21.05.2025 The Dead Daisies

Graspop Metal Meeting

Dessel (Belgium)

The day of contrasts continued. From the dark atmosphere of Primordial, it was back out into the sunshine at the Jupiler Stage, where it was time for more hard rock, this time from the Australian‑American band The Dead Daisies. The only remaining founding member is guitarist David Lowy, who surrounds himself with a rotating cast of genre heavyweights.
Currently, that lineup includes vocalist and guitarist John Corabi, who previously toured with Mötley Crüe; guitarist Doug Aldrich, known for his work with Whitesnake; and last but not least drummer Brian Tichy, who also played with Whitesnake. The set consisted not only of their own songs but also of fantastic covers like “Fortunate Son” by Creedence Clearwater Revival and “Helter Skelter” by The Beatles. The mood on and in front of the stage was upbeat, and you could feel that the guys were having fun, and that their experience meant they knew exactly how to fire up a crowd. There was posing, hair‑flipping, and pure rock‑and‑roll energy as if there were no tomorrow. It was surprising how many covers they played, considering their own songs are just as strong. Whether it was “Rise Up” from the 2018 album "Burn It Down" or the lively track “Mexico” from the 2015 album "Revolución", hardly anyone could stand still. By the end, the entire area had turned into one big party.
The band absolutely deserved this slot. Just like Polaris the day before: they don’t reinvent the genre, nor do they have groundbreaking masterpieces in their catalog. But that doesn’t matter, they have an instinct for how to work a crowd so that everyone is on board from the very first note. Not a single moment felt dull, and it was almost disappointing that their set was limited to just 50 minutes. Overall, a truly solid gig that was great fun and made the time fly by.

Setlist:

Light ‘Em Up
Rise Up
Dead And Gone
I’m Gonna Ride
Going Down (Don Nix Cover)
Fortunate Son (Creedence Clearwater Revival Cover)
Mexico
Midnight Moses (The Sensational Alex Harvey Band Cover)
Long Way To Go
Helter Skelter (The Beatles Cover)

Weblinks:

	The Dead Daisises Homepage of the Australian band The Dead Daisies.
	Graspop Metal Meeting Homepage of the Graspop Metal Meeting Festival at Dessel (Belgium).