ALTER BRIDGE saved Manchester for the last night of their short UK tour, whereas the last time they graced our shores, Wembley was their last date. I'm not sure if this was intentional, but fans of the band in the city are certainly glad they decided to come back.

The first of the two support bands was HALESTORM, a band with plenty of attitude. I wasn't familiar with any of their material before this concert, but to be brutally honest, I don't think I'll be checking anything else of theirs out. They had great stage presence, especially lead singer Lzzy Hale, and their drummer, Arejay Hale is an absolute lunatic (in a good way), but their music just didn't do anything for me. They got a great reaction from the crowd though, and due to their extensive touring back catalogue, they quite clearly know what they are doing.

Next up were SHINEDOWN, and they certainly know how to play to a crowd. I knew quite a few of their songs already, so it was quite good to hear them live, imbuing them with that extra energy that a few amps are known to give. Lead singer Brent Smith was probably the main attraction for most of the fans there, handling the limelight with ease, and giving inspirational speeches to the crowd that got everyone pumped up (even if they might have sometimes gone on for too long). He even gave out quite a few roses to various ladies within the audience, dishing out compliments with each one. Staying away from that though, the music was great. There wasn't a dull moment as the band bounced around the stage, and roused the entire crowd on to their feet. Their cover of LYNYRD SKYNYRD's "Simple Man" definitely wasn't anything to be sniffed at either, producing an awesome sing along. They provided a very worthy warm up to the main show.

ALTER BRIDGE started with the lead single, "Addicted To Pain", from their latest release, the amazing "Fortress". It sounded great live, but something which surprised me was apart from this one, they only played two other songs from the new album, "Cry Of Achilles", and "Waters Rising". Saying that though, it was an impressive set list, featuring all of the fan favorites. I last saw the band in Manchester when they visited in 2011, and I have to admit that the atmosphere was a lot better that time round (there was a distinct lack of chants during this show), but it still surpassed any expectations. The only let down moment for me was when Myles Kennedy and his acoustic guitar performed the wonderful "Watch Over You", which is usually the stand out song of the show due to crowd participation. However, this time round, they brought on Lzzy Hale to sing part of the song, which I don't think was a brilliant choice. Sure, she's got a great voice, but this song is meant to be subtle and understated, and she seemed to completely overpower the guitar, and it took something away from the song for me. That was the only downer for the whole show though, every song was delivered with the usual enthusiasm and energy, and it was nice to properly hear Mark Tremonti's voice live during "Waters Rising", as lead singer instead of just as a backing vocalist. The atmosphere may not have been good as last time, but the crowd still reacted brilliantly to the band, culminating in epic sing along during "Rise Today", "Open Your Eyes", and of course "Watch Over You".

ALTER BRIDGE will always hold a special place in my heart, purely due to the passion you can feel oozing from every facet of the band. They never disappoint, and they know how to impress without going over the top. They're doing it for the fans, because the fans are the reason they're where they are today, and you can sense the gratitude from them. An excellent night, and one I won't forget.

Setlist:

1. Addicted to Pain
2. White Knuckles
3. Come to Life
4. Before Tomorrow Comes
5. Brand New Start
6. Cry of Achilles
7. Ghost of Days Gone By
8. Ties That Bind
9. Waters Rising
10. Broken Wings
11. Metalingus
12. Blackbird
13. Watch Over You (with Elizabeth "Lzzy" Hale) (Acoustic)
14. Rise Today
15. Slip to the Void
16. Isolation
17. Open Your Eyes