WHITESNAKE – Live In The Still Of The Night

It’s been a long time coming … a very, very long time coming!!! Almost every band and his dog have released some sort of DVD over the years, and now it’s Whitesnake’s turn to show what they can do.

Recorded at the Hammersmith Apollo, the spiritual home of Whitesnake, during their 2004 UK tour by esteemed concert director, Hamish Hamilton of U2 and Red Hot Chili Peppers fame, with the aid of over a dozen cameras to capture the event for posterity.

The high definition picture quality and the four audio soundtracks do the band and director complete justice. Firstly, the camera work is spot on, capturing the band in full flow with plenty of close ups and sweeping panoramas to give the viewer the feeling of being in the crowd on that very night. Fortunately, the constant, rapid flicking from one view to another, which has marred many live shows in the past, is not evident here. There is, however, the odd shot in a grainy sepia tone, which some may find diruptive, but in reality it doesn’t effect the flow of the show.

The sound is awesome, crystal clear, and well-balanced, with Coverdale sitting proudly in the mix with the guitars, bass, drums, and keyboards fitting in perfectly around him, with no one member dominating the sound at the expense of the others.

As most will know, the Whitesnake line-up over the years has been fluid, to say the least. The band in this DVD stands up there with the best of them. Marco Mendoza on the bass (who has now recently departed back to Thin Lizzy) is a charismatic foil to Coverdale’s showmanship; lead guitarist Doug Aldrich has the unenviable task of standing in the shoes once occupied by the likes of Bernie Marsden, Mel Galley, John Sykes, Adrian Vandenberg, and Steve Vai, and does a great job of combining the flash of the Vandenberg/Vai era with the classic Whitesnake of old; Reb Beach puts in a gritty performance, which belies his Winger past; former Eagle, Timothy Drury, adds color on the keyboards, and old warhorse Tommy Aldridge on the drums needs no introduction. David Coverdale himself is in fine voice — his rich Bluesy tones bring the songs to life. He works the crowd and uses the whole stage as only someone with over 30 years experience knows how to do. He is the consummate showman, and the crowd just loves him for it!

Kicking off the set with the Deep Purple chestnut, “Burn” is a masterstroke getting the crowd fired up from the start, followed quickly by the frantic “Bad Boys,” ensuring the momentum is kept in full swing.

The set list plunders from the band’s rich back catalogue, throwing in the Whitesnake standards such as “Fool For Your Loving” and “Love Ain’t No Stranger,” through to the MTV period hits of “Is This Love” and “Still Of The Night.” Highlights include the epics “Judgement Day” and “Crying In The Rain,” and the simply jaw dropping “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City,” a song now so synonymous with Whitesnake it renders the original Bobby Bland version almost obsolete. It’s moments like this when the band and audience really bond together, and it’s a joy to watch.

Rounding off this impressive show is a revealing behind-the-scenes documentary and photo gallery.

With the limited edition package, comes a 10-track audio CD, featuring the choice cuts from the DVD, together with a color photo-backed booklet.

It has certainly been a long wait, but it’s been well worth it, and Whitesnake have come up trumps with this package.