Tramp's White Lion, W.A.N.T.E.D. at Underworld Club (2006)

Underworld Club (Athens, Greece)

Tramp's White Lion, W.A.N.T.E.D.

Mixed feelings...Two words that can fully describe my impressions of that rainy Thursday night at […]

By Anastasis Fragopoulos

• November 23, 2006

Mixed feelings...Two words that can fully describe my impressions of that rainy Thursday night at the Underworld Club. Let's take it from the beginning:

We arrived outside the club and the crowd - same ol' faces everywhere - was waiting patiently to witness a long-awaited performance. I was prepared for the not-what-you-wish-for sound that is common place on almost every event at the Underworld Club, but I was also very thrilled due to the fact that this was the very first appearance of a beloved Hard Rock band of my youth: White Lion. As thrilled, though, as a kid waiting for his Xmas present even if I knew it wouldn't be delivered by Santa itself!

The place was packed and spirits were high as - with half an hour delay - the well acknowledged rockers W.A.N.T.E.D. from Thessaloniki hit the stage. The overall sound was, as expected, not good, in contrast to the band's attitude and performance which was quite professional and managed to make most of the people to listen, interact, enjoy and applause. The guys played songs from their first album, as well as some from their upcoming release and the cherry at the top was an interesting cover of the well known Ray Charles' Hit The Road Jack tune. Their promising performance would definitely have been better, if the sound (vocals 'buried' underneath the huge - yeah!!! - guitar sound, non existing bass and too loud keys) had been more helpful.

And, at last, the time had come for Mike Tramp's White Lion to make our dreams come true. Original White Lion tunes performed live for the first time in front of a 'hungry' audience! The Wait was over.... and then, suddenly, a noisy Heavy Metal (!!) band played the first chords of Lights And Thunder. OK, that's anyway a quite heavy song but where was that dreamy, almost airy, sound of those White Lion LPs I've got at home? These smooth guitar lines, that Crying For Freedom voice? After the initial shock, I slowly started to recognize the famous guitar riffs of Little Fighter, Lonely Nights, Hungry along with the lyrical lines we all loved sang by Tramp.
Don't get me wrong. The guys played very good. The guitar sound was edgy but solid. The bass lines loud and clear. The drummer did a terrific job and the keys played their supporting role beautifully (all that of course 'shaded' by the club's signature non-satisfactory sound). But I missed that feeling. That shivering feeling I get when I listen to White Lion's music. The one that long ago made me become a dedicated fan of the band. Sad...

Of course it's a difficult task to fill Bratta's shoes in a band like that but Jamie Law did a very good job playing Vito's riffs and solos while adding his personal touch making them his own. Mike's vocals were very close to the originals (surprise, surprise, he sang them in the first place, ha,ha) but very 'flat' afraid, that is, to push his voice to its upper limit, thus to deliver that dramatic risk everyone was expecting. What is more, he seemed so distant from the yelling crowd. Not even once did he take a look at his fans or even shake their waving hands. Strange...

Mixed feelings... Because as soon as Little Fighter or Broken Heart or Tell Me or Wait or Lady Of The Valley or Radar Love sounded I was shouting like crazy with enjoyment and at the middle of the song I was heading indifferent to the bar for another beer. For me it is like this White Lion gig never took place...well, it actually didn't...

Setlist: