Alter Bridge brought their “Pawns & Kings” tour to the T-Dot at the famous History Club this past weekend.
The state-of-the-art venue had little wiggle room with fans coming out in droves. Not surprisingly, it was a sold-out show! Lucky for us it’s the only Canadian date scheduled on their North American Tour.
Typically the crowds trickle in as the supporting act performs. This wasn’t the case Saturday night. Arriving at the venue nearly an hour before doors opened, the crowd was wrapped around the building.
Opening up the show was Mammoth WVH. For those not familiar with this act, it’s none other than Wolfgang Van Halen’s musical conception. How did he come up with the name? It’s a derivative of his late father’s first band’s name, Mammoth! Performing his inaugural self-titled studio album called Mammoth in its entirety, Wolfgang is a truly accomplished and multi-talented musician. The prodigious output seen live was a true pleasure to witness.
Mammoth WVH would warm up the chilled fans with the befitting song Mammoth. Van Halen describes the song as what encompasses the overall vibe of the debut album. From one song to the next, there was a core signature sound, however, the dynamic ranged wildly. The heaviness, coupled with the thundering bass and kick drum caught my attention. Considering there are three guitarists, the strings portion was bold. Just the way I like it! It was obvious that many within the crowd were not familiar with Mammoth WVH, but that didn’t stop them from showing their love to the band. Van Halen, between songs, even stated “I knew this was going to be a good crowd!” He spoke about his multiple visits to Toronto with his father and how he happened to be in the city when he turned 21.
They performed Think it over, which was Wolf’s father’s favorite song. The moment had me imagining seeing Eddie observing his son from above and being proud. Following that song was Distance. Mammoth WVH first released the song, a tribute to Wolf’s late father.
Van Halen plays guitar, and keyboards and sings like most people walk. Effortlessly. The band wasn’t too shabby either, considering the touring line-up consists of Frank Sidoris (rhythm and lead, backing vocals), Jon Jourdan (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Ronnie Ficarro (bass guitar, backing vocals), Garrett Whitlock (drums). These guys had a great stage presence, jumping around and enjoying the moment.
Mammoth WVH performed 8 songs from their debut self-titled album. This was a perfect pairing to the night’s performances.
Following the stellar performance from Mammoth WVH, the lights dimmed and it was now time for Alter Bridge to hit the stage. No surprise the fans went wild! They opened the show with a song from their 7th studio album Pawns & Kings (released October 12, 2022) called Silver Tongue. The opening heavily syncopated 16th note riff really set the mood as to what was in store for the evening. Guitar forward, melodic yet heavy.
In the first portion of Alter Bridge‘s set, there wasn’t a lot of chit-chat between songs. As a matter of fact, between tunes, you’d hear the resonance of guitars as they would exchange one guitar for another. It actually tied the songs together. One of the first articulations happened to be from Myles recognizing MammothWVH, shouting “make some noise for Wolf!”
Midway through their set, the pace slowed as Myles performed acoustically the song Watching Over You. I witnessed people slow dancing with their loved ones, and others singing at the top of their lungs. The one thing I found a bit odd was the crowd wasn’t using their phones’ flashlights to light the building, but to record the performance. Hot off the heels of that song, Myles invited his “partner in crime” Mark to join him on stage to perform In Loving Memory.
It didn’t take much for Myles to get the audience involved, whether it be clapping to the beat, or screaming on cue like a wave through the venue.
There’s something about the opening riff from Isolation that completely energizes me. I was so thrilled to hear it was on the set. Some of my other personal favorites performed that evening were Cry Of Achilles and Metalingus.
Within their 16-song setlist, four were designated to new material from “Pawns and Kings”. Silver Tongue, This is War, Kings and Pawns and Stay. Although the crowd appreciated it, I think that was probably the only few times that they didn’t take over the singing.
For the encore, they donned a Canadian Flag off the drum riser with Alter Bridge above the leaf. It was a simple but nice touch. Performing Rise Today and Open Your Eyes, the crowd took over the chorus and just let loose. As a band, it must be exhilarating to see the fans take over the song’s vocals.
I’ve seen my share of performances, but the fun thing about Alter Bridge is the crowd’s involvement, singing so loudly the audio decibels climb tenfold. After Cry of Achilles, Myles quipped “when it goes this well we’re concerned you think we are someone else ”. The crowd defied that notion by chanting, “Alter Bridge, Alter Bridge…” This went on for what felt like a minute but watching the band’s huge smiles, you could see they were soaking in the moment. These guys deserve it and then some. Some of the finest, underrated musicians of this time. The musicianship between these fellows is like a well-oiled machine. The talent amongst the crew is exceptional. From the tenor vocal styles of frontman Myles Kennedy and his incredibly underrated ability to shred, to the virtuoso guitar abilities of Mark Tremonti. The backbeat held up super tight with Bassist Bryan Marshall and drummer Scott Philips. The energy the entire band put forth was remarkable.
A shout-out to whoever was the sound engineer for this show. Talk about beautiful sounds and mixed them perfectly. The sound was big and bold, yet very definable.
Without a doubt, this evening rocked us hard and we loved it! If you get a chance to check out the “Pawns & Kings” tour, don’t hesitate! Buy your tickets before they sell out!
A special thanks to PFA Entertainment Media & Marketing and Embrace for the accreditation.
Connect with Alter Bridge : WEBSITE / INSTAGRAM / FACEBOOK / TWITTER
Connect with Mammoth WVH : WEBSITE / INSTAGRAM / FACEBOOK / TWITTER
All photos are © Sue Hebert Sadzak 2023.
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