A veritable treat for fans of a certain vintage, Sunday night (11th December 2022) saw former members of Deep Purple, Rainbow, Whitesnake, and more assemble on an intimate Belfast stage for a night of nostalgic classic rock. Taking to the stage at the Limelight, The Dead Daisies and Graham Bonnet proved a winning combination.
Photo: Warren Blair.
In existence for a decade, The Dead Daisies have gone through numerous guises in that time. A supergroup assembled by Australian guitarist David Lowy, they’ve had through their ranks members of Guns n’ Roses, Mötley Crüe, Journey, The Cult and more, which makes the fact that the current line-up is the strongest iteration yet, all the more remarkable.
Of course when you have the Voice of Rock Glenn Hughes fronting, that’s hardly surprising.
Arriving onstage to a heroes’ welcome, the Daisies – completed by Lowy, along with guitarist Doug Aldrich and drummer Brian Tichy – launched straight into the driving rock of ‘Long Way to Go’, from this year’s excellent ‘Radiance’ album.
Following with the pensive blues of pre Hughes-era track ‘Unspoken’, and the primal stomp of ‘Rise Up’, it was clear this was going to be a night that wouldn’t stray far from the band’s classic rock credentials.
Greeting the crowd, the never knowingly understated Hughes exclaimed; “Belfast, how you doing? Tell me how you feel!”, later adding; “We've been waiting for you. Can you feel it? So good to see you!”
Extoling the virtues of one of the city’s most famous musical sons, the band delivered a storming version of Deep Purple’s ‘Mistreated’. Said Hughes; “We’re playing this song for Gary Moore", before revealing that he always thinks if the legendary blues guitarist when he's in Belfast. Showcasing Hughes’ incredible vocal range and control, it proved a real highlight of the night.
Ripping it up with forthcoming single ‘Born to Fly’ and heavy as hell stomper ‘My Fate’, the main set came to an end on a high with rollocking rocker ‘Shine On’.
Encoring with a brace of bona fide classics in a cover of The Sensational Alex Harvey Band’s ‘Midnight Moses’, and a celebratory run through, what else, but Deep Purple’s ‘Burn’, the band took their bows to a rapturous applause.
Signing off, Hughes said; “Again, thank you so much. We're The Dead Daisies and we play rock and roll music. We love you Belfast!”
Earlier in the night former Rainbow frontman Graham Bonnet proved just what an astonishing powerhouse vocalist he still is, at 74 years of age. With highlights including opening epic ‘Eyes of the World’, and Russ Ballard-penned penned staple ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’, his set proved just as popular as the headliners.
Check out our gallery from the show below. All photos by Warren Blair.
Like this review? Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for regular updates & more of the same.
Of course when you have the Voice of Rock Glenn Hughes fronting, that’s hardly surprising.
Arriving onstage to a heroes’ welcome, the Daisies – completed by Lowy, along with guitarist Doug Aldrich and drummer Brian Tichy – launched straight into the driving rock of ‘Long Way to Go’, from this year’s excellent ‘Radiance’ album.
Following with the pensive blues of pre Hughes-era track ‘Unspoken’, and the primal stomp of ‘Rise Up’, it was clear this was going to be a night that wouldn’t stray far from the band’s classic rock credentials.
Greeting the crowd, the never knowingly understated Hughes exclaimed; “Belfast, how you doing? Tell me how you feel!”, later adding; “We've been waiting for you. Can you feel it? So good to see you!”
Extoling the virtues of one of the city’s most famous musical sons, the band delivered a storming version of Deep Purple’s ‘Mistreated’. Said Hughes; “We’re playing this song for Gary Moore", before revealing that he always thinks if the legendary blues guitarist when he's in Belfast. Showcasing Hughes’ incredible vocal range and control, it proved a real highlight of the night.
Ripping it up with forthcoming single ‘Born to Fly’ and heavy as hell stomper ‘My Fate’, the main set came to an end on a high with rollocking rocker ‘Shine On’.
Encoring with a brace of bona fide classics in a cover of The Sensational Alex Harvey Band’s ‘Midnight Moses’, and a celebratory run through, what else, but Deep Purple’s ‘Burn’, the band took their bows to a rapturous applause.
Signing off, Hughes said; “Again, thank you so much. We're The Dead Daisies and we play rock and roll music. We love you Belfast!”
Earlier in the night former Rainbow frontman Graham Bonnet proved just what an astonishing powerhouse vocalist he still is, at 74 years of age. With highlights including opening epic ‘Eyes of the World’, and Russ Ballard-penned penned staple ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’, his set proved just as popular as the headliners.
Check out our gallery from the show below. All photos by Warren Blair.
Like this review? Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for regular updates & more of the same.
