Another memorable Whitesnake-show in Copenhagen last night. I wish I was fit to actually write a blog today, but I’ll have to postpone it for this weekend. However – some videos from Vega coming up!
There are a few I haven’t uploaded yet, those will be up too in a couple of days.
But for now…… enjoy!
Okay, a few pics too then. :)
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As promised – pics and videos from the Whitesnake-gig last night at Kristianstad Arena, Sweden.
THE Voice….
PICS (not that many, I was focusing on the filming)
Had a fantastic time at the Whitesnake-concert last night. Again. :) I was the first to arrive at Kristianstad arena, 3 hours before the show. Shortly thereafter 3 other die-hard female fans joined me out there, in the cold, who turned out to be really cool and nice to talk to. Was first in line and first into the arena when the doors opened. That’s always nice – you get to pick your favorite spot without having to fight for it…!
Many hours of waiting, but it was totally worth it. As always. When the band entered the stage, it was like “haaaa-lelujah!”. MAGIC!
(a new record, it took him EXACTLY 1 minute to spot me, haha!
Sorry about the filming, I was too busy watching the show, not necessarily through my camera. So my apologies if anyone gets seasick watching this clip!)
Whitesnake on a stage is ALL about sex. Sometimes it’s subtle, sometimes it’s anything but. I’ve often said that Coverdale’s music goes straight to your heart, but frankly, it goes straight to the lower regions as well. I still remember an internet-friend of mine telling me how he used Whitesnake’s music to get girls “in the mood”. According to him, it worked every time. I’m not surprised. It’s that velvet-smooth, deep sexy voice that does it. It sends shivers down your spine. What woman wouldn’t get “in the mood” listening to the first lines of “Slow and easy” for instance??
And its also the suggestive, underlying lyrics. Slide it in? Hm, I wonder what that could be about. ;)
But yeah anyway – although it’s not exactly a secret that Whitesnake is all about sex, and always has been, it just hit me yesterday when I was looking at what was in front of me on stage.
There’s David Coverdale himself, first of all. The man who invented the mic-stand penis-prolonger. Every move is sexy, and I must say that he’s one of the few men his age that can pull it off. I’ve never been into “older men” (not that David is “old” but “older men” to me is anything past 45) but he has that something that makes him very attractive – if it’s the confidence or what, I don’t know, but there’s a reason why he’s still making little girlies scream.
Two girls behind me, couldn’t have been more than 20, if even that, were going crazy every time he smiled. Some men got “it”, some don’t. David’s got it.And then…. Well. What’s in front of us on stage is a bunch of sweaty men with unbuttoned shirts, and tight pants that leave very little to the imagination – that cover just about what’s necessary.
And regardless what your taste in men is – they’re all good looking. I’m sure it’s not a coincidence. David knows what sells – you can’t be butt ugly and join Whitesnake. Might have worked back in the seventies but not after the 80s. Can’t be easy to find great musicians that also look good and are old enough to be 100% professional.Drummer Brian Tichy is definitely a handsome dude:
(from his time with Billy Idol)
Keyboard player Brian Ruedy:
Bassist Michael Devin:
Guitarist 1 – Doug Aldrich:
Guitarist 2 – Reb Beach:
There you have it – feast your eyes, ladies! :-)
So, it’s a winning concept that has worked all these years, and it always will. Sex ALWAYS sells. It appeals to the animal in all of us, will never go “out of style”, as long as it’s done tastefully. And Whitesnake does it tastefully. :-)
Someone taught David a new Swedish word that he loved repeating during the evening: “Knulla“. Google it. Lol!
But, aside from all that, the band had a fantastic evening – it was so obvious that they were having a good time on stage, great interaction between the musicians on stage and also an amazing contact with the crowd.
One of the girls that was first in line yesterday, noticed the same thing. David makes it his business to notice everybody, to make eye-contact with as many people as possible, because he knows that THAT is what makes people feel special and that is what makes them come back.
