The Empire Theatre at Eden Court, in Inverness, was packed to the rafters for the latest visit of the Classic Rock Show.
And in their third visit to the Highland capital in as many years, the multi-talented eight-piece band lived up to the high expectation of the sell-out crowd as they delivered their “ultimate live jukebox” set of rock anthems.
The group’s new 2020 show blazed into action with one of its two main vocalists, Rudy Cardenas, belting out a fine version of Queen’s 1985 single, One Vision.
With lead vocal duties alternating mainly between the energetic Cardenas and the strutting Jesse Smith, the energy continued to build over the following 10 songs in the first half. In a journey through the rock ages they delivered excellent covers of classics such as White Room, by Cream, the Joe Cocker version of the Beatles’ With a Little Help from My Friends and perennial crowd-pleaser, ZZ Top’s La Grange.
Twice in the first half, backing singer Jess Harwood took centre stage to demonstrate her fine vocal talents, on Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams and Patti Smith’s Because the Night.
The show’s clever lighting and backing images was to the fore as a hunting rendition of Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb preceded the interval.
The light show, sound and energy continued to build through a second half that opened with Black Sabbath’s War Pigs, followed by a fantastic performance of the Eagles’ classic Hotel California.
But, after numbers made famous by the likes of Queen, Heart, and Meat Loaf, it was the first chords of Van Halen’s Jump, that brought the audience enthusiastically to their feet.
And, after covers of AC/DC, Rainbow, Lynyrd Skynrd and Beatles anthems, they were back up to cheer the band off stage as they brought proceedings to a close with a barnstorming finale of the Who’s Won’t Get Fooled Again.
