REVIEW: Black Stone Cherry & The Darkness at Resorts World Arena - headliners in harmony

Dual headline tours can be notoriously difficult for all involved, often with two bands used to holding pole position trying to outdo each other.

Some descend into acrimony – Aerosmith’s infamous jaunt with Guns N’ Roses outdid them all – while others can prove awkward musical bedfellows.

Pairing unassuming Kentucky country boys Black Stone Cherry with bombastic Brits The Darkness could have misfired badly, especially with the latter going on first with their trademark rock and roll histrionics, battery of fire cannons, pyrotechnics, costume changes and Justin Hawkins’ gravity-defying vocal.

It says much for both bands, then, that each emerged victorious from the culture clash. The fact that the two have become firm friends and that Cherry were always self-confessed Darkness fans helps. Oh, and the little matter of a production line of crowd-pleasing anthem rock riffs and strong songs too.

Hawkins & Co warmed up – quite literally given their incendiary effects – a curiously quiet crowd with the likes of Growing On Me and Black Shuck, before moving up a gear with the irresistible One Way Ticket and Solid Gold.

But it was early career cracker Givin’ Up, which owes much to AC/DC, that sealed the deal. Stopping seconds after the opening riff to breakthrough I Believe In A Thing Called Love, the fiery frontman had pithy words for fans, ordering them to put their mobiles away and enjoy the show instead of “f****** filming” it for friends who couldn’t be bothered to turn up in person. He got my vote there and then.

They ended with an extended, and electrifying, Love On The Rocks With No Ice, Hawkins soloing on guitar to rapturous reaction as he was carried through the crowd on the shoulders of a burly roadie.

The Darkness are not a band you want to follow out onstage and, hey, they still love a good cowbell. But where they have the riffs, Black Stone Cherry have the songs.

They bounded out brimming with confidence, firing off fan favourite Me And Mary Jane, ZZ Top-styled Burnin’, anthemic Again and a surprisingly early outing for singalong Soulcreek.

It was then you realised this double header was going to work, and work well. They have history with Birmingham, of course, crediting an early Barfly gig for the word of mouth that sparked success initially in the UK and then back home in the US.

And Brum clearly loves the band, singing along to every chorus during the likes of Blind Man, In My Blood, Like I Roll and White Trash Millionaire.

John Fred Young dropped a dynamic drum solo into Cheaper To Drink Alone; new song Out Of Pocket respectably rubbed shoulders with show staples; Blame It On The Boom Boom and Lonely Train remain powerful melodic metal outings that always enable the band to bring the house down.

But it was an emotional Things My Father Said – the tribute to his late dad first sung live by Chris Robertson at this very same venue back in 2011 – that stole the show.

Phone lights aloft, fans sang every word and the Black Stone Cherry frontman was again visibly moved. They encored with an homage to Brummie Jeff Lynne, giving ELO’s Don’t Bring Me Down an injection of steroids.

So, yes, co-headliners can work together, especially when each offers something different but which also complements the other. That’s the cherry on top of the cake.

Five Stars *****