Alter Bridge resurrects hard rock
If you’re generally unhappy with the direction mainstream rock music has taken over the last decade or so and looking for someone to blame, Creed is an easy target.
Call it coincidence, but when that band got its first taste of rock stardom in 1997, it pretty much resulted in the death of alternative music as we knew it. Radio stations flocked to Creed’s brand of diluted grunge and self-important posturing, and since then, its focus has shifted from the ancestors of ’70s arena rock and ’80s post-punk to bands that cut their chops imitating Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and the like.
Unsurprisingly, this latter group category dominated this year’s Edgefest, held Saturday at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center. And wouldn’t you know it, the most refreshing performance of the night came from three of Creed’s founding members.
After the 2004 demise of the band that made them famous, guitarist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips formed Alter Bridge with singer/guitarist Myles Kennedy. And as the quartet displayed during its early- evening set, its style is light-years away from “With Arms Wide Open.”
Boasting muscular guitars, rapid-fire solos and Kennedy’s beautiful, soaring vocals, Alter Bridge showed the Edgefest crowd that hard rock can be layered, nuanced stuff.
Kennedy might not possess the awe-inspiring pipes of Chris Cornell, but by combining his artful style with walls of distortion, he’s definitely a disciple. And when he got the audience to clap along to his inspired, solo cover of Robert Johnson’s “Traveling Riverside Blues,” this largely predictable rock fest got a much-needed dose of eclecticism.
While the crowd gave Alter Bridge the acclaim it deserved, it was clearly there to see the two bands that followed — a pair of metal stalwarts, Sevendust and Godsmack.
After the theme to “Welcome Back, Kotter” played over the speakers, Sevendust hit the stage with a vengeance. With night quickly falling on Darien Center, Sevendust gave a performance that was nothing less than a metal lover’s paradise — mercilessly loud guitars, a flailing
drummer that absolutely murders his kit and a polarizing lead singer (Lajon Witherspoon) who can scream with the best of ’em.
Touring in support of its latest album, “Chapter VII: Hope and Sorrow,” the Atlanta quintet’s sky-high intensity never ebbed, even during Witherspoon’s between-song banter. Sure, melodies, mood shifts and discernible lyrics were at a premium. And that’s kind of the point. These guys were as passionate as they were loud, and you can’t ask for much more than that.
Judging by the cacophonous roar that met Godsmack as they walked onstage — to the goose-bump-inducing riffage of AC/DC’s “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)” — it was clear that this was the show everyone was waiting for. And the band gave its fans what they wanted: a tautly performed set of polished heavy metal anthems, culled from various points of the Boston band’s decade-plus career.
Mainstream rock may not be as interesting as it was 15 years ago, but as Edgefest proved, it still possesses the power to make thousands of people wake up the next morning with sore necks, tender eardrums and satisfied smiles.
Concert Review
Edgefest 2008
Featuring Godsmack, Alter Bridge, Sevendust, Tantric, Evans Blue and Silvertide on Saturday at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center.
Photo on the Picture Page, EE8.
