The 6th of December started early for a small group of people already forming a line at the entrance of Sala Tejo (Altice Arena), in Lisbon, as they sought to secure a place on the first row of the gig that day.
The memories of a sold-out show back in 2017 only made the expectations grow, as there were no tickets left yet again to see Alter Bridge later on that day. The doors to the venue opened earlier than expected and at 6 P.M. you could already hear the usual “Don’t run” warnings from the security being successfully ignored by the vibrant fans invading the venue.
At 6:30 P.M the first band, The Raven Age, entered the stage decided to make a statement that day. The band founded in 2009 by guitarist Dan Wright and bass player George Harris (son of Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris) was ready to kill the curiosity of those who were unaware of them. With a young, technical, melodic and groovy sound and spotless performance they quickly amped up everyone in the room, earning a lot of praises at the end of the show.
After an amazing and perfectly timed job from the roadies and organization, the second band entered the stage to what would be, for many, the surprise of the night.
After a long time away from the Portuguese stages, Shinedown brought it all to this performance. People were struck from the beginning with the sheer power of every played note and were forced to succumb to the unstoppable energy of all band members. Brent Smith, lead singer since 2001, displayed his unique and massive vocal skills as he incessantly sang anthems like “Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom)”, “Devil”, “Monsters” and even a tribute cover to the Rock juggernauts Lynyrd Skynyrd with a cover of “Simple Man” while the remaining members entertained the audience with an amazing performance and tremendous showmanship.
Shooting the audience with pressure guns filled with gifts and dividing the room in two to walk amongst the crowd connecting with the fans were only some of the things that made a brilliant performance into a memorable moment that will be cherished by everyone present.
And then, it was time for Alter Bridge. Screams could be heard as veterans Myles Kennedy, Mark Tremonti, Scott Philips and Brian Marshall entered the stage to play “Wouldn’t you Rather” as they kicked off they’re second sold-out show in Portugal in 2 years. The iconic Hard Rock four-man band remembered everyone why they were there and presented everyone with hauntingly beautiful melodies, technical mastery shared by the instruments and soothing vocals from Myles, creating an amazing cocktail for a flawless show.
The peek of the night belonged to “Blackbird”, a fan favourite song with a special meaning and purpose, as it was written for a friend of the band that passed away. The setlist of the show was composed of classics such as “Open Your Eyes”, “Watch Over You”, “Rise Today” and “Metalingus” but had also room for songs from their latest album Walk The Sky like the tour debut of “Brand New Start”.
The show ended fittingly to the notes of “Godspeed” and “Addicted to Pain”, however, the last voices to be heard that night in Lisbon were from the crowd chanting – “Alter Bridge! Alter Bridge!”.
Concert organized by Prime Artists
Text & Photos by Joana Oliveira
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