LIVE REVIEW + PHOTOS: ALTER BRIDGE AT THE O2 ARENA, LONDON 04/03/26 (+ DAUGHTRY, SEVENDUST)
Who is an Alter Bridge fan? Well the loo queues at the O2 arena may give a hint of the typical demographic. We've got a lot of blokes in the house and by the looks of those aforementioned lines they are sinking the beers at a world record breaking rate, here for a good time and a headbang with their equally as keen WAGS.
"We are Sevendust and we are honoured to be here". The Atlanta grunge, metal blended outfit kicked off proceedings with plenty of gratitude at their inclusion on the bill. Vocalist Lajon Witherspoon’s larger than life personality shining through. The whole band experts in stage presence and an engaging performance.
Beginning with a riff uncannily like Korn’s ‘Twisted Transistor’, new song, ‘Is This The Real You’ proves that even after thirty years of being a band, the era of new music is far from over for Sevendust. One of only two releases so far from upcoming album ‘One’, due out in a couple of months the excitement for the next release from this band is palpable.
“This is a song called Enemy. This goes out to the douchebags. They know who they are.” Witherspoon winked before thrashing around to the 2003 classic. The band’s relatively brief set showcased a highlight reel of Sevendust’s extensive output.
‘Praise’ goes similarly hard with Witherspoon explaining how he wrote the song about his love for motorbikes. “I just like everything fast”, he beamed.
The band requested ‘lights up’ for ‘Crucified’. Truly this wasn't a traditional lights up concert song. Usually lights up hails a slower moment in a set but in Sevendust’s case, there is no relenting.
With a big cheer in response to the question “London, England will you have us back?” Sevendust promised- “It will never take us this long to come back ever again”.
With a blast of smoke Daughtry arrived, frontman Chris Daughtry giving it his all from the opening notes of ‘Divided’. Twenty years on from Simon Cowell declaring Daughtry as ‘uncharismatic’ during his audition for American Idol, the performer in 2026 couldn't be further from that description.
‘The Bottom’ a song from the 2025 album ‘shock to the system’, showcased a more electronic sound, moving away from the traditional country rock aesthetic the band has previously leaned into.
“Did you bring your singing voices with you?” Daughtry asked before storming through an impressive cover of the Journey hit ‘Separate Ways’.
At this point in the set the clock is rewound to 2006, -where it all started- with the dual threat of, ‘It's Not Over’ and ‘Home’, the latter of which Daughtry performed acoustically. In such a large arena, an acoustic moment risks getting lost, but for this performer there's no such peril. Chris Daughtry fills the stage with ease and confidence, his vocal performance able to capture the attention of everyone in the room, whether they are a previous fan or if it's their first time seeing the band.
Teetering on the edge of country, infusing electronic aspects and focusing always on Chris Daughtry's magnetic stage presence, Daughtry are a band that are hard to ignore, leaving the room with a heartfelt wish to return soon, fans were well and truly warmed up for the main act.
An Alter Bridge show is a different beast from the kinds of shows some rock fans may be used to. Most aren't in attendance to throw themselves around and lose their minds, the majority of fans filling the floor opting for a steady and appreciative wave of head banging. Mosh pits are almost non-existent, instead, a sea of coordinated and respectful nodding commences from the opening notes of ‘Silent Divide’.
Frontman Myles Kennedy set the respectful tone for the night by using one of his first opportunities to talk to the crowd to pay tribute to the support bands, calling them both forces to be reckoned with, before the beautiful guitar intro of ‘Cry of Achilles’ built a frantic and electrifying energy throughout the room.
New song, ‘Playing Aces' followed, this a track from the not even two-month-old self-titled album ‘Alter Bridge’, which has been met with universal love and appreciation from fans and industry alike.
For ‘Fortress’, arms waved in unison and the first sign of people on shoulders appeared for the 2013 melodic and heartfelt number. Heading back even further though, to the first song Alter Bridge ever released as a band- ‘Open Your Eyes’ is met with adoration.
“This is one of the first cities that embraced us. We couldn't do it without you”. Kennedy gushed to the London crowd. Although this tour is very much an album cycle tour, the setlist is curated in a way that speaks to these long time and dedicated fans, with quite an equal split of songs from past albums represented in the setlist. Instead of playing all new tracks, this show reads more like a greatest hits outing with iconic track 'Metalingus' bringing us into the encore and ‘Blackbird’ and ‘Isolation’ hailing the night to a close.
Alter Bridge have definitely reached the status of ‘icon’. With many a legendary band in the genre of rock struggling to play venues as vast as the O2 Arena, Alter Bridge have no such pains. With a dedicated and adoring fan base, the enduring success of this Floridian quartet is obvious to their supporters, not only for their consistent and dazzling output musically, but with the band remaining one of the most controversy free and focused groups in the scene. Out here in the big old year of 2026, there certainly isn't a hint of a slowdown in the determined powerhouse that is Alter Bridge.
Words by Imogen Bird
Photos by Justyna Serafin