LIVE REVIEW: Alter Bridge – AO Arena, Manchester – 26/02/2026

In recent years, many gig lineups have become much more carefully curated to provide the most unforgettable nights. Alter Bridge have always been known to put together unreal tour lineups, with past bills featuring the likes of Halestorm, Shinedown and Gojira to name a few! Their shows are less like the typical headliner-support format and more of a mini festival, ensuring fans get their money’s worth. This time around their UK/EU tour had support from Daughtry and Sevendust to create the ultimate dad-rock experience (and I mean this as the biggest compliment possible!) Each band offered their own take on the genre, and got the crowd going crazy, but once Alter Bridge made their entrance, it was undeniable who the headliner was.

As if the crossover in the band’s fanbases wasn’t obvious enough already, Sevendust making their entrance into an already packed arena, even with the early timeslot, proved it further. The Atlanta outfit gave that crowd everything they had. Alter Bridge’s Myles Kennedy summed it up in better words than anybody else possibly could later on in the show, simply referring to them as a “wall of destruction”. Frontman Lajon Witherspoon commanded the crowd with ease, as the band’s rhythm section were the driving force of the band with their relentless energy. The crowd’s response was overwhelmingly positive throughout with plenty of heads nodding and fists pumping. Just before their final song, Lajon asked the crowd “Will you have us again?” before confirming “We will be back!”. Face To Face ended the set on a high with stunning harmonies and a loud singalong from the crowd.

Daughtry’s entrance immediately felt more ominous, with a darkened stage and band members slowly walking on one at a time. From the second Divided kicked in, it felt like Daughtry’s headline show. Smoke filled the stage and bright lights pulsated perfectly in time with the beat. It’s no secret that I have always been a huge fan of Daughtry, but I can confidently say this was their tightest live set I’ve seen. The whole thing felt huge, Chris’ vocals were on point and the harmonies genuinely gave me goosebumps at times. The performance was just a classic rock show: loud, dramatic and undeniably cool.

“Manchester, it’s so good to be back!” Chris shouts, clearly feeding off the crowd’s excitement. The remainder of the setlist was packed with classics such as Over You and It’s Not Over which had the loudest singalongs of the night so far. It was the kind of response that left me questioning how on earth Daughtry aren’t headlining arenas themselves, especially with their discography of back to back bangers!

Partway through, the band left the stage, leaving just Chris and an acoustic guitar for a stripped back rendition of Home. Phones lit up the arena and the atmosphere was something truly special, and made the room feel a lot more intimate.

My main criticism of Daughtry was the fact they attempted to have an encore moment. I’ll be honest, I’m not a fan of encores when headline bands do them, let alone a support band. That’s time they could’ve spent playing a whole other song, and given the absence of fan favourite Waiting For Superman from the setlist, I think that’s fair to say! Regardless, the final song of the set was the band’s newer track ARTIFICIAL and it hit hard. The song came complete with a crushing breakdown for Daughtry to go out with a bang. They left the stage to the sound of huge applause and loud cheers. I’m already counting down the days until I get to see them again at Download in June!

Even with both support bands’ best efforts, the night still ultimately belonged to Alter Bridge. There was no debate who the true headliner of the night was. The stage setup was immense with huge lighting rigs, screens across the whole back of the stage, and a loud sound system. They kicked things off with Silent Divide, delivering huge riffs and unbelievable energy. Myles Kennedy’s vocals are just unmatched, and he had me hanging onto every word. Even with a huge arena show, there’s something about Alter Bridge that just makes them effortlessly cool. They don’t need any gimmicks or spectacles, it’s all just raw talent.

Hits like Cry Of Achilles, Playing Aces and Fortress had the whole room singing along, with thousands of voices echoing throughout the arena. This run of songs even saw the first pits of the night opening up. Another huge standout moment was Burn It Down with guitarist Mark Tremonti on vocals, showing off the band’s versatility as performers.

As Myles took some time to chat to the crowd, he reminisced on all the great times he’s had playing not just in Manchester, but the AO Arena itself the many times they’ve played it. “This room holds a lot of beautiful, sacred memories,” he shared, visibly taken aback by the overwhelming support. Many times throughout the night he would say things such as “Wow, look at this!” as he looked out at the tens of thousands of fans.

The final part of the set was just back-to-back bangers, ending with the best three song run I’ve witnessed at any show. Metalingus, Blackbird and Isolation had the crowd giving every bit of energy they had. The arena became a sea of waving arms and jumping bodies. Just before the final song, Myles addressed the crowd, you could hear the genuine gratitude in his voice as the deafening cheers of the crowd echoed.

This show was so much more than just another tour stop, it was a monumental night of three incredibly strong bands, and a tour that will be talked about for years to come. Over 20 years into their impressive career, Alter Bridge are still stronger than ever. To pack out arenas at any point in time is an already impressive feat, but to have done it consistently for so long is something else. That alone speaks for itself. I have no idea how this was my first time catching Alter Bridge live as a longtime fan, but it definitely won’t be the last.

Words by Danni Baker