Whitesnake and Judas Priest @ Citibank Hall, Rio de Janeiro

Whitesnake @ Citibank Hall, Rio de Janeiro - Sep 11, 2011

It was my second experience with both bands. I saw Priest at Rock in Rio in 1991, and Whitesnake in 2008. I can say that Whitesnake is one of my favorite bands (Top 5) and I was really excited to see them again 'cause they released a great album and certainly would put a great show, despite of being an opening act, with a 75 minutes set. On other hand, I'm not a Priest maniac, if I could rank them, I would say that they will be out of my Top 40, but it's an honest band, with a solid catalogue and foremost, this is their last tour, so it was great excuse to see them live.

Citibank Hall was packed (8.000 people) and the crowd was a mix of an old and new generations of metal fans. Next to me, I saw two fathers with their sons, almost like a ritual of passage. Poor of those kids! Which bands will they introduce to their sons in the future? All of the good bands are in their final run, like Stones, Who, Scorpions, Judas Priest and even Whitesnake. Sad, but true...

Whitesnake went to the stage at 9:30 p.m. with the prophetic song Best Years:

...You came along like the sun in the night

took me out of the shadows, into the light...

...Now these are the best years

Truly, the best years of my life

I was feeling exactly like that. I'm in a great moment both personal and professionally, so hearing these words made me wonder how my life has been great and blessed. They delievered Give Me All Your Love, Love Ain't no Stranger and Is This Love in sequence. Three huge hits in Brazil people singing along with the band...wow, no time for breathing.

Time for the new songs. Firstly, Steal Your Heart Away. Maybe they felt surprised but, the people knew the words. Powerful song with a extra life being played live. Awesome. Then, Forevermore...I don't have the words to describe this song. I would dare say that is my favorite Whitesnake song ever. What a song! You can feel the emotion when David Coverdale is singing and this song captures his emotion at his best. Wonderful!!

Reb and Doug did a great guitar duo, giving some time for DC take a breath. Love Will Set You Free came next. A good song (not great), but with a good reception as always. Then, an amazing and funny drum solo from Briian Tichy. I've never seen him playing, only heard his drumming in the Whitesnake and Foreigner albuns. The man can play!! He is far better than Chris Frazier, who did the Good to Be Bad Tour in 2008.

The band returned the stage with Here I Go Again and Still of the Night, both with massive participation of the audience, that sang with all of the power left on their hearts. The band left David alone on the stage for a rendition of Deep Purple's Soldier of Fortune...what can I say? Man, once again I don't have words. Pick up this song and try to show to somebody else, even a non-rock fan. It's impossible to not notice the beauty of this song. To end the concert...another Deep Purple gem, BURN...all the voice I had at that moment was gone...amazing!!!

Great show for sure!! David Coverdale is a fine example of how a singer can do what he did choose to do for his life with dignity. Everybody knows that his voice changed through the years, especially after his medical issues on the vocal chords, but no one seemed to care. He was there for his fans, and his fans were there for him. I call this a fair trade!!


Photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61466778@N08/sets/72157627539982267/

Videos:
Love Ain't no Stranger
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJuCCv98-z4
Soldier of Fortune
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwuPr3w_LVQ&feature=related
Burn / Stormbringer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDItCWOaXWY
Forevermore:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlEfLTNe9Ps

The night was just beginning…Judas is rising!!!


Judas Priest @ Citibank Hall, Rio de Janeiro - Sep 11, 2011

I confess I was a metal fan when I was a teenager. Now I'm more interested in AOR and Hard Rock, but certain bands still deserve attention, and Judas Priest is one of those bands.

It's their farewell tour, so they picked at least one song from each album they had released (with Rob Halford) to please the fans. And the fans were pleased. Because of the lack of connections, what I saw was a good show. But I’m sure that the Priest fans left the building more than satisfied.

Great production, solid individual performances, especially Rob Halford…it’s hard to sing Judas’ catalogue. And he still hit the notes in impressive songs like Painkiller and foremost, Victim of Changes. The first time I heard this song was in 1986, in the live album Unleashed in the East, from 1979!!! He sounded the same, just 32 years on…unbelievable!! Scott Travis did a fine job on drums. Ian Hill is a character!!! He is the definition of a headbanger…I don’t know how his head is still attached to his body!! He never stops banging’!!

Glenn Tipton is an underrated guitarist. He is a brilliant player…a bunch of great solos and rhythms. And Richie Faulkner, the new kid in the band, did a great job replacing the founding member K.K Downing.

The highlight for me was Breaking the Law. Rob Halford let the crowd singing the whole song…and they (we) did a fine job!

Ok, it's 2:15 a.m. and after a 140 minute set, it’s time to go home. Completely with no voice and tired, but with a huge smile on the face.


Photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61466778@N08/sets/72157627541797351/

Videos:
Breaking the Law:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVeJmQVUzAw
Starbreaker:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTFd92--Rhg&feature=related
Turbo Lover:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsEytc1XJkg