Airbourne Live!
Review By Gregory O.
Photos Dan Savoie
April 19th, Vancouver BC
“Are we going to party toniiiiight?” wailed through the microphone with an eerie similarity to fellow frontman Brian Johnson of AC/DC, as Aussie band Airbourne took the stage. With a half bottle of Jack Daniels in hand, front man Joel O’Keeffe was destined to tear this small and sweaty night club apart by the time he was done with it. The four piece band from Melbourne whose debut album Runnin’ Wild hit the shelves early in 2008 came out of the gates with more force and persistence than I have seen in a very long time. Their opening tracks portrayed an encore rather than an intro as this group from down under was just starting to fire things up.
If one had to describe a band and their unforgettable experience, look no further than one of the band’s own verses from “Stand up for Rock ‘n’ Roll.”
“All right people/Welcome to the show/Are you ready to rock? /Are you ready to go? /Now we’ve got what you want/And we’ve got what you need/So get your ass down here/And let your ears bleed.”
These guys know how to have a good time and they know how to get the party started. The pit was jammed with ambitious and rambunctious fanatics that crowded the already tight, Pilsner can littered stage location. This was not a problem for these rockers as the easy stage access promoted this chaotic crowd interaction. Throughout the set Joel was rudely rewarded by multiple microphone stands crashing into his face. If this was an Oasis show the gig would have ended right then and there, but not for Airbourne, this seemed to make them play even harder.
The boys belted out song after song from Runnin’ Wild and included fan favorites “Fat City”, “Diamond in the Rough”, “Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast” and “Runnin’ Wild”. Nearing the end of their set Joel got this look on his face that translated into some kind of disappointment. He jumped off the side stage mid song as he made his way through the bar and maintained his lead guitar duties simultaneously. Noticeably on a mission Joel headed straight to the bar located in the middle of the show floor. Much to the surprise of the bartenders Joel jumped up to the bar top to deliver this distinctive guitar solo. Before returning to the stage to join his brother Ryan (drums), David Roads (guitar) and Justin Street (bass) Joel jumped behind the bar and deviously swiped a new bottle of Jack. Now clear what started this undertaking in the first place he got back under the lights and took a huge pull from the newly acquired bottle to extinguish his worked up thirst. To the lucky maniacs in the front rows he doused Jack Daniels down the throats of all willing and unwilling sweaty metal fans.
Airbourne is no doubt a hard working band with an emphasis on throwing one hell of a party each and every night.
“As long as I am alive… and as long as you are alive. Rock and Roll will never die!”
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Excellent review! I seen these guys the very next night in Portland, OR. Again they rocked hard and afterwards, my group got the chance to meet the band. Very friendly guys, and eager to talk to their fans! Thanks for a great review!
BTW Link Back will be given from my blog. I couldn’t have made a better review!
Right on can’t wait to see these guys after reading this! Sounds like a hell of an affair, reminds me of an old S.P gig..