Review: Red-hot Arizona fire up their fans

And believe it or not, Arizona really know what they’re doing.

A large black drape covered the stage as the band opened with the Guns ‘n’ Roses’ classic Welcome To The Jungle. With the front man rasping out the firstfew lines the drape still held strong until the ‘boom’ bit hit, then it dropped. What a great way to start.

Whitesnake’s Here I Go Again followed straight after to keep the masses happy.

Eighties rock is the band’s forte and throughout the evening they knocked out some great gems of musical history. Yes, we knew them all; from a smattering of

Whitesnake classics to staple tunes from Sheffield’s Def Leppard, but it was the way that this very likable unit delivered them that caught my eye.

To say they were nut tight is an understatement. They absolutely dripped in professionalism from the frontman Mark to the rear feet kicking of Mark (Stevo) on drums who never put a foot wrong. Bassist Andy was rock solid, keeping perfect time as the entire band seemed to be loving every minute of this special night.

With the tempo being reasonably up they did drop the pace somewhat for Extreme’s More Than Words and the Thunder hit Love Walked In, both of which worked well.

Other standout tunes from the eighties included Bon Jovi, Queen, and naturally AC/DC. Everything locked into place as guitars and vocals rocked the night away.

The crowd even participated in decent sing alongs, which for a local band to instigate and succeed with is quite something. And yes, the punters too were in fine voice.

Arizona may be doing what many local bands are currently playing and yes, the ending could have been better as they closed with the Kiss hit God Gave Rock and Roll which just doesn’t do it for me, but the real difference was that overall we had a red hot atmosphere with the band’s performance hitting boiling point.

And that, my friends, is what it’s all about.

Photo by Roy Goodall