I’ll be the first to concur that. THIS is what I want to see when I attend a Whitesnake-gig:
“Hey!! It’s YOU! Hello!”
It feels good to be recognized, and I know that he always does. When he left the stage last night, he even stopped for a minute on his way out, because I was looking elsewhere, then when he was sure that we had eye-contact, he smiled and waved, like he was saying “thanks for coming, see you soon!“.
It’s not just David, the whole band does that. It’s stuff like that, the little details, that makes all the difference.
What can I say. I love Whitesnake :-)
Videos will be up in the coming blog – and then there’ll be more from Copenhagen on Wednesday as well. Stay tuned! :-))
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Two more days and then it’s time for more Whitesnake. :) One show in Kristianstad, Sweden and one in Copenhagen, Denmark next week.
It’s a shame I won’t get to talk to David anytime soon, as he’s not doing interviews on the days when he’s performing – and with the tight tour schedule they’ve got, well… it doesn’t leave much time for anything. But I’m very excited to see the show.
I saw Whitesnake 3 times this summer, I think. So these two shows are #4 and 5. Not to mention how many times I’ve seen the band through the years… But they create magic on a stage. For me they do. After Sweden Rock Festival, I kept hearing a bunch of grumpy critics complaining about “the long guitar solos”.
I don’t even remember the freaking guitar solos. All I remember is the heartfelt, emotional vocals, the fantastic songs, David’s stage presence – cause let’s face it, there’s no frontman like David Coverdale and there never will be.
Most of all I remember when he presented Bernie Marsden and Bernie walked out on stage….
I couldn’t believe it. And just as I was trying to take THAT in, out comes Adrian Vandenberg as well. I don’t know why, it was so incredibly powerful, I couldn’t stop the tears, it was like the Niagara falls. Bye bye mascara.
I’m grateful that music still has that power over me, that it can touch me with such intensity.
I told a colleague who looked like a questionmark and said she had no idea what I was talking about. She had never felt that way and couldn’t understand how a concert could make anyone cry.
When something is way beyond the ordinary, it gets to me. I can’t help myself.
I once stood in the front row during a Judas Priest concert years ago, bawling my eyes out. They were fuckin unreal that night.
Whitesnake…. always delivers. Always.
David is fantastic. It’s scary to even contemplate that one day he might want to retire and not sing again. I know that every show just might be the last I’ll ever see him do. Who knows. One never knows. We always think everything is eternal, but it isn’t and I’m beginning to realize that now. All my heroes will drop off one by one within the next five-ten-fifteen years…
So, I’m letting it “get to me” without any restrictions, Whitesnake has put a smile on my face a million times, and I know this will be the onemillionthandfirst time. :)
WELCOME David & Whitesnake! :)
(Unlisted Whitesnake-videos from Sweden Rock Festival that I never had time to upload back then)
The VOICE…… I could listen to this for hours.
Intro – taking the stage like the true star he is:
I so wish I had VH1 today…! http://www.bravewords.com/news/165406
I like the idea of a Metal Day – although to me, every single day, is a celebration of my love for rock music, one way or another. :)
I was just talking to a friend the other day about why heavy metal in particular has the most loyal fans in the world. The music industry is a pretty insecure place to be (many one-hit-wonders, or no-hit-wonders out there. Here today, gone tomorrow) but metal always stands strong.It’s always been that way. Well, except for the Great Metal Depression in the mid 90’s where many rockers went through an identity crisis. Hair spray and spandex was not in anymore, party metal was uncool, lyrics were about being depressed and killing yourself (Nirvana: “I hate myself and want to die“…. that sort of thing). Yet, even the grunge-crap sold a lot of records.
Bands like AC/DC, Kiss and Motley Crue have been filling arenas for the past 30+ years, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to stop anytime soon. Maybe one day when they get too old and retire. But as we all know – metal keeps you young. A metahead can be butt ugly but still look the same when he’s 60 as he did when he was 20. Angus Young was ugly in the 70’s and he’s still ugly, but at least he doesn’t look like he’s really AGED.
