There are several Alter Bridge songs that motivate me, but this one hit the hardest the very first time I heard it.
Alter Bridge: “My Champion”
The Last Hero
Song of the Day — Alter Bridge: “Show Me A Leader”
Weekly Focus: Alter Bridge, Pt. II, Day Seven
Alter Bridge — “The Other Side,” from the album The Last Hero (2016).
Weekly Focus: Alter Bridge, Pt. II, Day Six
Alter Bridge — “Cradle to the Grave,” from the album The Last Hero (2016).
Ranked: Alter Bridge
Alter Bridge’s “birthday” was January 4th. It has been an amazing fourteen years, filled with truly epic music. Here, I will rank their albums from my most loved to my least loved. (My list includes only their studio albums.)
1. Blackbird (2007)
The title track alone is enough to earn Blackbird the number one spot. It blows my mind that anyone can hear that song and not acknowledge Alter Bridge as one of the best rock bands in existence. By the time “Ties That Bind,” “Come to Life,” and “Watch Over You” are added, there is no disputing the strength of this record.
2. Fortress (2013)
This was a tough one, because for me, Fortress and One Day Remains are neck and neck. However, Fortress took number two based on “Lover” and “Waters Rising” (which is in my top 5 favorite AB tracks; I adore Mark’s voice).
3. One Day Remains (2004)
And so we come to Alter Bridge’s debut record, and man, is it a winner. At the time of its release, I was focused on other bands, mainly Avenged Sevenfold, and I missed it almost entirely (though I did see them at a festival on this tour). Once I became obsessed with Alter Bridge, however, I quickly realized there isn’t a single song from One Day Remains that I can’t listen to. My favorites are the title track, “Find the Real,” “In Loving Memory,” and “Shed My Skin.”
4. AB III (2010)
Confession: I don’t love every song from AB III. I don’t hate any of them, but it’s not an album I typically listen to from start to finish. With that said, the songs I do love on it are standouts in Alter Bridge’s career: “Slip to the Void,” “Isolation,” “Ghost of Days Gone By,” “Wonderful Life,” “I Know It Hurts,” and “Words Darker Than Their Wings.” (Again, anything Mark lends his vocals to is alright with me.)
5. The Last Hero (2016)
I like this album. Really, I do. I saw them three times touring for it. But it didn’t have as many songs that jumped out and grabbed me as their previous records. “Show Me a Leader” is great, and “Crows on a Wire” is a punch to the face (in a good way). I also enjoy “Twilight,” “My Champion,” and “This Side of Fate.”
Alter Bridge Returns to the Iron City
On their final leg of The Last Hero tour, Alter Bridge made a stop in Birmingham, Alabama, for the first time in ten years. They played at Iron City with opening acts Sons of Texas and All That Remains. As an added bonus, I convinced my parents to go. It was their first Alter Bridge show.
Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond my control, I missed all of Sons of Texas and most of All That Remains, though I did catch the latter performing their version of “The Thunder Rolls.”
My parents and I found a spot in the balcony and anxiously awaited the start of Alter Bridge’s set. The venue was packed from wall to wall, and everywhere I looked I saw shirts from past tours, most prominent among them Blackbird and The Last Hero.
Just as the excitement boiled over and fans began chanting the band’s name, the lights dimmed. Drummer Scott Phillips settled behind his kit to a soundtrack of cheers. Vocalist/guitarist Myles Kennedy, guitarist Mark Tremonti, and bassist Brian Marshall took the stage without further ado, and we were off.
Alter Bridge opened with “Writing on the Wall” and tore through three more songs before Myles addressed the audience. Every word he spoke was met with ecstatic screams. At one point, the front man acknowledged how long it had been since they’d been to Alabama, and he promised they would never overlook us again.
Alter Bridge’s set spanned their entire career, hitting the high points from each album: “Open Your Eyes” from One Day Remains, “Ties That Bind” and the title track of Blackbird, “Isolation” (AB III), “Cry of Achilles” (Fortress), and “Crows on a Wire” off The Last Hero. Much to our joy, they did “Fortress,” which doesn’t often find its way into their shows. The acoustic portion consisted of Myles playing “Watch Over You” alone, then being joined by Mark for the highlight of my night, “In Loving Memory.” The evening came to a close with “Show Me a Leader” and “Rise Today.”
This was my fifth Alter Bridge show, and the quartet again not only met but surpassed my expectations. Musically brilliant and high on crowd participation, they delivered the kind of performance concert-goers dream about. I was on cloud 9. My mom, who has been listening to Alter Bridge since 2004, was over the moon. And my dad… Well, he doesn’t like a lot of recent artists/bands, but he seemed suitably impressed, especially when Mark and Myles had their guitar duel and showcased that they are, in fact, the two most talented men in the business.
