LIVE: Bad Company And Joe Perry - Cardiff CIA - 5th April 2010
Tuesday, 06 April 2010
Written by Jon Stickler
Forget eggs and the old James Bond film on the television, for me, this Easter Bank holiday was all about another bearded man. Paul Rogers returning to the stage!
With not one but two legends gracing the stage at Cardiff CIA last night, the balding heads and leather-clad shoulders of the majority of fans were treated to the exceptional guitar skills of none other than Joe Perry and also the vocal delights of ‘The Voice’ Paul Rogers.
Not on stage at the same time of course (although what if?), but playing two separate gigs. To start the night off we have The Joe Perry Project, yes, that’s Joe Perry of Aerosmith. This time in action without toxic twin Steven Tyler on his shoulder but what an awesome set from the guitar legend and his band. Playing his hand at frontman he put in a rip-roaring display of guitar talent whilst giving the gathering audience a full on rock’n’roll assault.
Having such an icon on stage as a support band gave the performance a feel of closeness, as those fans lucky enough to see Joe Perry in action with his other band Aerosmith can probably tell you, you need to get up pretty early to get this close to such a guitar legend. Watching his performance, I kept having to remind myself, ‘that’s Joe Perry up there, and I’m not three miles away from him'.
Reaching deep into the archives of what I like to call the ‘real’ Aerosmith catalogue, not the glittering, spandex wearing, Run DMC collaborating Aerosmith, Joe Perry and co gave us his renditions of ‘Train Kept A Rollin’ and of course, would we really be satisfied without hearing that riff, ‘Walk This Way’. A fantastic end to the start of what was to be an outstanding rock show.
Next up we have my main reason for looking forward to Easter 2010. That’s right, the return of the beardy guy, not Jesus though, better than that, Paul Rogers! You can keep your Steven Tylers, Robert Plants and Bon Scotts. When it comes to definitive voices in rock, Paul Rogers is at the top of the list.
Considering that Rogers is now 60 years old, he bounds onto the stage as if he’s never left the 1970s, Mick Ralph alongside with Gibson Les Paul Standard gripped firmly in hand, Bad Company raise the roof with their opener, most famous, ‘Cant Get Enough’.
The crowd, including myself, are surprised and I’m enjoying every last detail of the classic anthem I’ve heard on countless numbers of ‘Dad Rock’ compilation albums. I could even comment on what the band were wearing but who wants that, who cares about their clothes? Tonight was about good old fashioned rock’n’roll and it looked as though that was exactly what we were going to get.
Next up we have ‘Honey Child’ and the nodding heads continue to the beat as Rogers skips from one side of the stage to the other ensuring everyone is involved. I’m pleased that we've got some of the lesser known hits from the band included in the set-list as it foot-taps along at a steady pace.
We’re then given the Paul Rogers piano treatment on ‘Run With The Pack’ and just like his voice, not one note has faltered over the years. We get a breather next with the band introductions and then later a moody, dry-iced, candle-lit backdrop, acoustic version of ‘Seagull’. It’s a quite break to the fast pace and earns the first echoes of the audience singing along, not many lighters held aloft for it but the audience show their appreciation with a standing ovation.
Picking up the momentum slowly, the band take us into a gradual build up of ‘Electricland’ and then ‘Simple Man’ before turning the dials back to ‘11’ and unleashing the classic ‘Feel Like Making Love’ and ‘Shooting Star’, the tribute song to those rock legends who lost their lives to drugs. Despite the seating arrangement at the venue, the crowds care not for any health and safety regulations here and are on their feet once again.
After the dancing of ‘Rock n Roll Fantasy’ and slow sway of ‘Ready For Love’ Paul Rogers hits the piano one last time, appearing to be floating on a layer of dry-ice for a rendition of the haunting, dirty-groove of ‘Bad Company’.
What a performance, the band exits the stage and we’re left with the predictable wait for an encore. As if the excitement of a little bit more Bad Company wasn’t enough, the guessing of what song was going to be belted out next was running through my mind. Having played all there big hits already, I was reaching for the lighting rig when I suddenly hear the opening notes of ‘Movin’ On’ blare from the amps. Its spectacular, knowing it’s the last offering, the crowd are up again and the air-guitars are out in force.
A master-class in true classic rock, from the first bars of The Joe Perry Project, to the last words from Paul Rogers. An evening of rock’n’roll thoroughly enjoyed the way it should be, good songs and good times.
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