Review by Dale Jr.
Photos by Micah Gummel
Concert Photos HERE
The historic Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom had yet another sold-out event on their hands as Whitesnake took the stage for an extra special show. Whitesnake recently released their new album, “The Purple Album”, where the band re-recorded some songs from David Coverdale’s time in the legendary hard rock band Deep Purple. Since they were out in support of the new album, you could bet that you’d be hearing some of those tracks performed live. That was the part that I was most excited about, because most of those songs aren’t performed live by anybody. The prospect of someone, let alone David Coverdale himself, performing those tracks from a criminally under-rated version of Deep Purple, was enough to get me through the door. Another reason for Whitesnake fans to be excited was to see how the new dynamics of the band would work with the departure of Doug Aldrich last year and the addition of former Night Ranger and Trans-Siberian Orchestra guitarist, Joel Hoekstra. Throw all of the classic Whitesnake tracks on top of that and the Ballroom was primed for yet another classic show.
The band came out and opened with the rocking track, “Burn”, which is the title and opening track of the Mark III Deep Purple album, and it’s also what “The Purple Album” opens with. This was a cool moment for myself, as a number of years prior, I had seen Glenn Hughes perform the song as part of Black Country Communion on the same stage.
The band continued on throughout the night, playing hit after hit, mixed in with those Deep Purple classics that had some Whitesnake flair mixed into it. Then came the guitar solos.
First up was Reb Beach, and his solo was rippin’ and shreddin’ all around. He was then followed by the newest member of Whitesnake, Joel Hoekstra. His solo was more melodic and soulful. These two separate solos showed the contrast of styles that two guitarists have, but as we saw all throughout the night, both of the styles meshed very, very well together.
After the solos, the crowd was treated to one of my favorites of the night; the blues number from the “Burn” album, Mistreated. You could always feel the pain in Coverdale’s vocals on this track, and he did the same here tonight.
After another Purple classic, “You Fool No One”, we were treated to an intense drum solo by long time Whitesnake drummer, Tommy Aldridge. The solo was incredible, as he eventually went to his hands, and with all that hair flopping around back there behind the kit, I heard someone behind me compare him to Animal from the Muppets, which I thought was aptly fitting.
Coverdale made sure that everyone got a chance to shine, including bassist Michael Devin, as this was a bit of a homecoming for him. Devin is from Boston, and he had family in attendance as well.
To close out the night, the band played four straight from the self-titled 1987 album; the ballad “Is This Love”, “Bad Boys”, to Whitesnake’s biggest hit “Here I Go Again”, and they closed out the show with the encore of “Still of the Night”.
The sold out Casino Ballroom crowd go to witness something special in the room that night, and even if you’ve seen Whitesnake before, like I had, make sure you make a point to see them on this tour, as they have resurrected Deep Purple classics, as David Coverdale pays tribute to the music that launched his career.
Whitesnake at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom, Hampton Beach, NH
