So this is Purple's Long Goodbye Tour, and well we better say a very long goodbye because they still seemed to be firing on all cylinders. But more on that later. First up were cool cats, well Cats in Space to be precise. And boy did they not disappoint. They are just a great band. Shame that they played to an extremely sparse crowd. The DP crowd didn't give them the time of day which is sad. they missed a great 30 minute set of Cats tunes. Of course I think a club show suits these guys much better but they were fully at home of the O2 stage and sounded truly good. I'll be seeing them again in 2018 no doubt in much cosier surroundings no doubt.
I broke my duck with Europe which is one of the reasons I gave this gig a shot. I need to hear The Final Countdown live at least once haha! To be honest I am not a fan of this more bluesy incarnation of the band but I gave them a good shot live. Joey's voice doesn't go as high as the old days which is understandable but he was in fine form as was the band. They were the perfect foil to Purple in fact. Coming across as very Purple-y at various points. They were also pretty heavy at times. John Norum is a great guitarist no doubt. I loved the song Last look At Eden. That was a great tune. Scream of Anger was a full paced heavy metal tune that was for the diehards out there. Ended with of course those parping keys for The Final Countdown. Finally seen it live. Europe were cool but not amazing.
Finally it was time for the grand daddy's of classic rock to show us what they could do. To be honest last time I saw Purple here 2 years ago I thought they were good but not amazing. On this night I really DID think they were amazing! They were on shit hot form. Ian's voice was great, although I do find some of his shrieking a bit OTT, Granddad screaming to the kids "shut up!" but when he does more of his normal singing he sounds pretty great.
The band all sound great especially Steve Morse. Guy, is a six string maestro of coolness. The set list was a bit mixed. No Highway Star was a bit strange also no Child In Time which left a few old timers groaning. However they played to perfecting for a full 90 minute set. I love the new track The Surprising. That was a huge highlight for me. The rest was pretty standard classic Purple performed flawlessly with pristine sound.
Judging by this show the band is still at the top of its game so I don't know why they are slowly quitting to be honest. Let's hope they are just toying with quitting. They never embarrass themselves for a nano second on stage. They all still have it and them some although Ian looks more and more like a shuffling Granddad standing up at the karaoke after a few too many sherries! Keep standing and rocking old man, you still got it!
Showing posts with label o2 arena. Show all posts
Showing posts with label o2 arena. Show all posts
Sunday, 26 November 2017
Saturday, 3 June 2017
Kiss - Live at the O2 Arena
Back at the O2 again so soon after the 2 Maiden shows to see Yank giants of rock, Kiss. To say I am not a huge fan of Kiss would be an understatement as I don't own even one Kiss album and I'm not that familiar with many of their classic songs. I sort of know them in my brain if I hear them again but I can't really recall them without hearing barring about 4-5 of them.
Anyway I still went to my second ever Kiss show as I had the day off still from the weekend and it's fun to see this larger than life band and have another party before reality kicks in the next day. I had a seat on the upper deck but to my surprise the O2 was very very far from sold out unlike Maiden who sold the place out twice in a row. I'd say the whole of the upper deck of the O2 was not even half full at show start time. The lower deck was almost full and the floor standing was pretty full so I'd guess the crowd at around 12-13,000 in a venue that holds 20,000. Maybe it was the fact that it came so close to two sell out Maiden shows and it was also a mid week date so the attendance was less than expected.
A support band called The Dives were listed. It turns out it's Paul Stanley's son's band. Nepotism in full force and effect though I guess Maiden know all about that! I checked The Dives out on youtube. Not my cuppa so I entered the venue after they had finished and sat ready for the world's hottest band to lick me up if you pardon the expression. I actually moved from my allotted seat to a spot much closer to the stage on show start since there was so much space.
The crowd was excited and ready to party, make up was on, platforms were donned, guitars were strapped and the band was already firing on all cylinders as they started off with Deuce with Gene singing. Now Gene has a voice that's as rough and ready as they come but he surprised me with how good he sounded. He sounded rough but good if you catch my drift. The rest of the band were sounding good and the stage show was full of pyrotechnics and loud bangs etc as songs reached fever pitch.
