The Master : Tommy Aldridge at Remo Drummer Night

For me Tommy Aldridge is an iconic drummer , a master of his craft and true journeyman who's played at the highest level for decades with some of the biggest bands in the world , in 2017 he was a guest at the Remo Drummer Night to show the kids how it's done and that there's life in the old dog yet.


My first big gig was Ozzy Osbourne at the NEC in Birmingham in 82 , it was my introduction to both gigs and Tommy Aldridge , as an aspiring young drummer I was transfixed by what I saw that night , Ozzy was great but Tommy was incredible ... and then he did this !


Of course I tried it , and cut my finger.


Tommy Aldridge

a reply to: gortex

Tommy was a beast on the skins, even back when he was with Black Oak Arkansas.

a reply to: gortex

Ah, a man passionate about his music. Wonderful!
Talented man.

Talented dude, indeed. Bark at the Moon, among the list.
Could be he was also once under the employ of Jim Henson as a stunt double for both Animal & Fizzgig...

a reply to: burntdogg

Could be he was also once under the employ of Jim Henson as a stunt double for both Animal & Fizzgig...

LOL! Could be.

Over the years I've been to so many live performances and concerts but one of the most incredible things I ever saw in a concert was a Tommy Aldridge drum solo. I - think - it was on the Diary of a Madman tour, but I saw Ozzy numerous times in the early 80's and Google isn't helping me pin the exact show down.

I - think - that Slade opened for that show.

What I do remember clearly is the venue, the Cow Palace, and that it was the Diary of a Madman stage. The one that moved Tommy's kit up and down during the solo.

That solo...

What stands out to me about the solo is that not long into it Aldridge stood up, threw his sticks into the crowd and then proceeded to throw down a Neil Pert worthy, incredibly technical and fast solo - using just his hands. No sticks. Just slapping and punching the drums.

Somewhere in the multiverse a half drunk, possibly chemically enhanced, fifteen to seventeen year old version of me is still standing in awe in that crowd - watching the master work his sorcery.

Honestly... Thinking back through all of it only two drum solos stand out at all, the one I just described and another a long time later when I went to a The Mars Volta show... And the second pales when compared to the first.

Oh, and of course I'm leaving Pert and Portnoy out of the discussion for the sake of fairness.

a reply to: Hefficide

Two kids watching the same show on different sides of the pond , both mind blown by a drummer.


A band called Budgie opened the show at the NEC , another great band but the overriding memory is Tommy Aldridge and that drum solo.

a reply to: gortex

I read the OP but didn't play the videos until now. Now I'm a bit red faced to see that the second includes the exact solo I was describing. LOL

Man that was a sight.