Photos | Review: Alter Bridge & Mammoth WVH Shred Down with Paul Reed Smith!

Who: Pawns & Kings Tour: Alter Bridge; Mammoth WVH; RED

Where: The Fillmore Silver Spring, Silver Spring, MD

When: February 4, 2023

In February 2017, Alter Bridge was just 100 tickets shy of selling out The Fillmore Silver Spring upon their first visit. Exactly six years (and two album cycles) later, the metal-coated rock quartet finally got the sold-out show they deserved! With an outstanding lineup of Mammoth WVH and RED — plus a surprise encore cameo by guitar maker extraordinaire, Paul Reed Smith — there wasn‘t any question as to why the night was so in-demand.

RED

To kick off the night, literally, RED frontman Michael Barnes high-kicked with all his might! On either side of the lead singer, twin brothers Anthony (guitar) and Randy Armstrong (bass) brought booming, thunderous riffs.

During the six-song set, the Christian alt-rock group celebrated entering their third decade together. Filling out the foursome, touring drummer Brian Medeiros added his own hardcore flair to RED’s fan-favorite screamers, such as “Breathe Into Me” and “Death of Me.”

Mammoth WVH

Following a crimson opener, Wolfgang Van Halen and his crew of colorful misfits, Mammoth WVH, took the stage, making their Silver Spring debut! As the frontman, Van Halen excellently mastered multiple roles as lead singer, lead guitarist, and keyboardist. However, the rest of the quintet only further enhanced the songs played from their self-titled LP, proving that the live Mammoth WVH experience continues to reign supreme!

In the rhythm section, drummer Garrett Whitlock and bassist Ronnie Ficarro made for a dastardly energetic duo! Meanwhile, at the far sides of the stage, the heavenly hair flips of Frank Sidoris and the golden backing vocals of Jon Jourdan were fitting punctuation for the pair of rhythm guitarists’ godly riffs.

To the band’s amazement, the crowd loudly welcomed the eight-song set as though it was a co-headlining slot! Wolf even recognized several younger fans in the audience, including a traveling trio of banner-holding fans known colloquially as “The Flag Guys.” Likewise, Mammoth WVH’s performance (including the hits “Distance” and “Don’t Back Down”) sent a strong message that the youth have put the future of rock music in good hands.

Alter Bridge

At long last, the lights descended onto the night’s third and final act, Alter Bridge! The ferocious four-piece opened their headlining set with the wicked-sharp “Silver Tongue,” fresh from their latest album, Pawns & Kings.

Very quickly, it became evident to lead singer and co-lead guitarist, Myles Kennedy, was realizing just how passionate all 2,000 fans were about the band’s long-awaited return to the Washington, DC area! As the entire room sang along to songs both old and new without missing a line, Kennedy would lean away from the mic with a huge grin containing both admiration and amazement.

To be fair, the rest of AB were equally happy to be playing for such a fantastic crowd less than a mile north of the MD-DC border! Co-lead guitarist and part-time vocalist, Mark Tremonti, headbanged to each riff with a toothy smile, while bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips focused on their signature rhythm bond with consistent smirks.

Since the pandemic’s first year knocked out any chance of Alter Bridge visiting DC to promote their prior album, 2019’s Walk the Sky, the band made every effort to make the show special! For instance, early in the set, the band chose Silver Spring for the stunning live debut of “Dead Among the Living” from Pawns & Kings. Later on, Tremonti continued the new tradition of singing lead vocals instead of Kennedy on the classic One Day Remains track, “Burn It Down.”

With the show happening in Maryland, however, only one rare tradition and three words could top anything else in AB’s set: Paul. Reed. Smith.

Encore featuring Paul Reed Smith

Being both a close friend of Alter Bridge and the legendary founder of the world-renowned, Stevensville, Maryland-based guitar company, PRS Guitars, Paul Reed Smith has jammed with the band a handful of times on-stage during tour stops in Baltimore. (Prior to this show, the last time Smith joined AB on-stage was way back in 2014!)

For the uninitiated, Kennedy and Tremonti have played PRS electric guitars nearly exclusively for the past two decades, with both taking part in helping to design custom guitar models with Smith several times. Tremonti, in particular, has collaborated with PRS on his own signature guitar series since the Creed days!

With all of that in mind, the significance of the one and only Paul Reed Smith playing an encore song with Alter Bridge for the first time in nine years was massive! This time around, Smith really gave his all during the impromptu supergroup’s rendition of the fan-favorite closer, “Rise Today.” Naturally, the guitarmaker’s home state crowd ate up every single guitar riff and solo from Smith, Kennedy, and Tremonti!

Even though the DC area had to wait six long years for Alter Bridge to return, it was well worth the wait! Only AB could, with one show, deliver an experience that held up to all of the anticipation and more.

Follow Alter Bridge on social media and music streaming platforms:

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Post by Elizabeth Owens

Have you seen or are going to see Alter Bridge with Mammoth WVH this year? Comment below!