ShareBlack Star Riders performing their 10th Anniversary Tour at Rock City Nottingham on Monday 13th February 2023.
Images and Review by Kevin Cooper
Black Star Riders have evolved from a touring version of Thin Lizzy to become a great rock band in their own right, as evidenced before an enthusiastic crowd at Rock City on Monday night.
Currently touring to celebrate their tenth anniversary, the five piece band now have a wealth of their own material after releasing their fifth studio album, Wrong Side Of Paradise last month.
Opening with new song Pay Dirt they showed that they are an impressively tight bunch, and that front man and lead singer Ricky Warwick has grown immeasurably in stature over the years, delivering songs such as Another State Of Grace, When The Night Comes In and The Wrong Side Of Paradise in his customary energetic way that got the crowd rocking along.
Founding member Jimmy DeGrasso was back on drums for the celebration accompanied by Robbie Crane on bass. Most of the lead guitar work was left to Sam Wood who hailed from Wayward Sons, but when Scott Gorham made an appearance he was greeted with unabashed enthusiasm.
The fist pumping anthemics of Better Than Saturday had the crowd fired up as did other new tracks such as Riding Out The Storm. Their cover of The Osmond’s Crazy Horses will no doubt become a main stay of any future BSR set list as is the show stopping dramatic Soldierstown.
Before The War, Kingdom Of The Lost and main set closer Bound For Glory from their 2013 debut album All Hell Breaks Loose had the crowd singing along. But without doubt many of them were waiting for the Thin Lizzy material and they were not disappointed when mid set the opening chords to Don’t Believe A Word had them in raptures.
Another nod to the great late Phil Lynott came in the form of Jailbreak, before they brought the night to an end with Finest Hour, showing that BSR have definitely moved forward into their own musical territory.
