Live: Whitesnake in Indianapolis

Few bands have been able to stand the test of time and last for decades upon decades. Whitesnake are one of those bands. Last year they hit the road for The Purple Tour in support of The Purple Album, which they wrote to pay homage to frontman David Coverdale\’s time in Deep Purple. Enter 2016 and they\’ve hit the road once again but this time for a different approach- a greatest hits tour and it recently stopped of in Indianapolis. Opening the show was Whitford/St. Holmes- which features Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford and Ted Nugent frontman Derek St. Holmes, who completely brought the house down. Those who weren\’t familiar with St. Holmes work completely underestimated how powerful of a singer and guitarist he really is and he proved it in Indianapolis. They were spot on, firing on all cylinders and even threw in a few Nugent and Aerosmith tracks- “Stranglehold” was the highlight. Even though they are just now releasing their sophomore album a few decades removed from their debut, they haven\’t lost a step and they gave Whitesnake a run for their money. After a very short intermission, the lights went down and The Who\’s “My Generation” blasted over the PA. It was time. Whitesnake took the stage with authority with “Bad Boys” and “Love Ain\’t No Stranger” and the crowd was already deafening. After all these years David Coverdale can still scream and still hit the high notes pretty decisively and the band has never sounded better. The dual guitar attack of Joel Hoekkstra and Reb Beach is an underrated one and they showed exactly why. With “Slide It In,” “Is This Love,” “Judgement Day,” “The Deeper The Love,” Fool For You Loving” and numerous others, the setlist lived up to the tour\’s name and included every hit the band has had over the years and the Indianapolis crowd was loving every minute of it. With people dancing in the aisles, women throwing their bras on stage, flashing the band, and people singing almost as loud as the band, it really was like going back in time. One thing is for sure with Whitesnake\’s Greatest Hits Tour– the band can still rock as hard as any current big name rock and metal band and they\’re still one of the best live shows in all of rock. If you want a good time, check this tour out. -Reggie Edwards Click here for photos from the show!