For the fourth consecutive review, I am ending with a personal anecdote. My parents and I went to where the buses were parked and were soon graced by the presence of Mark, Myles, and Scott. Perhaps my favorite part of the night was Dad introducing himself to Mark. I added “That’s my dad,” and Mark smiled and said “Hi, Dad!” It was so endearing. The guitarist also found it humorous that my mom made him squat for a picture, attempting to get him closer to my height (I’m barely under 5′ and Mark is 6’1″). He did so without protest, and he is grinning in the photo.
I love this band. They are my happy place.
Playlist Challenge, Day 03
Alter Bridge — “You Will Be Remembered”
Playlist Challenge, Day 02
The first thirteen songs on my playlist are all from Alter Bridge, so I’m just going to post the ones that get played the most. Otherwise, you’ll be reading about AB for two full weeks. Not that you should mind. Lol.
This is my favorite song from The Last Hero, entitled “My Champion.”
Playlist Challenge, Day 01
A friend of mine has challenged me to share every song on my playlist. I post mostly about rock music on here, but I actually have a lot of different genres saved to my playlist. Um…that fact will be revealed later, as the very first track is “Show Me a Leader” by Alter Bridge (of course).
Concert Review: An Amazing Night With Alter Bridge
On Wednesday, October 5th, my brother Rick and I drove up to the War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville to see Alter Bridge. The other two bands on the bill were 3 Pill Morning and Adelita’s Way. I was very excited because I love all three acts, and I can tell you honestly that they did not disappoint. 3 Pill Morning was energetic and seemed to thrive off of audience participation, while Adelita’s Way focused more upon the music and less upon sing-alongs.
Once Adelita’s Way left the stage, anticipation became a practically tangible emotion in the air: any second now, Alter Bridge would be up there. Excited chatter filled the venue and when the lights dimmed, expectation reached its breaking point. There were several yells and delighted shrieks. Alter Bridge drummer Scott Phillips climbed behind his set, throwing his hands into the air and eliciting cheers from the eager crowd. In rapid succession, bassist Brian Marshall, guitarist Mark Tremonti, and vocalist/guitarist Myles Kennedy emerged from backstage. The band tore into “Come to Life” without preamble.
The set list had (almost) every track an Alter Bridge fan could want, including “Ties That Bind,” “Blackbird,” “Isolation,” “Watch Over You,” and the band’s latest song of encouragement, “My Champion.” As per usual, the set was concluded with “Open Your Eyes.”
But of course, no one moved. With chants of “Alter Bridge” echoing loudly, the quartet returned for two encores. The moment had come. It was a highlight for many as the band began the first single off their upcoming record, “Show Me a Leader.” Watching Myles Kennedy play the intro, I literally had chills.
Their second encore was the much loved “Rise Today.” Myles invited us to sing the chorus near the end, and we accepted with gusto. That will always be one of my favorite parts of an Alter Bridge concert.
The show was perfect. I have no other way to describe it. I have seen Alter Bridge three times, and this performance and set list were the best. If you love bands who get up there and play and don’t bother with props or appearances, then you need to hit an AB concert. It’s nothing fancy; just four extremely talented musicians doing what they do best.
After taking a bow and many thank-yous, the band filed off the stage. The lights came on and crew members went to work breaking everything down. The satisfied audience spilled from the venue, talking and laughing and, in some cases, lamenting the long drive home. However, my and my brother’s night was not over.
Together, Rick and I circled the venue and joined a cluster of fans by the bus. It paid off. We soon were meeting Brian Marshall. Our patience and determination kept us there for another forty-five minutes — long enough for Mark Tremonti to emerge. And this is when my review gets personal.
Rick has been a fan of Mark’s since roughly 1997. He saw Creed with Finger Eleven and Sevendust many moons ago. He accepted Myles Kennedy without question and has loved Alter Bridge from day one. But he had never met any of them until this night. (I met Mark in Birmingham last year, when Tremonti opened for Black Stone Cherry.) Rick and Mark talked guitars, then Rick told Mark that he was his idol. It was…beautiful.
Mark was quickly followed by Scott Phillips, who was good-humored and who, after Rick stated that Alter Bridge were his heroes, said we were the band’s heroes. And with that, we left, both in high spirits. The fact that we were about to spend over two hours on the road didn’t even matter.
So worth it ❤
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