BLACK STONE CHERRY | LIVE REVIEW
St David’s Hall, Cardiff, Fri 18 Nov
St David’s Hall was packed out by leather-clad lovers of rock‘n’roll for the opening night of Black Stone Cherry’s Experience Kentucky tour. The band were nervous taking to the well-lit stage, complete with stools and firefly lamps, for their opening acoustic set. Frontman Chris Robertson apologised to the audience for keeping them waiting – the band had been busy practicing All I’m Dreaming Of, a song they had never played live before. In fact, this was going to be a night of firsts for a band more used to cranking it up than toning it down.
Black Stone Cherry had no need to worry. Not only did their debut acoustic set show off their instrumental talent and vocal harmonising but the faithful crowd were ready and willing to love anything they did. New album opener In Our Dreams gave way to Hell Or High Water, a fan favourite that had originally been written as an acoustic number. The band played the song as they had first intended it to be heard, and you could tell. Things My Father Said and The Rambler were obvious acoustic choices that resonated well with the older, male members of the audience – but Black Stone Cherry don’t just attract the virile veterans of rock’s great heyday. The capacity crowd was made up of men and women, boys and girls of all ages. And it’s true what they say: metal fans make the warmest, most welcoming audience you could hope for.
Seven songs in, guitarist Ben Wells decided he’d had enough of the acoustic set: “No-one’s getting sweaty enough for a Black Stone Cherry gig!” After the interval, the Black Stone boys came back on to do what they do best: a mix of post-grunge and nu-metal with that unmistakeable Kentucky twang. The stage was transformed into a rock god arena of stage risers, stacked amps and spinning lights. Wells and bassist John Lawhon took turns to strut from one side of the stage to the other, posing, headbanging and pumping-up the crowd. Robertson was a stoical frontman, almost lost all in black, steadily ripping through vocal lines and tearing through guitar solos, while the band and crowd went wild around him. John Fred Young, the most exceptional rock drummer I have seen since the late Nick Menza, gave a masterclass in band drumming. Not only did he provide a rhythmic feel you wouldn’t find in any other band on the circuit, he did it while dealing with malfunctioning mic stands and runaway crash cymbals.
White Trash Millionaire and Me And Mary Jane stood out in a full-on set which made a great contrast with the opening half. At various times the band took the time to thank the crowd for making the night another special tour opener in Cardiff. They acknowledged an audience that was “there to get their money’s worth”. And Black Stone Cherry paid them back in spades – Ace Of Spades, as an encore tribute to the late Lemmy.
words JOHN-PAUL DAVIES photos LIZ AIKEN