Live and Kicking
Stand back and watch as Carl Verheyen and crew let loose the dogs of rock. The vocals on this recording of a live set possess the soft lilt of Sting and the crass, abrasive warbles of the Gallagher brothers. For once, the guitar blends its strings with the music of other instruments to create a cacophony of foot tapping, electrifying beats and rhythms. Verheyen is a master of his craft and not shy about showing his skill as the lyrics and music break for five minutes to allow for a sneaky guitar solo or two in a number of songs. Bono may be the more public face of U2 but U2 are not the 'Bono Band' Similarly, Verheyen may be a skilled maestro of the strings but the roaring crowd one hears on this record have come to see a live set from a band and not a show from a single performer. Egos have been sacrificed for the music and the record sounds great with intense beats pulsating through crisp, sharp lyrics which offer a mellow reflection on the fall of love, the feeling of beginning again and the beauty of hope for the future.
Granted, I've not heard Verheyen and his musical posse play anything else but a live
recording from Los Angeles and, who knows, perhaps a Verheyen connoisseur has heard all these songs before and, to them, the live versions are mere parody? No matter, Verheyen's live ditties are pastiches of the recording studio fodder. 'Highland Shuffle' has a wonderful melody and drifts along in a lighter than air fashion beloved by classical music. 'Maggie's Ladder' has a darker twist to it and eerie echoes make the music pleasant yet unsettling. Only a band truly confident of themselves and within themselves can allow their music to run away from their control and Verheyen's musical posse spend many tracks testing the audience's reaction to free roaming rifts which, if they should wish later in the day, may restore their union with the lyrics of the songs at any point.
'Place For Me' is a song about a love gone sour. Men will relate to it and women will debate it. It's in this song that echoes of Sting and the Police reverberate the most throughout the stage and truly this entire live set has been in homage to the rock gods and their coterie. Rejoice in this record as Verheyen steps from his role as master of his craft and overlord of all he surveys, into legend status.