The Wild Hearts:
Songs like “Every Night Is A Brand New Day” and “Six Feet Under” started out like OzzFest standards but would inevitably give way to catchy, shout along choruses. This simple formula worked well and set up the night beautifully for the new rock Gods.
The Wild Hearts straddle a line between Motorhead and The Bay City Rollers. Like a biker version of The Darkness, The Hearts came out swinging for a fast paced opening show that rivaled the energy of the headliners.
That’s what The Darkness are, you know? They are the new kings of rock - unapologetic, ridiculous and fun as hell. After opening with a bludgeoning double shot of “Bareback” and “Black Shuck,” the madness just got madder. A surprisingly diverse audience from 10 to 50 years old shouted back every word. The Darkness lifted all the right moments from rock history. Queen was channeled during the solo for the heroin ode “Giving Up,” the spirit of 1,000 lighter waving power ballads haunted the room for “Love Is Only A Feeling” and the ghost of Thin Lizzy never left. AC / DC was represented with the “Thunderstruck” lick of “Making Out” and Justin Hawkins’ audience ride on the shoulders of security. During the ride, he teased the crowd with Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” which wasn’t as random a riff as it may have seemed. You see, Steven Tyler and Tom Hamilton were actually in the crowd soaking the new boys in from their “royal box” balcony seats. That’s not all, Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielson and Bun E. Carlos were spotted bopping along to “Growing On Me.” This was an unprecedented rock and roll event and it was immediately clear why this show sold out in 9 minutes flat. This is one of those rare instances where buzz and the every man meet. Just the “wardrobe malfunction” that caused Hawkins’ to stuff a tiny Union Jack down the crotch of his broken zippered metallic gold and red jumpsuit during “Friday Night” was something I’ll never forget. The only thing more disturbingly laughable was the way the crowd dived for this sweaty souvenir when he tossed it.
The Darkness:
