Black Stone Cherry/Rival Sons

Southampton Guildhall

After huge tours supporting “Alter Bridge” and “Def Leppard” in some of the UK’s biggest Arenas and an great crowd pleasing performance at last years Download Festival, Southern rockers “Black Stone Cherry” return having gained huge support from the UK’s gig going public. Tonight they are coming to the end of a UK tour which sees all venues sold out well in advance. The band’s tour is in support of their highly rated 3rd album “Between The Devil & The Deep Blue Sea” which was released in 2011. Tonight’s support comes in the form of Long Beach, California rockers “Rival Sons” who opened last year for the mighty “Judas Priest” and performed at open air London’s High Voltage Festival.

The band take to the stage at exactly 8pm and without saying a word they launch in to their 1st number, it is immediately apparent that their bluesy rock guitar contains echoes of 60/70’s greats The Doors and Led Zeppelin which is certainly no bad influence . They perform songs from their debut album “Pressure & Time” including powerful opener “Torture” and an amazing track called “Soul” where guitarist Scott Holiday lets the music completely take over and he pulls out a top draw solo which really thrills every member of the audience in front of him. Lead Vocalist Jay Buchanan is possibly missing home a little as he dedicates a song “Face Of Light to his young son as home in L.A as this is the penultimate show of the tour, he will be home to see him soon. The finish off as powerful as they started with an epic rock style anthem “Get What’s Coming” which really shows that this band at their best and I’m sure we will see them on some of the major festival circuits in the summer.

Rival Sons: 01

Black Stone Cherry have worked really hard on building a good name for themselves in this country and after countless support slots and smaller shows, here they are headlining their own “Sold Out ” tour in major venues around the UK. The welcome as they arrive on stage could not have been better, the Southampton crowd embrace the band with warmth and the band respond with an energetic show full of highlights. From the band’s three albums they have a host of great songs and the audience tonight seem to be well versed in virtually all of them singing along at every opportunity, songs such as “Blind Man”, “Rain Wizard” and the more recent “White Trash Millionaire” all transport extremely well from the record to the live stage.

Southampton Guildhall: Black Stone Cherry

Black Stone Cherry: 01–02–03–04–05

The band’s near two hour set has time for the now customary drum solo , where drummer John Fred Young show us some acrobatics on his kit and even after throwing his sticks in the audience continues with just his hands.The rest of the band arrive back for a sit down for a slightly more chilled out acoustic part where they put together a collection of well chosen covers performed with their very own Kentucky style. One of possibly the best songs that the band have written is “Things My Father Said” an emotional ode to lost parent, you cannot be fail to be moved by the lyrics of the song and vocalist Chris Robertson did not have to sing a word as the well voiced Southampton crowd do the song proud by singing every word. The band leave that stage to massive applause, returning just two short minutes later to perform storming versions of their two best know tracks “Peace Is Free” and “Lonely Train”. The band leave Southampton triumphant having delivered a truly inspiring performance that every fan in the place would be more that delighted with.

Set-Lists
Rival Sons
Torture
Burn Down Los Angeles
Gypsy Heart
Tell Me Something
Face Of Light
All Over The Road
Young Love
Pressure & Time
Soul
Get What’s Coming

Black Stone Cherry
Change
Maybe Someday
Blind Man
Such A Shame
Hell & High Water
Soul Creek
In My Blood
Rain Wizard
Like I Roll
Killing Floor
White Trash Millionaire
Drum Solo
Stay
30 Seconds of Death Metal
Champagne Supernova(Oasis Cover)
Rape Me(Nirvana Cover)
Rolling The Deep(Adele Cover)
Thing My Father Said
Devils Queen
Rehab(Amy Whitehouse)
Blame In On The Boom Boom