Having conquered stadiums across America and mainland Europe, the giant co-headlining tour that saw Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe go head-to-head rolled into Wembley Stadium, one of the most famous venues on earth. Opening the show, Mammoth WVH proved they have the musical and songwriting firepower to conquer spaces such as these.
Mammoth WVH
Wembley Stadium – 1 July 2023
Words: Paul Monkhouse
Photography: Patrick Bertinelli
With their sophomore album fast approaching and some already huge tours under their belts, the sextet have both the material and experience to win over any size of crowd.
Here last time as part of the line-up for the Taylor Hawkins tribute show, Wolfgang Van Halen continues to grow out of the long shadow cast by his late, great father. Humble but showing his talent on the guitar, Van Halen doesn’t need to dazzle, but he does, and this, matched with his emotive voice and fine writing skills, all sets the band he leads up as future giants.
With its helter-skelter riff and sky-scraping chorus, Mammoth is a perfect opener, its widescreen ambitions perfectly suited for a place like this, and the power and punch of Mr. Ed has touches of both his father’s band and also previous touring partners Alter Bridge.
Bigger still, Like A Pastime’s sleek lines and roar are like being strapped to a rocket on take-off and its all-conquering feel is made for superhero movie soundtracks.
Whilst Mammoth WVH can do big, it’s in the tenderness of the first single Distance that the most seismic waves are caused. Absolutely heartbreaking at the time of initial release, time has done nothing to diminish the power of this love letter to his father, the loss and legacy of Eddie marked in a way that’s doubtless moved many.
After this calm, the storm rages again, the kinetic band making use of the whole stage and with numbers like the new single Take A Bow featuring a very tasty solo and the brute force of Another Celebration At The End Of The World, they’re already showing a promise that reaches well beyond their years as a collective.
You can read the Mötley Crüe Wembley review here. You can read the Def Leppard Wembley review here.
Wow, that was an excellent article.