We had about 30 seconds of silence for the Manchester concert victims as Paul made a heartfelt speech about the events that night. But the show was about partying and having fun and letting go of everyday troubles. Songs were made to be sung along with and danced to with a larger than life band on stage giving it the big one all night. Songs came and went and were lapped up. Gene spat blood, breathed fire, Paul flew into the crowd. Every old Kiss cliche was there in full effect make no mistake. You wanted the best and you got the best, that's Kiss. Fave songs of the night for me were Crazy Crazy Nights as usual, love that no matter what. God of Thunder was crazy with Gene being a maniac. War Machine was heavy and cool. Psycho Circus was very catchy with Paul singing from a plinth in the crowd which he flew to on a pulley from the stage. Last song of the main set was the awesome sing along Rock and Roll All Nite which everyone sang with of course.
Then we had the encore of two stone cold Kiss certs with I Was Made For Loving You and Detroit Rock City before the outro tape played God Gave Rock and Roll To You and it was all over. I would've actually liked to have heard that live as the last song of the night. Anyway Kiss are still a solid live band. However Paul's voice is more or less shot. He sounds very hoarse at times or plain weak. Maybe it was the last night of a long tour but his heyday is long gone it seems. All that screaming and singing takes its toll in the end. Still I don't think Kiss fans care too much, people just wanna have fun at a rock n' roll show and Kiss gives'em what they want and then some!
Don't know If I'll ever see Kiss again but if it's the last then it leaves a good memory of a band that's all about having fun and rocking out and not giving a fuck every night for two hours!
Rock and Roll
(Led Zeppelin song) - on tape
Deuce
Shout It Out Loud
(Moment of silence for… more )
Lick It Up
I Love It Loud
Firehouse
(Gene breathes fire)
Shock Me
(Tommy on lead Vocals)
Guitar Solo
Flaming Youth
Bass Solo
(Gene spits blood, flies into the air)
God of Thunder
Crazy Crazy Nights
War Machine
Say Yeah
Psycho Circus
(Paul flies into the crowd)
Black Diamond
(Paul returns to main stage)
Rock and Roll All Nite
Encore:
I Was Made for Lovin' You
Detroit Rock City
God Gave Rock 'n' Roll to You II - outro tape
Monday, 29 May 2017
Iron Maiden - Live at the O2 Arena - May 27-28, 2017
Well if the legends that go by the name of Iron Maiden are playing twice in a row you might as well make the most of it and see them both times. Splash the cash, bite the bullet and be a good sucker haha! It'll be a couple of years at least before I get a chance to see them again that's for sure and probably it'll be closer to 3 or 4 years before another chance so make hay while the sun is out as they say or some such thing!
The first night was sold out in double quick time but I got priority tickets but unfortunately I missed the really closer seats and got some on the top tier but directly in front of the stage. I missed most of Shinedown but it was no great loss really. Brent Smith has a great voice and they have some cool tunes but it's just not a good fit for Maiden at all really. There's general apathy from most of the crowd although they are treated well enough compared to some bands I've seen supporting Maiden. I remember Trivium getting terrible abuse a few years ago when they were more in their metalcore days.
Going back to Shinedown Brent Smith really talks far too much between the songs but I already knew that having witnessed his preachy banter a couple of times before in their smaller gigs. It really gets a little too much to be honest when you're talking for more than 5-6 minutes and not playing songs. I figured I'll see the whole of their set on the Sunday and wasn't worried about the Saturday set as I was with a friend for Saturday. Shinedown were OK but forgettable in the main. The sound wasn't too great for them either being bass heavy and echo-y. Brent's vocals were fine though. The man is a powerhouse singer that's for sure and a commanding front man.
Finally at 8.50pm on the dot the familiar opening to Doctor Doctor starts up through the PA and the Maiden nutters start to get psyched for the old warriors return to London after having last played at this very venue back in 2013. The set list then was about as far removed from now as it's possible to get. Of course this is still the Book of Souls tour that started way back in 2016. Still you know what you're gonna get before you buy your ticket. Songs from Book of Souls and yet more songs from Book of Souls with a few classics in between.
I was quite enthusiastic about that album when it came out but I think hearing the songs live now, I think I may have been a bit over generous in my enthusiasm for it. The set opens with If Eternity Should Fail which in my eyes is just an OK song with an OK chorus. However the band is energised and does a sterling job of convincing you that they really mean business. The first night I sat in my seat over 60-70 meters from the stage it's hard to get over excited or head bang too hard but the second night I was stood 5 meters from the stage and you can see the band is truly enjoying themselves. This feeds into your enjoyment more as the crowd member and helps create a better feeling on certain songs in any case.
The set continues with more songs from BoS of course, With the ripping Speed of Light coming across better live than on record. The first departure into ancient realms occurs with the coming of the hellbent and aggressive Wrathchild played very ferociously which I witnessed at first hand much closer on the second night. All the better for viewing up close on this particular song.
The band continues with another old classic in Children of the Damned. The old bastards in the house which number plenty obviously lap that one up. Bruce sounds great on that epic and very cool it seems that song is a perfect fit for his modern voice and doesn't test him greatly. It seems the song is quite a comfortable song for him to sing unlike say The Trooper which is a real test. Bruce talks in between songs about this and that, etc and obviously about recent events in Manchester etc. Every concert the world over is gonna mention that one.
It's funny when you go to a concert two nights in a row. You wonder will he mention the same things again and he does pretty much but he does change it around a bit. I guess he realises that many people attend both nights so he doesn't want to completely repeat himself all the time with the same old cliches.
They move on from the old school and revert back to BoS material soon enough as we get Death or Glory, a tune which does little for me to be honest but it's OK and nothing I positively dislike. I'd just so much rather hear a classic, but it's the BoS tour and we must hear those songs. The first actually great song from BoS, namely the mid album epic The Red and the Black soon surfaces and is the first long song of the night. The instrumental section is a sight to be hold, the crowd wooaahh woaahs on cue and the melody is captivating. The first night sitting in my seat it was a great sight to see a 20,000 crowd singing as one to that one. That's one thing you miss when you're right up close as I was on the second night. It almost feels like you are in a small crowd of about 500 down the front or something and although you can see the whites of their eyes you somehow miss the full atmosphere behind you. The good thing is I sampled both on consecutive nights. So TRaTB was a real great effort and the first truly cool moment from BoS which every one loved.
We had to delve into classic territory after that with The Trooper and Powerslave. The Trooper has been played thousands of time by now but it still gets you pumped as hell even though I'm sure it's a real test for Bruce and he does sound a touch strained but no one cares and the energy is through the roof. Powerslave's melodic gallop follows and is a song that every Maiden fan loves. Let's mention Mr Harris since we haven't already. Band leader extraordinaire is a truly inexhaustible guy. He runs heer and there pointing his bass machine gunning as usual and mouths near enough all the lyrics at the front rows. The guy is Maiden's spirit personified. His subtle bass licks are of course very prominent and make the Maiden songs the classics that they are.
Since were' talking about the instrumentalists let's quickly mention them all. Adrian is "Steady Eddie" of the group, playing rocking riffs with no shenagins and ripping leads with not too much smiling. He's the anchor in the band keeping it real as they say haha! Dave Murray is understated Mr Smiley doing a few pirouettes and generally "Mr Grin features" although out of all the guitarists he's the one who looks the most tired of all the touring maybe. His leads sound a bit one dimensional too at times but he's very much adored by the fans for his genial stage persona. That leaves Janick to act the band clown. Pull shapes, dance, play backing and have the odd solo. He mainly does guitar tricks and acts the complete fool, but you know what there's nothing wrong with that. It's actually funny to watch and he doesn't seem to take everything that seriously. That leaves Mr McBrain on the drums or Mr one foot wonder as some call him but all I know is that the guy is solid. Let's just say he's Mr Dependable. No one complains about Nicko and he does his job with an affable smile and has a whale of a time.
Moving on we have two more BoS songs to get through. The Great Unknown and the title track. The former track is a recent addition to the set list but sadly it's not a great song and seems to pass by without much fanfare at all. Another classic would have been so preferable indeed. The title track however is a monstrous epic and must be played of course in a tour of that name. The song builds and builds and the band sounds great as the song pounds away and then the hammering speedy riff takes the song to a great end from the halfway point onwards.
