On a rather chilly Tuesday, I set off alone up the M8 heading towards Glasgow’s OVO Hydro arena (again!)

This day had been a long time coming!

Anyone who follows this blog knows only too well what a huge Alter Bridge fan I am so it shouldn’t come as a surprise to learn that I was heading to the arena early for the VIP Meet & Greet Experience. (This should perhaps be re-badged as VIP Soundcheck Experience as its still being conducted on a socially distanced basis for this tour sadly.)

Shortly before 2pm some forty-five fans were gathered at the designated door to start the VIP experience. Having been issued with our laminates, we were ushered inside out of the cold then once everyone had been security checked, we were taken into the arena bowl. When there are so few of you, the space feels vast!

On stage, Alter Bridge were hard at work running through their pre-show checks. I love watching this behind-the-scenes part of the show. We were lucky enough to hear segments of several songs along with the banter and debate that surrounds the preparations before it was time for the Q&A with the band. While Myles opted to complete a couple of additional guitar checks, Brian even treated us to a joke, worthy of being found in any cheap Christmas cracker (groan…)

With our group photos taken and signed posters distributed, we returned outside to wait on the doors opening.

It was a chilly three-hour wait but also a chance to catch up with “AB family” friends so the time passed remarkably quickly.

At 6.15 we were granted our early entry to the show. There was time to visit the merch stall (yes, I spent a small fortune) before we were allowed to enter the arena bowl to take up our rail positions for the show itself. A rarity but I opted to head for centre front. Happy days!

At 6.55 the first band for the evening took to the stage. The honour of opening the show fell to MammothWVH. Half an hour was way too short! Wolfgang Van Halen absolutely oozes talent (well he is Eddie Van Halen’s son) but he also oozes a warm friendly humble charm. It was great to see Garrett Whitlock (formerly of Tremonti) on drums and Frank Sidoris (from SMKC) on guitar.

Mammoth opened their set with the song Mammoth.

Mammoth – MammothWVH @ OVO Hydro Glasgow 06/12/22 – set opener – YouTube

Highlight songs out of the seven on the setlist were Distance and set closer Don’t Back Down.

Wolfie, we need a headline show! (HINT)

The main support act for the evening were the mighty Halestorm I love these guys!

With the stage plunged into darkness, illuminated only by the Halestorm logo, Lzzy’s distinctive vocals soared out over the crowd as the band opened a powerful set with The Steeple from their current album Back From The Dead.

The Steeple – Halestorm set opener @ OVO Hydro Glasgow 06/12/22 – YouTube

Halestorm were on fire!

Lzzy commanded the stage as if they were the headliners and swiftly had the huge Scottish crowd in the palm of her hand.

The band’s ten song set was all too short. Highlight song for me was A Familiar Taste of Poison. Love that song.

A Familiar Taste of Poison – Halestorm @ OVO Hydro Glasgow 06/12/22 – YouTube

No Halestorm show would be complete without Arejay’s drum solo and those “big sticks”!

Halestorm rounded out their set with I Get Off and the ever popular I Miss The Misery.

Awesome!

Have I mentioned that I love these guys?

After a slick turn around, Alter Bridge took to the stage around 9:10, slightly later than billed I believe. With the stage plunged into darkness, initially the lights pulsed, darkness descended once more as the intro began. Gradually the lights came on around the stage and the cheers erupted as Alter Bridge stepped out to open their set with Silver Tongue from their current record Pawns & Kings.

Silver Tongue – Alter Bridge set opener @ OVO Hydro Glasgow 06/12/22 – YouTube

Huge video screens dominated the stage backdrop, playing various animation scenes. I’ve said it before, I’m not generally a fan of video screens and these did miss the mark a little for me. I find them too distracting.

The production on this show is however the band’s most spectacular to date. The lighting throughout was fantastic (unless you were a photographer trying to get that perfect shot) as was the sound quality.

Ok I’ll admit I am more than a little bit biased here. I love this band, especially Myles Kennedy. He could be up there singing nursery rhymes and I’d be happy.

Their fifteen-song set was a delicately balanced mix from their back catalogue but surprisingly only two songs from the new record made the cut. However, that said, it was awesome to hear so many old favourites.

After almost nineteen years together, the Alter Bridge machine is a precision beast. From the engine room, the power house, of Brian Marshall and Flip Phillips, to the riffs and solos from Mark Tremonti to the spellbinding vocals and guitar by Myles Kennedy, no one puts a foot wrong. Everything just works.

The first stand out song for me was Ghost of Days Gone By – a personal favourite. This was followed a couple of songs later by Shed My Skin. Great to see this back in the mix.

Cry of Achilles from the Fortress era has found its niche in there too.

Waters Rising (H2O Rising as it was referred to at soundcheck) saw Mark Tremonti take over on the vocal chores for a few minutes, ably demonstrating how comfortable he’s become as a vocalist over recent years.

Waters Rising – Alter Bridge @ OVO Hydro Glasgow 06/12/22 – YouTube

This was followed by Sin After Sin, the only other song from Pawns & Kings to get an outing.

It would have been great if timings has been kinder to them and they could have added in a couple more from the current record but c’est la vie…

Alter Bridge calmed things down for a few moments after Sin After Sin as Myles and Mark performed a beautiful acoustic version of In Loving Memory. Such a poignant heartfelt song. A truly special moment.

Only one song could possibly follow that….Blackbird. Breathtaking vocals. Stunningly beautiful song and highlight of every Alter Bridge show.

Blackbird – Alter Bridge @ OVO Hydro Glasgow 06/12/22 – YouTube

Playtime came with Metalingus a couple of songs from the end of the main set. The die hard fans knew the drill, understanding and immediately obeying Myles’ hand signal to crouch down.  Held down there for so long I’m pretty sure there were many prayers offered up for knees and hips to hold out! The Metalingus “bounce” is fun and its clear from the smiles on the band’s faces that they get a kick out of it too.

Open Your Eyes rounded out the main body of the set.

Sadly the sands of time were running away from us all too quickly so there was only time for one quick encore song. It had to be…the familiar strains of Rise Today rang out over the arena. The Scottish fans sang their hearts out as they had done all night.

Picks were thrown (missed out on any of those), drumsticks were tossed then the coveted set lists were peeled from the stage to be passed to the fans.

I was delighted to be given Myles’ setlist. New prized possession. Thank you, sir.

The perfect ending to a perfect show.

Till next time, guys.