Manchester ArenaThe band who rose from the ashes of Creed pack a bombastic, bludgeoning noise – but are best when they allow their songs space to breathe
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Florida rockers Alter Bridge are masters of the epic and bombastic. Their drums erupt like walls of cannons. Choruses stretch to the back of the arena and beyond. Guitars are played hard by men with legs apart; wailing solos come along as reliably as buses.
Two decades ago, in a previous incarnation, Creed, they were one of the biggest bands on the planet. Albums such as 1999’s Human Clay and 2001’s Weathered went multi-platinum on the back of radio-friendly rock anthems such as My Sacrifice and With Arms Wide Open. When that band fell apart in 2004 amid vocalist Scott Stapp’s drug abuse and undiagnosed bipolar disorder, guitarist Mark Tremonti, drummer Scott Phillips and bass player Brian Marshall added new vocalist Myles Kennedy and regrouped as Alter Bridge, and gradually hauled themselves back to playing vast arenas.