For many in the packed O2 Academy, this was their first gig in what seems like an eternity and the sense of anticipation as the intro tape of “Bohemian Rhapsody” blasted forth from the PA as American Rockers prepared to hit the stage was tangible.
It was as, if the band had been shackled up for months on end and were finally unchained as guitarist Ben Wells raced backwards and forwards across the stage during opener, “Me and Mary Jane” while octopus-like drummer John Fred Young was more animated than usual. The energy levels peaked from the start and never dropped for well over an hour and a half.
Lead singer, Chris Robertson, promised a set focussed on Black Stone Cherry sing-a-long classics and they duly delivered with “Soul Creek” and “Devil’s Queen” hitting the bullseye while “Ringin’ In My Head” and “In Love With The Pain” from their recent release, The Human Condition already sound like old friends.
It’s hard to believe that it’s been 15 years since the release of their debut and Robertson recounted standing on this very stage way back then and now 7 albums later and tours with veterans such as Lynyrd Skynyrd and Bad Company have seen these Kentucky lads grow into seasoned veterans in their own right.
A sole Robertson stood on stage with his father’s guitar for “Things My Father Said” which was dedicated to his recently departed father in a genuinely touching moment where the whole venue was illuminated by mobile phones waving in the air.
A steamroller of a finale featuring “Blind Man”, “Blame It On The Boom Boom”, “White Trash Millionaire” and “Lonely Train” left no-one in any doubt that as the old guard gradually leaves us, the future of Rock is in very safe hands.
Review and Photos By Mick Burgess
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