After David Coverdale’s solo album, ‘Into the Light’, in 2000. Whitesnake layed dormant for another 2 years. It was December of 2002 that David decided to reform Whitenake. And what a band he put together. It was Doug Aldrich and Reb Beach on guitar, Marco Mendozza on bass, Timothy Drury on keyboards and the mighty Tommy Aldridge on drums.
The band toured for a couple years and in 2004, they recorded a show. It was on October 20, 2004 at the Hammersmith Apollo in London that a video recording was made of the show. The video, however, would not see the light of day for until February 2006. I know because I remember when this came out as I received a very special copy. Why was it special? I will tell you.
It is not special because it is the ‘Special Collector’s Edition’. No. It is special because I won it on some music website give away. Sadly, I don’t remember what website, but I remember entering the contest, receiving an email that I won, and lastly receiving a parcel in the mail with the DVD set included. And it was this set that reignited my passion for David Coverdale and the rest is history.
This copy is the ‘Special Collector’s Edition’ as I noted earlier. What makes it special is that it comes with a CD as well with highlights of the show. Those highlights are only 10 tracks of 16 on the DVD. I have to admit it that is a little disappointing. I would’ve preferred the full show on CD as well, even if a 2 CD set. This for me is a big fault of the set. The CD set is okay, but it isn’t even in order of the show and it doesn’t quite capture the energy you get from the DVD set.
Enough about that. Let’s get on to the show. As I said there are 16 songs plus a Tommy Aldridge drum solo which is not listed. I have to admit, the editing and production on the show was quite excellent. The cuts between each of the guys was timed nicely to the songs, the lighting was spectacular and the whole energy of the show was captured perfectly as you are really immersed into the show. I would say it is my favorite video concert I have the band, but it is also the only video concert I have of the band so not quite fair.
The album kicks off with a song that is completely unexpected. The come out swinging with the Deep Purple song “Burn”. There was a time, David would not play any Purple songs, but thankfully, those feeling for him have changed (especially as you will see in a few reviews). The song is unbelievable and this band tears it up. The tempo is turned up even higher and the band is attacking this song as if it was their own. David and Marco Mendozza shared the vocals during the chorus as they both gathered at David’s mic and sang the parts as if Marco was Glenn Hughes of Deep Purple. Great way to open the show. Now, there are so many tracks on this set, I am only going to hit the highlights for me.
During the song, “Love Ain’t No Stranger”, the crowd helped sing along and you could see the pride on David’s face. Now what I found interesting as this was 2006 and the Smartphone was really available yet so the crowd weren’t holding up their phones to record every part of the show. Nope, their hands were in the air because they were enjoying the show and they were living it in the moment like all live shows should be.
The band played the ballad “Is This Love” and it went over so well. The ballad didn’t kill the tempo of the show, but actually made it more alive. There was a young lady that gave David some flowers with a touching note. David said thank you in the only way David knows how…he thanked her for her Tits!!…classic David!! The #MeToo movement was not yet alive either.
After the band rips through “Judgement Day”, we get to see why David brought in Doug Aldrich as the lead guitarist. Doug’s solo is fantastic and then he goes in to his own song called “Blues for Mylene” which is brilliant. Throughout the show, Doug showed he could do Sykes, he could do Vandenberg and he could come close to doing Vai. He fits the band quite well. After this song, he David go in to a Coverdale/Aldrich original called “Snake Dance” that is an instrumental with the whole band and Mendozza doing some humming and then they kick in to “Crying in the Rain”.
In the middle of “Crying in the Rain” you get Tommy Aldridge’s drum solo. Aldridge is such a freaking heavy hitter. He abuses those skins and luckily they hold up to the punishment. At the end of the solo, he throws his sticks away and goes ballistic on the drums with only his hands. The beast is unleashed as he attacks the drums with the same ferocity.
The band give it their all throughout the show and are a sopping wet mess by the end to prove it. I didn’t mention Reb Beach much and I apologize, but it is only because the show focused more on Aldrich. Reb was stellar as well and he is the real quiet hero of the group. Timothy Drury on keyboards hit all the notes you expect from those late 80’s Whitesnake songs that gave them the authenticity they needed to show this was still Whitesnake despite an entirely new band.
