By: AntZant
Photos: Anthony Firmin
Glenn Hughes,
the Voice of Rock, returned to Manchester as part of his longest tour for
40 years with a total of 11 weeks on the road. In Europe he is
taking around Jared James Nichols as
his support act and for 35 minutes or so we are presented with what is
described as the new guitar playing laureate within the current resurgence of
classic rock and blues. His image is all long hair and shiny white
teeth – almost looking like a Ted Nugent for 2015. But
his music isn’t really individual enough to cut it at that level unlike that of
his contemporaries such as Gary Clark Jnr. Finally
there was no need to pepper his set with covers; playing “Mississippi Queen” really doesn’t
do him any favours. Sadly he is 30 years too late to the table for
the image and music he presents.
Glenn Hughes is
one of those people who is always around, part of the classic rock furniture
and a friend and brother to absolutely everyone in the music business. I have
seen Hughes a few times with Black Country Communion and California Breed as
well as a solo acoustic performance at the Band On The Wall, and he had always
been excellent…but this gig was to be a whole different kettle of fish!!
And then there was Mr Hughes, claiming
to have released 85 albums and name-checking all the people he has worked with
just to remind everyone how important he is and how he is everyone’s brother,
massaging his own ego in the confines of Manchester’s Club Academy. Much
of the set was uninspired, “First
Step Of Love” from his time in Hughes/Thrall was
interesting to hear as were his solo songs like “Orion” but “Soul Mover” failed
to move me.
Raiding the Deep Purple song
chest, “Sail Away” was
barely passable but “Mistreated” was
beyond awful, Hughes warbling and meandering vocals were
totally unnecessary. And I wasn’t alone in thinking this, a steady
stream of people were leaving with about a third of the audience gone by the
end of that song and it wasn’t even time for the encore! He even
managed to upend “One Last Soul” and “Black Country” from his time with the ‘Communion – Joe Bonamassa won’t
lose any sleep over Aldrich failing to play
anywhere near his capabilities.
And if “Mistreated” was bad, “Burn” was worse. It was beyond appalling. It
was crucified. Dysentery would have been a more pleasant
experience. Ritchie Blackmore would
have had his tights in a knot, running to the nearest castle and pulling up the
drawbridge to distance himself from Hughes!! It
was THAT bad.
By this point I was just glad it was over, I
simply couldn’t have taken any more. The voice of rock? Sadly
no longer Glenn Hughes crown to wear.
