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Cardiff Utilita Arena
Sunday 16th November 2024
Review and photos – Rob Wilkins/Danni Wilkins
The last in a series of gigs that has meant travelling around the bottom half of the UK is to head “home” to Wales to enjoy one of my favourite bands, Black Stone Cherry. Various offers on tickets suggest that they have been slow to sell, but it is a strong support card and when the doors open as early as 6.30 it appears they have both been given time to impress along with a longer BSC set than the European legs of the tour.
The job of warming up a chilly crowd goes to Seattle’s Ayron Jones. Both supports were new to me in a live context but the opening song “Boys From the Puget Sound” immediately grabbed me and impressed with raw emotive guitars and vocals. Jones’ guitar is the centre of the soundscape as it wails and feeds back deliciously. The centre of attention, however, is bassist Bob Lovelace, one of the most energetic performers I have seen in a LONG time as he leaps and cavorts as if wound up backstage and let go!
It is a relatively short six-song set, and the highlight for me is “Blood in the Water” where the tempo drops and the hairs stand on the back of my neck. “Take Me Away” ends the set and earns the band a lot of appreciation from the passionate Welsh crowd who have got there early.
Pre-show, much comment had been made about the political views of Skillet bassist and frontman John Cooper and that potentially this had affected ticket sales when compared to previous touring companions The Darkness, but the internal deal I made with myself was to judge the music as the music and respond to anything political if it came up! Luckily, Skillet simply blew me away musically and I loved every second.
Firstly there was the sheer energy and variety of their performance on stage with the initial spectacle of the imposing Cooper and purple-haired dynamo guitarist Korey Cooper mixed up as the set went on with drummer Jen Ledger taking front and centre vocal duty, Korey Cooper playing keys, the appearance of a cellist and a constant rotation of roles and spotlight taking wherever you looked. There were theatrics as well, particularly on “Rise” when JC strapped CO2 cannons to his arms and became a pyrotechnic. Incredibly powerful and visual (and also responsible for a sprinkling of snow onto us photographers).
Highlights of the set were there from the off with “Invincible”, Jen’s vocals on “Awake and Alive” complete with said cellist appearing, the dedication of “Hero” to those struggling with mental health issues, and a superb drum/guitar solo (from Seth Morrison) that led into the massive “Psycho In My Head”. “Be Thou My Vision” had an almost Celtic vibe as KC took to the keys and finishing with “Monster” and “The Resistance” meant the hour-long set flew by and turned me on to a band that I have always been aware of but never really immersed in. 
Finally, a curtain is raised to hide the stage construction and ensure a big reveal and we are champing at the bit to get in the pit but see the Kentucky quartet assume their positions as AC/DC and the dropping of the house lights raises the noise levels.
The lights are dazzling as the curtain drops and the utter overwhelming power of “Me and Mary Jane” blasts out like a nuclear detonation.
I have seen MANY bands from arena pits now, but this song, from this band, with Chris Robertson roaring out the lyrics, Ben Wells kicking so high he leaves the ground completely, Steve Jewell disappearing behind a mass of flying hair, and drummer John Fred Young utterly battering the living crap out of his kit…almost physically pushes me back it is so powerful.
We had been shown the setlist and, in my opinion, it is one of the best they have put together. If I were to write a list of favourites they are all there, mixed in the world premiere of “The Mess You Made” and the new single, a cover of The Cult’s “American Horse”, where Ayron Jones and John Cooper appear on stage to replicate the recorded track. Previous setlists have allowed the pace to drop at times, unsurprisingly in terms of the sheer manic energy of Wells and Jewell but this is a Black Stone Cherry set that simply bulldozes along with no respite at all.
There are far too many highlights to pull out, the whole set is one long highlight, but stand-out moments in a sea of the same would be; the destructive drum solo (and cowbell solo!) for “Cheaper to Drink Alone”, the emotional honesty and visibility of “Things My Father Said” (Chris Robertson alone and solo saying he really didn’t know if he could do it, but the energy in the room made him decide to go for it. At which point he was joined by a Welsh Choir every time he stuttered) and, in case they had left any energy unspent, the closing segment of; “White Trash Millionaire”, “Lonely Train”, “Blame It on the Boom Boom” (during which Robertson stopped the band and singled out some in the crowd that were causing a disturbance and told them to leave in no uncertain circumstances), and finally, an anthemic “Peace is Free” where Robertson vaulted the barrier and joined the crowd that ended the night on the biggest possible high.
I have seen Black Stone Cherry MANY times now, but I cannot remember a better performance or set from them and as a cohesive night of music, I loved every second.
Shortly after the tour, it was announced that Black Stone Cherry would be headlining the Maid of Stone festival so they will soon be back in a country that really seems to have a special and warm relationship with the band.
All forthcoming Black Stone Cherry tour dates can be found HERE.