There were a few surprises in the show and they were what was omitted. There was only one song from ‘Slide it In’ and only one from ‘Slip of the Tongue’, two of their biggest albums. However, they left room for more diversity which is a plus as we got songs from Deep Purple and early Snake and the crowd ate it all up.
Now, what else did the DVD have? The bonus material was fairly lacking. It did have a 15 minute documentary on the band and the show. It interviewed all members and had some behind the scene footage. It was good for what it was, but it was short. There was also a photo gallery, but that was it. The packaging also came with a little booklet with pictures of the band and solo pages for each member.
I still enjoy this set 14 years later and had a blast revisiting it for this review. It is a nice piece in the collection. If you don’t have this one, I do recommend it as there aren’t a lot of concert DVDs although there is absolutely no shortage of Live CDs from the band. As far as a score, I would give it a 4.0 out of 5.0 Stars. It only gets the 4.0 because as a Special Edition, I would’ve liked the whole show on CD and more extras on the DVD, but I am being picky I know…I don’t care, it is what I want. Thanks for stopping by and come back soon for the next in the David Coverdale series, which is below…
Up next…Whitesnake – Live…In the Shadow of the Blues
The David Coverdale Series:
- Deep Purple – Burn
- Deep Purple – Stormbringer
- Deep Purple – Come Taste the Band
- Deep Purple – Made in Europe
- David Coverdale – Whitesnake
- Deep Purple – Last Concert in Japan
- David Coverdale – Northwinds
- David Coverdale’s Whitesnake – Snakebite
- Whitesnake – Trouble
- Whitesnake – Lovehunter
- Whitesnake – Ready an’ Willing
- Whitesnake – Live…in the Heart of the City
- Whitesnake – Come An’ Get it
- Deep Purple – Live in London
- Whitesnake – Saints & Sinners
- Whitesnake – Slide It In
- Whitesnake – “Give Me More Time” 12″ Single (Bonus Review)
- Whitesnake – ‘The Best of Whitesnake (Bonus Review – 1982 release)
- Whitesnake – Whitesnake (1987)
- Whitesnake – “Is This Love” 12″ Promo (Bonus Review)
- Whitesnake – Slip of the Tongue
- David Coverdale – “The Last Note of Freedom” – Single Review
- Coverdale/Page – Coverdale/Page
- Coverdale/Page – “Take Me For A Little While 12” Single (Bonus Review)
- David Coverdale & Whitesnake – Restless Heart
- Whitesnake – Starkers in Tokyo
- David Coverdale – Into the Night
- Whitesnake – Live…In the Still of the Night (DVD)
- Whitesnake – Live…In the Shadow of the Blues
- Whitesnake – Good To Be Bad
- Whitesnake – Forevermore
- Whitesnake – Live at Donington 1990: Monsters of Rock
- Whitesnake – The Purple Album
- Whitesnake – The Purple Tour (Live)
- Whitesnake – Flesh & Blood
- Whitesnake – The Rock Album
- Whitesnake – The Albums Ranked Worst to First
- David Coverdale – The Albums Ranked Worst to First
Other David Coverdale Albums reviewed – (Box Sets and Bootlegs):
- Whitesnake – 1987 (30th Anniversary Edition) – Box Set
- Whitesnake – Slide It In (35th Anniversary Edition) – Box Set
- Whitesnake – Unzipped – Box Set
- Whitesnake – Slip of the Tongue (30th Anniversary Edition) – Box Set
- Whitesnake (Snake) – Still of the Night Live in Battle Creek, Mich. July 26, 1987 (Bootleg)
2 Loud 2 Old Music 
You enjoyed this more than me. I could never get into it. Last year I watched again and just got bored.
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Tell us how you really feel Scott. lol
You should have reviewed this at your site.
21-word review!
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And there is no Sykes so you might as well not bother with it!
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No Marsden, No Sykes, No Problem!
