VENUE: Villa Marina Gardens, Tuesday, June 9

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The last time Whitesnake frontman David Coverdale and I 'locked horns' (rock pun intended) was at the Queen's Hall, Leeds, on a cold December day in 1982.

The band was brilliant then, and I'm glad to say – more than 26 years later – the rockers were brilliant this time too.

Whitesnake has seen many changes over the years but this current line-up of Doug Aldrich and Reb Beach on guitar, Uriah Duffy on bass, Timothy Drury on keyboards and drummer Chris Frazier managed to rock their way through the set list with consummate skill.

Coverdale played the crowd magnificently, using every inch of what was to him probably a relatively small stage to engage with the audience and pick out female members to charm.

He was every bit as spritely as I remember, twirling and swinging his mic stand and striking classic 'rock' poses. Whatever he's taking to make him look and sound that good at his age, I'm jealous.

The band opened with a blistering array of songs including the fantastic Bad Boys – which had the audience shouting lyrics back at the stage.

As soon as I heard the phrase ''Ere's a song for ya', I was transported back to that first encounter and became a rock teen again, singing along to classic number after classic number.

Coverdale knows his audience, so we were treated to many of the band's most famous tracks – Guilty of Love, Love Ain't no Stranger, Lay Down Your Love and more.

The 'rock' was turned down a notch for an acoustic version of The Deeper the Love with just a spotlit singer and Aldrich, seated with an acoustic guitar, onstage.

There was, of course, the obligatory guitar solo set with Aldrich and Beach duelling for the loudest audience cheer and an air-pounding drum solo from Frazier which was felt as much as heard.

The main set ended with a rousing Here I Go Again, but for me, they saved the best until almost last when the first encore number Still of the Night was belted out with great enthusiasm.

Rounding things off was Fool for Your Lovin', followed by the band lining up on stage and taking their bows, accompanied by well deserved applause, whistles and cheers.

The sound quality was excellent for an outdoor gig, the light show complimented the music perfectly and was well timed, and visibility was good.

A great night out.

WERE YOU AT THE GIG?
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YOUR REVIEWS

Whitesnake were amazing last night, I spent the full show against the barrier and loved every minute of it. Both Doug and Reb are absolutely fantastic guitarists and the rest of the band amazing musicians. We were treated to every great hit and more and the crowd and band loved it. It's about time we were bringing decent big name bands to the island and it was the best £35.00 I have spent recently. I even bagged a used drum stick and guitar pick at the end of the show as well so have some great souvenirs! Whitesnake proved why they have stood the test of time and sounded as good last night as years gone by!
GR

Just wanted to redress the balance and offer a different view of Tuesday night's gig. While I wouldn't describe myself as a massive fan of the band I really like a good number of their tunes, particularly from the late '70s / early '80s period. With that in mind Ain't No Love In the Heart of the City was a personal highlight, along with Fool For Your Lovin'. However, despite the great light show and decent sound I couldn't help feeling I was watching a rather slick but ultimately soulless performance packed full of rock cliché. Coverdale still has the pipes, which is undoubtedly impressive after all these years, but his posturing and "banter" with the crowd generally came across as somewhat naff to me. The rest of the band are incredibly talented musicians but it felt like they were on autopilot, again pulling out the sort of moves you'd come to expect. Also the guitar "duel" was interminable. It left me thinking, "Okay guys, we know you can play your instruments really well but can you quit the musical onanism and get back to playing some tunes?" Maybe I was expecting too much, but if you compare Whitesnake's gig to Robert Plant and The Strange Sensation's at the Villa the other year it's no contest. While Plant looked back and acknowledged his roots with the mighty Led Zeppelin he was also prepared to go out on a limb, rework the classics and offer something a bit different. Whitesnake's performance was like watching a faded rocker being backed by session musicians out on some sort of revival tour at times. Cheers,
ED