REVIEW: Black Country Communion in Wolverhampton

Black Country Communion came "home” last night at their first ever full concert deep in the heart of the Black Country. Planet Rock were on hand to see something very special.

Entering the stage to an ear splitting salvo of ‘Ride Of The Valkyries’, this was clearly going to be a ROCK concert. And so it proved, from the opening call to arms of ‘Black Country’ ("I am a messenger, this is my prophecy, I’m going back . . . to the Black Country,” cried Glenn Hughes) to the sublime ‘Down Again’, the volume was set to eleven and the audience lapped it up from the very first second.

All but two tracks from the band’s debut album were given a run out, occasionally extended, often a little faster than on record and absolutely all of them sounding like they had been reborn. The songs were clearly meant to be heard live, and they sounded looser and freer than they do on the CD with each of the band members clearly relishing the opportunity to let loose with their buddies, free from the restraints of band leader status. In particular Joe Bonamassa was allowed to wander over the songs, his fluid playing soaring from within the cacophony of noise being made by his bandmates.

Each of the band members is given the opportunity to shine during the set, Bonamassa on a rendition of his classic ‘Ballad Of John Henry’ and the stunning set highlight ‘Song of Yesterday’ – nearly ten minutes of epic rock that recalls ‘Stairway’ at its best. Then Bonham and Sherinian are let loose on a 15 minute version of Zeppelin’s ‘No Quarter’ which was dedicated to Jason’s legendary father John.

Hughes, meanwhile, is a born frontman. All posturing and bombast, stalking every inch of the stage and acting as ringleader for the whole affair. He is given the opportunity to let his voice really fly during an epic rendition of his former band Trapeze’s ‘Medusa’ (which also appears on BCC’s record).

By the time the band have ramped up the volume and the pace for a stunning ‘Sista Jane’ and a brief reprise of ‘Black Country’ the crowd have been whipped into something of a frenzy, only for the set to end. Absolutely no one is looking for the exit, though, and so the band dutifully return to the stage for a version of Deep Purple’s ‘Burn’ which was so rapturously received that it’s a surprise that the audience left at all.

No doubt we’ll be seeing BCC again in 2011 - perhaps with a new record and certainly with more live dates. If you’re not lucky enough to have seen them in Wolverhampton yesterday or in London tonight then make sure you catch them when you can. This is everything great about classic rock. It’s loud, fun and musically brilliant, and we can only hope that this will, as Glenn revealed last night, run and run for many years to come.

What a way to end 2010.

Here’s the set list:

Black Country
One Last Soul
Beggarman
Revolution
Down Again
Too Late For The Sun
Song Of Yesterday
Ballad Of John Henry
Great Divide
Medusa
No Quarter
Sista Jane
Black Country (Reprise)
ENCORE
Burn