Artists : Whitesnake – Electric Mary
Location : Paris
Venue : Le Casino de Paris
Date : 04-06-2009

The evening starts off rather well thanks to Electric Mary. The Australian band with the catchy, blues-tinged riffs delivers a very decent hard rock. What better way to liven up the atmosphere? Cause tonight is hard rock night, my friends! When an opening band enjoys such a good sound and a good lighting, you can expect the best for the main act. Speaking of which, Electric Mary have something in common with Whitesnake: two guitarists that play both soli and rhythmic parts. Rusty, the band’s singer, does have a decent bit of charisma. Special Award to Alex, the bass player, whose energy clearly managed to seduce the audience. As a result, Electric Mary’s thrity-minute-long set went by very quickly, which can only be a good sign.

A good set from Electric Mary.

The reception is triumphant when Whitesnake, and particularly David Coverdale, finally come on stage. The frontman is apparently very happy to be back in France after such a long time and doesn’t fail to mention that a venue where most of the audience is sitting can be totally fit for rock’n’roll. But let’s go back to the music: vocals-wise, we must admit that David Coverdale is in top form. He’s also well supported by his musicians, who can magically, when appropriate, cover the little weaknesses of the venerated singer. All very natural, after all: time has wrought changes, and Coverdale’s voice is no longer the same.

David Coverdale is here!

Whitesnake’s line-up is stabilizing, which serves to make the performance homogeneous and to bring a good compromise between maturity, youth, sensitibity and rock’n’roll enthusiasm. This is especially true from guitarist Doug Aldrich, who often strikes poses reminiscent of the late lamented Randy Rhoads. A few other events will punctuate tonight’s performance, since this year marks the anniversary of two of Whitesnake’s album: the 25th for “Slide It”, and the 20th for “Slip Of The Tongu”. If there’s one song to remember tonight, let it be the acoustic version of “The Deeper The Love”. At the audience’s request, the band even agrees to play an extra song, “Foom For Your Loving”, which shows that the musicians are really willing to share and communicate with the sold-out, highly receptive venue.

That’s rock’n’roll!

This show also served to highlight the technical prowess of the musicians. Reb’s and Doug’s soli are are very much sought after, which is probably why our two friends concluded the show by a guitar duel! The performance was both impressive and interesting, considering that the two guitarists have very different techniques: Reb is a disciple of the Van Han/George Lynch school (of tapping, in other words), while Doug is more bluesy and masters pentatonic scale perfectly. The song “Got What You Need” gives mister Chris Frazier the opportunity for a drum break. An unassuming, catchy and nice solo that managed not to let the crazy atmosphere subside. A perilous exercise for a drum break!

Excellent musicians.

The set-list is made up of all the hits that punctuated Whitesnake’s career. The very receptive audience doesn’t hesitate to sing along to honour the return of the band to our country. And even if the atmosphere becomes increasingly more scorching, the attention never faltered. The brilliant « Still Of The Night », followed by a fantastic « Fool For Your Loving », marks the end of the show. On this last title, the chorus sung by a sold-out venue gives the impression that the set will never end. Sadly, it has to, and after 90 minutes, the show is over. The only downside to it: no Deep Purple cover. Shame.

Thanks David !

Whitesnake have a past, but they also definitely have a future. David Coverdale is here to show us that hard rock is well-preserved – and keeps him well-preserved. France hasn’t forgotten either him or his band, and listening to Whitesnake is an absolute must for every hard rock fan out there. Huge sound, pretty lights, energetic performance… What more could you ask for?

Set-list :

Best Years
Bad Boys
Can You Hear The Wind Blow
Love Ain’t No Stranger
Guilty Of Love
Hit And Run Lay Down Your Love
The Deeper The Love (acoustique)
Is This Love
Guitar Duel (Red Beach VS Doug Aldrich)
Got What You Need / Drum Solo (Chris Frazier)
Ain’t No Love
Give Me All Your Love Tonight
Here I Go Again

Encores :

Still Of the Night
Fool For Your Loving