You wait for a great band to roll into town, and then two arrive at the same time.
That’s what we got on Saturday night at a sold-out Lemon Tree as The Dead Daisies opened their co-headline tour with bluesy rockers, The Answer.
A US/Aussie supergroup made up of some of the world’s best hard rock musicians, The Dead Daisies are one of the hardest working bands out there.
Fresh from touring the world with Kiss, the band brought their stadium sized show and smiles to Aberdeen, and what a show it was.
Onstage as the crowd were still streaming in, was opening act Lynne Jackaman. A petite, powerhouse of a singer Jackaman’s soulful voice caught the attention. She has a tremendous tone that evokes Aretha, Tina and Janis – she’s that good. Songs like Wasted suggested she will do very well on this tour.
Rotating the headline slot each night, The Answer was next up. The four-piece from County Down have been regular visitors to Aberdeen and have a strong fan base. The band had reached a creative crossroads, but now supporting their best work in new album Solas, they delivered a mature set.
Opening with the haunting title track, in Cormac Neeson the band have a gem of a vocalist. The new material allowed the trilby-wearing frontman to express the depth of his tremendous voice, from a whisper to a scream.
Using a broad range of instruments the band created some glorious 70s rock, reminiscent of Led Zeppelin. This was a mature performance by a band clearly enjoying the creative freedom that their new songs allow. Solas is an Irish word for light. The future is bright for this band.
Sweaty and packed, The Lemon Tree then roared as the Dead Daisies hit the stage.
This is a band of stellar musicians who have played with the gods of heavy rock including Motley Crue, Whitesnake, and Thin Lizzy – and boy, did it show.
Ripping through an astonishing 75 minute set, vocalist John Corabi belted out original tracks from new album Make Some Noise as well as cracking covers including Helter Skelter, and Fortunate Son.
Guitarist Doug Aldrich was immense; trading razor sharp riffs and solos with David Lowy, underpinned by bassist Marco Mendoza and the astonishing drumming of Brian Tichy.
Top notch musicianship aside, this was a band who clearly live for the music. Humble and gracious throughout, the band are clearly grateful to their fans.
In an age of expensive VIP fan packages, it was heartening to see both bands making time before and after the show to sign merchandise and pose for photos. Other acts could learn a thing or two from this. Outstanding.
