Closing out their first leg of the “Flesh & Blood” tour, Whitesnake hit Niagara Falls, NY last Saturday night filled with a night of memorable music. The band just released the album of the same name (the day before on May 17) which happens to be their 13th studio effort. The current version of Whitesnake includes founder and vocalist David Coverdale, long standing drummer Tommy Aldridge, guitarists Reb Beach and Joel Hoekstra, bassist Michael Devin and on keyboards is Michele Luppi. This incarnation has been steady since Luppi joined the band back in 2015.
Starting off with “Bad Boys,” which has been a staple in the bands set over the last handful of years, was the perfect introductory to the night’s festivities. With a deep catalog of hits that Whitesnake has to choose from (while throwing in new record as well), narrowing down the setlist can be quite the challenge. I believe the band did a commendable job of walking that tightrope. New songs like “Gonna Be Alright” and “Trouble is Your Middle Name” fit the setlist just as much as the staples did. Coverdale has a hell of a band backing him and it showed on Saturday night. Hoekstra (who also plays in TSO and Cher) provided solid guitar playing and there are few guitarists who have the stage presence that he has. He was all over the place and along with Beach, they form a killer guitar duo. Coverdale’s voice may not be as strong as it once was but he was still able to carry his weight for the entire show. He even stopped to take a few sips (on few separate occasions) of a patrons beer in the front row.. In my opinion, this night belonged to drummer Tommy Aldridge. He is never mentioned as one of the most complete drummers when people compile lists and I can’t figure why not? He still hits as hard as ever and kept the groove the entire night. He doesn’t get the accolades he should.
There as only a few glitches at the end of the set as the sound cut off a few times during “Still of the Night.” Otherwise, I found the show to be very entertaining. Coverdale didn’t say much in between songs. He didn’t have to. The music really did the talking and if your planning on seeing them on the next leg, do yourself a favor and give it chance. I believe you won’t be disappointed!
Setlist:
Bad Boys
Slide it In
Gonna Be Alright
Love Ain’t No Stranger
Hey You (You Make Me Rock)
Slow & Easy
Trouble is Your Middle Name
Guitar solo (Both Beach and Hoekstra)
Shut Up & Kiss Me
Get Up
Drum solo
Is This Love
Gimme All Your Love
Here I Go Again
Encore:
Still of the Night