So why does metal have the most loyal fans? Maybe because it’s one of the few things that is consistent. You know what you’re gonna get. It’s always like coming home. There’s actually a feeling of comfort, peace and security knowing that the next Kiss or Aerosmith-album is going to sound pretty much like you expect it to. Not too much over the top experimenting there.
But it’s not just that. It’s not just MUSIC. It’s a whole lifestyle, it’s an attitude. A true rocker will always be a rocker. Once it gets under your skin, in your blood – you’re in it for life. It’s a love that lasts forever.
I’ve spent my whole life celebrating rock’n’roll, loving everything about it, living it to its fullest.
I’ve even already “designed” my tombstone in my head, the love for music will go with me to the grave. It will be a guitar.
Everything has come and gone, people, places, schools, jobs, situations, politicians, trends, fashion…. everything has changed through the years, and I’m Gemini – we get bored pretty easily. The ONLY thing that has never bored me, is music – give me my metal and I’m happy. :-)
I remember the day when I first discovered heavy metal. It was like a religious experience, on the same level as people remember their first love, first kiss, first time they had sex, first whatever. Whatever rocks your boat.
For me, it was Judas Priest – Unleashed In The East.
I’ll never forget that day. I bought the LP at Record Heaven after having checked it out for weeks. I was curious because my best friend Camilla had played British Steel one day when I was over at her house. Her mom worked at Åhlens music-department, so she borrowed LP’s all the time and recorded them on cassette. Criminals back in the 80’s, hah! :)
Record Heaven had all Judas Priest LP’s and I chose Unleashed In The East because of the cover. I thought they all looked so cool, so I wanted that.
For a 13-year old innocent teenage girl who had only listened to the Beatles and Elvis up until then, it was very exciting, cause it felt rebellious to get an album like THAT.
Back in those days girls didn’t listen to heavy metal. That was 100% for guys. Not only that, parents were sure NOT to like it. In other words – all the right reasons to get the record!
It was a summer day, really hot, cause I remember coming home after school, going straight to the balcony to vent the living-room (where the stereo was). My dad was a tech-junkie back then, and had the best Tandberg-stereo from back then. The wooden speakers could blow the roof off anything!
Nobody was home, so I took out the brand new, shiny vinyl and turned up the bass-knob to the max. The pickup slowly touched the vinyl and there it was……. the first teasing sounds of Exciter.
I turned it up LOUD. It was just somehow natural to do that, I did it instinctively. When the distorted guitars filled the room – then slowed down – and then started again, this time followed by a voice that was like nothing I had ever heard before. Fucking hell….Wow. My jaw just dropped.
There are no words that could describe that feeling. The power, the intensity, the agressive, pure energy, it just charged me like a battery. I sat there like I was about to get high.
Holy f**kin’ shit…! What IS this?! Why haven’t I listened to this before??
I fell in love right there and then.
It just shook my foundations completely, my life changed in those few minutes. Nothing was ever the same after that. I dedicated my life to metal by being a part of that world in every aspect. I knew everything about every band by the time I was 15.
My parents were sure it was just a “passing phase” and informed me that it would never put food on the table. Well, when it actually DID, they ran out of arguments. Same thing about that “phase” thing. I never “got out” of the metal-phase and never understood why I should.
Nothing makes me as happy as music and this life that I love so much is all thanks to that. My best friends, my career, my travels – none of that would have happened if I hadn’t bought that Unleashed In The East back in 1982 or whatever it was….
I might have gotten a little bit jaded but in general I’m still as enthusiastic as I ever was. Whitesnake is coming to Sweden and Denmark next week. I’m crazy happy about that already! And I’ve seen them a million times. Some things just never get boring. :-)
So…..HAPPY NATIONAL METAL DAY! Hope you’ll all celebrate the rock’n’roll that brought us all together. :)
My #1 role-model from the early days – the one and only Lita Ford (a VERY early solo-performance). I couldn’t have said it better!
IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR 