Alter Bridge · Halestorm · Mammoth WVH - Pitview

A night like this would have deserved a sold-out venue. Anyone who made it off the sofa and into the Zenith on this November evening was rewarded with a strong mix of three bands clearly loving what they do - handmade rock, just as it should be.

Mammoth WVH - the new star

At 7 pm, Wolfgang Van Halen, son of rock legend Eddie, kicked things off with his band Mammoth WVH. The welcome was warm, and within a few minutes at the latest you understood why Lzzy Hale calls him "the nicest guy I ever toured with". The five-piece delivered an exciting mix of hard rock, metal and alternative - even grunge fans got their money's worth. After about 30 minutes the Zenith was warmed up and ready for Halestorm.

Mammoth WVH live, Zenith, München — Mammoth WVH, fronted by Wolfgang Van Halen, opened the night

Halestorm - Lzzy Hale, a force of nature

The four Americans of Halestorm, led by frontwoman Lzzy Hale, steamrolled the audience in their inimitable way. From the first song you could feel the power in full force, and even in the quieter moments their untamed energy was tangible. Remarkably, the sound in the notoriously tricky Zenith was already first-class for the support acts. Crashing guitars, thundering bass, punchy drums - and Lzzy's voice reigning over it all.

Crashing guitars, brutal bass and drums - and Lzzy's voice above it all. Top work from the tech crew.

Nine songs and a drum solo later, Halestorm said goodbye to huge applause. Now the room was hungry for the headliner.

Alter Bridge - organic and musical

Around half past nine the intro started, and "Silver Tongue" rang out as the first banger - also the second single from the current album "Pawns & Kings", which gives the tour its name. Right from the start you could see how much fun Scott Phillips, Brian Marshall, Mark Tremonti and Myles Kennedy still have on stage after almost 20 years as a band.

Alongside "This Is War" and the title track "Pawns & Kings", the 16-song set offered a cross-section of the band's history. Classics like "Broken Wings", "Blackbird" and "Metalingus" were of course a must, plus an outstanding acoustic version of "In Loving Memory". In between, Myles Kennedy chatted with the audience, asked how many times Alter Bridge had actually played Munich, and was visibly happy to be back "in your beautiful country".

After the encores "Cry of Achilles" and the very first Alter Bridge single "Open Your Eyes", it was over - and on the way to the exit you saw lots of happy faces. Where some Alter Bridge concerts in the past had felt rather technical and clinical, this time it was absolutely organic and musical.

Three very different yet related bands who still clearly love playing live - and all for under 60 euros. Money well spent, true to the motto: there is only one thing better than music - live music.