Vandenberg
\nMarch 2, 2024
\nMyrtle Beach, SC
\nHouse of Blues<\/p>\n
Back in 1987, I became a huge Whitesnake fan.\u00a0 Like many people who were teenagers in the mid-late \u201880s, I first became aware of Whitesnake<\/strong> with the release of their eponymous album, which has since affectionately become known as the Whitesnake \u201988 album.\u00a0 I saw Whitesnake on that tour as headliners, and one chap in that band blew my mind more than anyone other than David Coverdale.\u00a0 That chap was Dutch guitarist Adrian Vandenberg<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Sometime around 1989, after I absorbed what Vandenberg had done with Whitesnake, material from his previous band Vandenberg was released as The Best of Vandenberg.\u00a0 It was here that I very excitedly learned that there was a whole other world in which Adrian Vandenberg resided.\u00a0 I became a huge fan with songs like \u201cWhen the Shit Hits the Fan,\u201d Your Love is In Vain,\u201d and the now legendary \u201cBurning Heart.\u201d\u00a0 I remained a huge fan of Vandenberg, but they never toured the US.\u00a0 Who would\u2019ve thought that some 34 years later, I would finally get to see Vandenberg live?<\/p>\n On March 2nd<\/sup>, Vandenberg<\/strong>, along with co-headliner and former Queensryche vocalist Geoff Tate, rolled into the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach, SC.\u00a0 The venue was packed to the rafters as people eagerly awaited the return of Vandenberg.\u00a0 Armed with a new band of young guns consisting of Mats Leven<\/strong> (vocals), Koen Herfst<\/strong> (drums), and Randy van de Elsen<\/strong> (bass), Vandenberg took the stage like clockwork at 8 pm to a roar from the sold-out room.<\/p>\n Kicking things off with \u201cHit the Ground Running\u201d from their 2023 album Sin, I could feel my jaw drop.\u00a0 The fire, the intensity, and the drive of this band blew me away, and I knew I would be seeing something extraordinary.\u00a0 Without hesitation, the band went into the Whitesnake classic \u201cFool For Your Loving\u201d to a deafening and gracious crowd.<\/p>\n Hearing lead vocalist Mats Leven deliver both Vandenberg classics and Whitesnake classics proved that, without a doubt, he is the perfect person for the job.\u00a0 Mats has an old-school hard rock vocalist mentality and presentation.\u00a0 There is zero ego or arrogance in his delivery.\u00a0 He does not need to yell and make demands of the audience.\u00a0 As he stepped up to the plate for songs like \u201cGive Me All Your Love,\u201d \u201cFreight Train,\u201d and \u201cStill of the Night,\u201d all he had to do was point the mic to the crowd, and they sang every word of every song (yes, even the Vandenberg tunes).\u00a0 Mats has such a commanding presence, and he had us all eating out of his hand.<\/p>\n The rest of the band was absolutely stellar, and these guys played these songs like they were by Adrian\u2019s side from the beginning.\u00a0 As for Adrian himself, that man is amazing.\u00a0 At 70 years old, that man is as limber as a noodle, and he was pulling off-stage moves that would\u2019ve had me wholly locked up and throwing my back out.\u00a0 Adrian also has zero ego and arrogance in his presence.\u00a0 His greatness shines in his performance and in the songs that bear his name, but aside from that, he played just like he was one of the boys, which is a pretty rare thing from such an iconic musician.\u00a0 While a pleasant surprise, it also made me respect him more than ever.<\/p>\n The highlights of the set for me were Sailing Ships and Judgement Day.\u00a0 Sailing Ships showcased the artistic connection between Mats and Adrian as they performed together in a beautifully sparse and intimate style.\u00a0 The room seemed to shrink about \u00be of the size because the audience was attentive and fixated on the performance.\u00a0 Commanding an audience of that kind with such a gentle song is not an easy feat, but they did it confidently and easily.\u00a0 As for \u201cJudgement Day,\u201d that was my favorite song from the 1990 Whitesnake album Slip of the Tongue, and hearing it again after all these years didn\u2019t disappoint.\u00a0 The song was played with so much groove, class, and finesse that it sounded like it could\u2019ve been written and released this year.<\/p>\n Closing their hour + set with Whitesnake\u2019s \u201cHear I Go Again,\u201d Vandenberg pulled the crowd closer and had everyone smiling, moving, and singing while hanging on every lyric.\u00a0 Seeing everyone as excited as me to see Vandenberg live was so much fun.\u00a0 Ok, not as excited as me, but I say that proudly.<\/p>\n After the band took their final bow, all I could think was that I had only one complaint.\u00a0 They should\u2019ve played way longer.\u00a0 I could\u2019ve used at least another 30 or 40 minutes, but like many great bands I have seen live in my 40 years as a concertgoer, they left me wanting more.\u00a0 Seeing Vandenberg live was a childhood wish and a dream come true.\u00a0 It was a reminder that the music of my youth can still have a lot of relevance and importance to me and many others.\u00a0 I can only hope Vandenberg feels the love and that we won\u2019t have to wait at least another decade to be graced with such an amazing live show.\u00a0 I pity those who missed them live, and you are reading this, and you still have a chance; walk, don\u2019t run!\u00a0 You can thank me later.<\/p>\n Vandenberg Setlist:<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Hit the Ground Running <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Vandenberg March 2, 2024 Myrtle Beach, SC House of Blues Back in 1987, I became a huge Whitesnake fan.\u00a0 Like many people who were teenagers in the mid-late \u201880s, I first became aware of Whitesnake with the release of their eponymous album, which has since affectionately become known as the Whitesnake \u201988 album.\u00a0 I saw Whitesnake on that tour as headliners, and one chap in that band blew my mind more than anyone other than David Coverdale.\u00a0 That chap was 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\nFool For Your Loving
\nYour Love Is In Vain
\nGive Me All Your Love
\nFreight Train
\nSailing Ships
\nJudgement Day
\nCrying in the Rain
\nBurning Heart
\nStill of the Night
\nHere I Go Again<\/p>\n