Review: Thin Lizzy Waterfront Hall Belfast
Despite changing personnel about as often as Spinal Tap,
band fall outs, bust ups and the untimely passing of members, Thin Lizzy remain
one of the best bands the world has ever seen. Long gone are the days when
Lynott would prowl the stage in leather trousers stomping to Downey’s drum and
flanked by Gorham and ‘Robbo,’ but this new line up have the power to transport
the audience back to the band’s heyday. For those lucky enough to have seen the
original Thin Lizzy it’s a return to their youth, and for those too young to
have experienced Lynott et al it’s a unique chance to see (at least some of)
their idols play their favourite songs live.
Belfast’s Waterfront Hall sold out for the return of Thin
Lizzy and fans were out in force to see the penultimate show of the tour. ‘Are
You Ready’ kicked off the set and was closely followed by ‘Jailbreak.’
Front-man Ricky Warwick skilfully avoided the trap of sounding too like Lynott
and asserted his own style on the songs. The third guitar added little to the
overall sound, but Warwick seemed more comfortable axe in hand than without and
more than justified its presence with a faultless performance.
On either side of
Warwick were Lizzy stalwart Scott Gorham and Def Leppard’s Belfast born Viv
Campbell. The duo went a long way to reinvigorating the traditional twin Les
Paul attack and gelled well together in songs like ‘Emerald,’ ‘Massacre’ and
‘Waiting for an Alibi.’ Bass man Marco Mendoza used every inch of the stage to
his advantage bouncing from side to side while Darren Wharton on keyboards was
often lost in the barrage of guitars and drums.
From the start Warwick and co had the sell out Belfast crowd
in their hands. Singing the intro to ‘Dancing in the Moonlight,’ the infamous coyote
call in ‘Cowboy Song’ and Warwick led sing-alongs not unlike those conducted by
Lynott over 25 years ago the crowd were in high spirits, matched only by those
of the band. Critics suggest this is a glorified tribute or a money spinner,
but anybody in Belfast tonight would have witnessed six musicians giving
everything they had to ensure a good time was had by all.
Highlight of the night was the complete mastery of Brian
Downey. From the very beginning of Thin Lizzy Downey was the man behind the
drum and along with Lynott was the band’s founder. It is only fitting that he
return to the drum stool after missing other tours in recent years. As Lynott said, ‘he keeps your hands
clappin’...feet tappin’’ and tonight was no exception. His drumming was an education
and his execution looked so effortless he could have been out for a leisurely
stroll. His ‘Shalala’ solo was as energetic, awe inspiring and impressive as it
was on ‘Live and Dangerous’ and his playing throughout was fantastic.
Reports that this is the ‘best line up since Phil’ were met
with understandable scepticism but after tonight the general consensus seems to
be that they aren’t too far off. While it would be impossible to match the
original line up, even the most hardened of Thin Lizzy purists would be mad to
miss out on seeing this band play. The band left the stage to rapturous
applause after a fitting dedication of ‘Black Rose’ to both Phil Lynott and
Gary Moore and will no doubt be welcomed back by the Belfast crowd.
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