{"id":16651,"date":"2012-01-16T10:39:08","date_gmt":"2012-01-16T15:39:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=16651"},"modified":"2013-02-05T16:49:41","modified_gmt":"2013-02-05T21:49:41","slug":"live-chickenfoot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2012\/live-chickenfoot\/","title":{"rendered":"LIVE! | Chickenfoot"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Alissa Ordabai<\/span>
\nStaff Writer<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

January 14, 2012 at Brixton Academy in London, United Kingdom<\/h3>\n

This was Chickenfoot\u2019s second ever show in London, the band having played here previously in June 2009. During between-the-songs banter Sammy Hagar shared that the band loves coming to the UK, while for him personally the experience is made even more enjoyable through his appreciation of the English ale. The 2000-seater theater Brixton Academy was close to full house, and the reception given to the band \u2013 heartfelt, although not quite nearing full-on ecstatic welcome crowds at the same venue are capable of giving to other Americans luminaries \u2013 even those who don\u2019t wear the \u201csupergroup\u201d badge. <\/p>\n

\"\"Speaking of which, if the \u201csuper\u201d in the \u201csupergroup\u201d has anything to do with outstanding instrumental skill, then Chickenfoot is perhaps the greatest of them all. Guitar guru Joe Satriani and equally adept in high-tech fretboard wizardry Michael Anthony on the bass, along with ueber-drummer Chad Smith are each an awe-inspiring force on their own right. How well they interact with each other in the format of this outfit is, however, another matter. While Anthony and Smith gel so tightly and to such an formidable effect \u2013 which they have demonstrated with a jaw-dropping bass-driven intro to \u201cTurnin\u2019 Left\u201d – there are also times when Satriani\u2019s leads are coming through as slightly too alien in the context of such simplistic songwriting as this band\u2019s. <\/p>\n

On the biggest standouts of the evening, such as \u201cBig Foot\u201d and \u201cSomething Going Wrong\u201d his leads sprang seamlessly from the song to a spectacular effect, showing how mammoth riffs and laconic, powerful leads can turn a simple song into an anthem. But at other times, as on \u201cAlright Alright\u201d and \u201cSoap on a Rope\u201d it felt that the song and the solos were conceived in a very different headspace \u2013 Satch probably taking the inspiration from the privacy of his own inner continuum, while the song itself was following the well-trodden path of the generic hard rock songwriting.<\/p>\n

\"\"And songwriting is another aspect of this band which stops it from being truly great. There were gems during the show such as \u201cBig Foot\u201d with its inspired riff and huge space-rocking presence, and \u201cSexy Little Thing\u201d with its deliciously layered sound and folkish songwriting tapping into the vibes of Led Zeppelin III. But much of the other material ranged from predictable to downright unfinished demo-quality songwriting \u2013 especially with such songs as \u201cAlright Alright\u201d and \u201cUp Next\u201d. <\/p>\n

Toward the end of the show Hagar assured the audience that Chickenfoot is a purely non-commercial project and that they aren\u2019t in it for the money, but simply love the music that they play. While in case of Hagar this sounds plausible, it is up to Satriani\u2019s fans to decide if a musician of such sophisticated tastes and such vast musical knowledge finds genuine pleasure in such simple tune-craft. But then again, simple pleasures are at times the hardest to allow yourself, and most of us would never know what enjoyment and pleasure really mean to those who know it all and who in the past have achieved everything they aimed at.<\/p>\n

Set List:
\n1.\t Lighten Up
\n2.\tAlright Alright
\n3.\tBig Foot
\n4.\tSexy Little Thing
\n5.\tSoap on a Rope
\n6.\tUp Next
\n7.\tMy Kinda Girl
\n8.\tDown the Drain
\n9.\tThree and a Half Letters
\n10.\tSomething Going Wrong
\n11.\tTurnin\u2019 Left
\n12.\tFuture in the Past<\/p>\n

Encore:
\n1.\t Different Devil
\n2.\tOh Yeah
\n3.\tFoxy Lady (Jimi Hendrix cover)<\/p>\n

Photos Appear Courtesy of Alissa Ordabai<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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