Black Light/White Noise, the second full length collaboration between Adrian Smith and Richie Kotzen, proved that the success of their debut was no fluke. Collaborations of this kind rarely work. Two musicians from very different backgrounds and traditions coming together, bridging generations, continents and musical languages, and doing it convincingly more than once, is almost unheard of in hard rock. Yet on stage, it made perfect sense. The union of the guitarist from Iron Maiden and the former Mike Varney protégé could only result in sparks, and that is exactly what happened at Le Trianon. Still, the real pleasure was not merely the expected guitar fireworks, impressive as they were, but the strength of the songs themselves. Far from being simple vehicles for virtuosity, they are fully formed hard rock tunes built to drive heads, feet and adrenaline in equal measure.
It was quite a treat to hear Richie Kotzen and Adrian Smith trade guitar lines and vocal parts with such ease and generosity. Backed by a rock solid Brazilian rhythm section featuring bassist Julia Lage and drummer Bruno Valverde, they moved confidently through material from both albums and the Better Days EP. The encore neatly bridged their respective histories, pairing Kotzen’s "You Can't Save Me" with "Wasted Years," the Iron Maiden classic written by Smith, which had the entire room singing along and provided a perfect way to say goodbye. No rock star posing, no metal theatrics, no props or excess... just strong, direct hard rock played with conviction and flair. Sometimes simplicity really does hit the hardest.
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