Alter Bridge at Download 2005
Alter Bridge distilled the spirit of Pearl Jam and drank it. There can be know no other explanation for the fact that they sound just like Pearl Jam, with the singer doing his best Eddie Vedder impression. It's quite unfortunate because they actually want to be Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath.
Alter Bridge can be classed as a grunge band, but then again, perhaps not. This is probably to do with the titles - such as 'Chance To Feel Alive' and I think perhaps it's because down to the vocals. The singer, bless him, is trying to be charismatic but I think he falls some way short. The second song on offer is heavier, but there is still a melody somewhere in their music, which balances it out. Despite the '80s twist, there's a modern feel that is trying to get out alongside a hint of blues trying to make itself heard. It's puzzling how they ended up on the main stage, as there are better metal acts on the two smaller stages today.
Another off putting thing is how the sound keeps dipping up and down. Alter Bridge are another band to fall victim to poor sound this weekend. 'This is cool shit, I wanna thank each and every one of you for coming' - he may be grateful, but I sure as hell wasn't so impressed. They chose to follow this nugget of information up with the strangest take on 'Sonnez Lementina' with a single guitar melody ringing out - it's almost a ballad (well it pretty much is). It's also pretty unsettling with off-key vocals, and for a short moment it seems they're trying to out-System of a Down, System of a Down.
When a mention of Sabbath got a bigger cheer than most of their own material, I think the crowd are trying to tell them something. This doesn't deter Alter Bridge from trying to get the crowd cheering and getting into it, but it really doesn't work.
If somebody can tell me why they deserved to be on the main stage, then they deserve a prize, but, to be honest, I don't think it's possible - it's about time the spirit of Pearl Jam was given a rest.