A diverse, value-for-money bill opened with glam-rockers Faster Pussycat. Only vocalist Taime Downe remains from their days playing alongside Guns N’ Roses, but the sleezy Bathroom Wall and Babylon were a worthy trip down memory lane. County Down’s The Answer attempt a brave new approach with the Celtic-flavoured Solas. A sturdy, life-affirming set included a note-perfect tribute to AC/DC’s Malcolm Young with If You Want Blood.
Mr Big put in a curfew-breaking two-hour set, opening with Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy, complete with wacky showboating fret antics from Billy Sheehan and Paul Gilbert. Their flawless, dazzling musicianship followed on the shuffle of American Beauty, while original drummer Pat Torpey (sidelined by Parkinson’s disease) delivered percussion on a thumping Alive And Kickin’. The high-end harmonies of the commercial Green Tinted Sixties Mind got the balcony out of their seats, and vocalist Eric Martin and guitarist Gilbert provided acoustic campfire treatment on a cover of Wild Wood and Damn, I’m In Love Again. Sheehan’s bass solo provided the groundwork for Addicted To That Rush, though things were kept simple for their biggest hit, To Be With You. The Answer’s Cormac Neeson returned to join in on closer, Humble Pie’s 30 Days In A Hole. Class.
