Scorpions / Whitesnake / Dokken Concert
Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY, March 5, 2003
Review by Keith McDonald
It had been quite some time since I had seen a hard rock concert at the Coliseum. I
think it was the Motley Crue ‘Generation Swine’ tour in 1997, which featured a
reunited Crue with lead singer Vince Neil. That show featured the stage in the middle of
the arena, something I expected at this show. When you live in the New York City/Long
Island area, there are many clubs, venues and arenas. Some as small as 200 capacity and
some clubs that can hold about 4,000 fans. But, in times like these, with the way the hard
rock and metal climate is, some bands find themselves in an odd predicament. They can draw
more than some of the bigger venues can hold, but can’t quite fill an arena that can
hold upwards of 18,000 people.
That’s where the Scorpions, Whitesnake and Dokken found themselves on this night.
Much to my surprise they held this mini-fest at the Nassau Coliseum. I was very curious as
to how many metal fans would venture out on a cold winter’s night. Much to my
surprise, the stage was set up at the back allowing for as many people to fit in. With
about 6,000 in attendance Dokken hit the stage opening with ‘Kiss of Death’,
which quickly rolled into ‘Into The Fire’. It was a set of hits that included
pretty much what you would expect from an opening act. Led by frontman Don Dokken, the
band was surprising solid. Not that these guys weren’t one of the better 80’s
bands to come out from that era, but that there were only two original members. Dokken,
sans George Lynch and Jeff Pilson, may have been strong musicianship-wise, but the
chemistry that made Dokken Dokken was missing. It just wasn’t the same. They
didn’t include any songs from their most recent release ‘Long Way Home’,
which was disappointing. The set was short but they did a great job in setting up what was
next.
Dokken Set List:
Kiss of Death
Into The Fire
Breaking the Chains
Alone Again
It’s Not Love
Tooth & Nail
In My Dreams
That next thing was Whitesnake. Following a ten-year hiatus, David Coverdale
reassembled the almighty Snake with new members. And they didn’t miss beat.
Whitesnake clearly stole the show. And that’s a lot coming from a show that included
the legendary Scorpions. Mid you, I hadn’t seen this band since their heyday in 1988
when they headlined this same arena. Opening with ‘Bad Boys’ the band launched
into some ‘Slide It In’ and ‘Slow & Easy’ which is what I
expected. The band with only holdover Tommy Aldridge on drums included Marco
Mendoza on
bass, Reb Beach on guitar and Doug Aldrich on guitar. They were at their best. They
combined great chops with an even better look (which sometimes is missing from the older
80’s acts) and great stage presence. It shows how great they are when Reb Beach is
relegated to the rhythm slot on the majority of the songs. The only drawback was the fact
they had a shortened set.
Whitesnake Set List:
Bad Boys
Slide It In
Slow & Easy
Love Ain’t No Stranger
Judgment Day
Cryin’ In The Rain
Give Me All Your Love
Here I Go Again
Still Of The Night
The headliner was the mighty Scorpions. Opening with Coming Home, they gave the fans
exactly what one would expect. A high-energy show featuring all their hits with a few
added obscure tunes highlighted by an incredible stage show and even higher energy from
the band members themselves. I am not the biggest Scorpions fan out there, but I always
know I won’t leave disappointed.
Scorpions Set List:
Coming Home
Bad Boys Running Wild
The Zoo
Big City Nights
Blackout
Coast To Coast
Tease Me Please Me
No One Like You
Dynamite
We’ll Burn The Sky
Love Drive
Winds of Change
Still Loving You
Rock You Like A Hurricane
It was a great hard rock show that I hadn’t seen for some time. After seeing the
majority of these acts in small clubs and theatres, it was good to see this type of music
in an arena, where it belongs.