Whitesnake go Purple in Pittsburgh

There are very few artists that after over 35 years in the music industry can still draw a crowd like Whitesnake. From day one, the band has been lead by the one and only David Coverdale, a British gentleman who got his start in music back in 1973 as lead singer for rock legends Deep Purple. In honor of his time with Deep Purple, Mr. Coverdale and the rest of Whitesnake, which currently consists of guitarists Reb Beach and Joel Hoekstra, bassist Michael Devin, drummer Tommy Aldridge and keyboardist Michele Luppi have just released their newest album The Purple Album, which commemorates the 4 Deep Purple albums Coverdale sang on and have hit the road to support it on The Purple Tour with melodic British rockers The Answer serving as openers. When the tour made a stop at The Palace Theater in the tiny town of Greensburg, just outside of Pittsburgh, PA, Mr. Coverdale and company played to a packed house that pushed the venue to it’s very limits. Also pushing the venue to the limit was the massive wall of sound created by The Answer, who kicked shit into high gear that night with an intense set of good time Rock N Roll that recalled everything that was great about the 1970’s. Although there were chairs, few were used as their set brought fans to their feet, singing at the top of their lungs and dancing in the isles. The fact that this amazing band isn’t a household name is a travesty as they are one of the very best in modern music today, a travesty that should soon be righted soon if the crowd’s response was any indicator. The band was in top form and tracks like “Red,” “Gone Too Long,” “Preachin’,” ”Spectacular” and “Raise A Little Hell” got huge reactions, but it was lead singer Cormac Neeson’s journey out into the crowd that left the biggest impression and would no doubt be the part everyone would be telling the poor bastards that missed it about the next day at work. [lg_slideshow folder=\”2015/Whitesnake in Pittsburgh/The Answer/\”] Now for your average band that would be one hell of a hard act to follow, but then again, Whitesnake are far from your average band and have been clearing hurdles like these and redefining what a truly great rock concert can be since their inception in 1978 and took it to whole new levels with their epic 1987 world tour for the self titled album that launched their career into the stratosphere and beyond, making them one of the biggest bands on the planet at the time. To this day, classics from that album like “Bad Boys,” “Still Of The Night,” “Give Me All Your Love,” “Is This Love” and “Here I Go Again” are still a major part of the setlist live and still get the biggest response from the audience, but on that night, deeper cuts like “Slide It In” and “Love Ain’t No Stranger”, alongside Deep Purple tracks like “Burn,” “The Gypsy,” “Mistreated” and “You Fool No One” stole their fair share of the attention and the limelight. Coverdale is charming and funny as ever and got big laughs throughout the night, but his biggest laugh came when a woman in the front row flashed him and Coverdale exclaimed, “Oh well now, those will do just fine!” The band has never looked or sounded better and at this late stage in their illustrious career are still firing on all cylinders and putting on a live show that could go head to head with any other band touring today and to his credit, Coverdale’s voice is in tip top shape and his rasp, vibrato and range are stronger than ever. [lg_slideshow folder=\”2015/Whitesnake in Pittsburgh/Whitesnake/\”] What was most impressive though was Coverdale’s complete and utter command over the crowd. No matter what instructions he gave, the fans obliged oh so willingly and with total devotion. Equally impressive was Coverdale’s ability to get extra volume from the crowd. Just when you thought it humanly impossible for the audience to possibly get any louder, they somehow did, shaking the building to it’s very core, putting the structural integrity to the test. Even though the band is at the very top of their game, after 35 years it is hard to tell just how much longer these fantastic living legends will tour, so don’t miss what could be your last chance to see them live. You will not be disappointed in any way, shape or form. -Eric Hunker