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Sykes set the bar so high with his involvement on the 87 album that nothing comes close to it. Sure I came around on SOTT but I will gp to my grave still saying to much Vai whackin off on it.
Flesh and Blood was pretty decent as well.
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87 is easily my fave Snake so no arguments from me. In my Top 10 of all albums actually.
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I wonder how many guitarists back in 87 lost there shit when they heard Sykes tone on that record.
Everyone talks about Bob Rocks drum sound but how about the tone he got out of Sykes?
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I don’t think Rock had anything to do with 87. He worked on Blue Murder I think? Sykes is just awesome though. Even the really extreme metal guys dig his playing. Shame he’s so unreliable at putting stuff out.
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Here Scott read this,
“Bob Rock was next door workin’ with Bruce Fairbairn on Honeymoon Suite,” says the British-born Sykes, “and we kept bumpin’ into each other in the lobby. Mike Fraser was working on the Whitesnake album, but his wife had just had a baby, so he took a week off and Bob came in with us. He actually created my guitar sound on the Whitesnake album, and we’ve been friends ever since. I wanted to go for an early ’70s type of sound more than a late ’80s thing, and Bob’s into early Purple and Zeppelin, so it was great.”
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Was that from the Rock Candy liner notes? My mistake, I’d misremembered that…
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Ah, No worries thats from an interview he did around the BM debut.
Agreed it’s been way to long to hear music from him and if he put something out tomorrow I would buy it.
The smartest thing he ever did was to not sign over the publishing on the 87 album. No wonder he doesn’t work.
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Yeah it rings a bell from the Rock Candy notes in BM too. I’d forgot it was Whitesnake he’d helped with. And, Sykes had one of the best live tones I’ve ever heard too. Saw him with the Lizzy thing and his sound was huuge.
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Thats cool u saw him live as nowadays is he still alive? lol
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Saw him a couple of times doing the Lizzy stuff. Umm… early 2000s? Would have liked to see him do his other stuff but it was great getting to see him play at any rate. He really is phenomenal.
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Sykes is a beast no doubt. Those demos on the 87 reissue are gold.
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Sorry to hear. I was glad to have a video show as I didn’t have one prior. I like Tommy and it was great to hear some of those early songs and even the Purple stuff.
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I totally get that. I saw them live at this point and enjoyed it so I was excited to get it. I don’t know what it is… I just found it really dull.
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Now, the next year when they release Live…in the Shadow of the Blues…now that was dull for me (oops, just spoiled my review….dang it).
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Yes I feel pretty much the same about that although I prefer just hearing them to having to look at them as well!
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Ha!
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Cool looking stuff. Looking at that pic of the band Beach and Tommy are still with him which is impressive.
It’s always a neat thing when you put something on that you have’t watched in a long time and over time realize you still dig it.
Ask Mikey we get to watch him weekly clean dust off of all his box sets weekly and its free to watch.
Have a good day Pal.
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Thanks Deke! I did have to “dust” it off as it had been a few years since I watched it, but still good for me.
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Nohting wrong with that.
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I got this DVD and CD set as well and like Mr Snow it reinvigorated my interest in Whitesnake. Plus it was cool to get a concert that had some of those earlier gems from the albums.
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Agreed. The early songs were great and for him to pull out a Purple, I was stunned.
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That’s a neat story about the contest – I’m fascinated by those sliding doors scenarios.
If you don’t win that contest, do you still end up on this David Coverdale re-discovery?
I’m pleased you won & it led to this journey, John!
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You know, I don’t know if that was the gateway to this dive back in to Whitesnake & Coverdale. I had always been a fan, but that fandom actually waned up until about 2-3 years ago. I think I found an old Whitesnake album on vinyl and loved it and that led to more discovery of his earlier days and Deep Purple and then it snowballed from there. I think I would have made this journey with or without winning this disc (but it din’t hurt).
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It has always bugged me that the CD didn’t have the full set. Maybe DC will do an anniversary expanded edition!
He should…
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It sucks. He has learned his lesson since as now he does it right.
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