The song is followed up by the crowd pleaser that is Fear of the Dark. It seems this song is sacrosanct and can never be dropped from the modern Maiden set list. I must admit I have heard it every time I've seen Maiden which is at least 8-9 times and if it was dropped it wouldn't be the end of the world. But you know what - when those familiar opening strains start off it's still magical and the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. It's probably one of the best Maiden songs in a live setting. Just when you thing nahh this shit's getting old you still get that amazing pumped feeling with the energy and woooaahh section and the Fear of the Dark chanting section. Epic!
The main set ends with another song that they seemingly find impossible to omit, which is of course the self titled song from the debut. I can see why they play it as the fans just love it. The energy, the melody and the slightly punky feel. Steve Harris bellows the lyrics with immense gusto on that one. The crowd participation is again extravagant. People just love this song. Personally I'd prefer to hear the return of 11.58 or Aces High but I guess that's for another tour.
The second song in the encore sees a fairly long speech by Bruce on both nights, pontificating the same thing about unity etc and not caring what colour creed or religion we are and that we're all blood brothers that's why we're here. You get the drill! Having said that the band backs it up and the song sounds immensely powerful with the whole arena singing that one back at Bruce. The song itself has emotional melodic sections and very nice delicate solos. I must admit it is one of my fave live songs of the night and well worth to hear it sung by near enough the whole crowd. I actually enjoyed it more from my seat on the first night for this particular song as you can see the whole arena participate.
At the end of Blood Brothers, Adrian quickly starts that melodic motif and you know we've reached the final song of the night which is the very melodic and catchy Wasted Years. Indeed one of the best and most sung with choruses on the night. But the song doesn't have a last song of the night feel about it. The end song should of course be Hallowed but the band has decided to drop it from the set list due to the ongoing court case with regard to copyright infringement. From everything I've read the guy suing Maiden has never said the band can't play the song but it turns out every time they do play it they have to pay a few hundred quid royalties to this guy or something along those lines so they've made the decision to drop it for the time being. I read another rumour on Maidenfans forum saying that Bruce was having difficult singing the song and maybe they used the litigation case as a front for dropping the song. It's probably a bit of both who knows, but all i do know is that the song voted the best Maiden song of all time and my personal fave song by them ever is not currently part of the set list. This is absolutely a shame and it better restored soon as a Maiden gig however great it may be, is incomplete without Hallowed IMO. It may have been played to death but we go to Maiden gigs to hear Hallowed. Simple as. Sort this shit out haha!
Anyway I enjoyed my 2 night stint with the mighty Maiden. They may be knocking on a bit and the movement around the stage is not as rapid and slick as it once was but the ambition and power of delivery is as good as ever. Next time do a greatest newer hits set list with the best songs from 2000 onwards and I'll be there like a shot. Who am I kidding..I'll be there like a shot next time whatever the fuck they play! Up the Irons!
Doctor Doctor
(UFO song)
If Eternity Should Fail
Speed of Light
Wrathchild
Children of the Damned
Death or Glory
The Red and the Black
The Trooper
Powerslave
The Great Unknown
The Book of Souls
Fear of the Dark
Iron Maiden
Encore:
The Number of the Beast
Blood Brothers
Wasted Years
The first night was sold out in double quick time but I got priority tickets but unfortunately I missed the really closer seats and got some on the top tier but directly in front of the stage. I missed most of Shinedown but it was no great loss really. Brent Smith has a great voice and they have some cool tunes but it's just not a good fit for Maiden at all really. There's general apathy from most of the crowd although they are treated well enough compared to some bands I've seen supporting Maiden. I remember Trivium getting terrible abuse a few years ago when they were more in their metalcore days.
Going back to Shinedown Brent Smith really talks far too much between the songs but I already knew that having witnessed his preachy banter a couple of times before in their smaller gigs. It really gets a little too much to be honest when you're talking for more than 5-6 minutes and not playing songs. I figured I'll see the whole of their set on the Sunday and wasn't worried about the Saturday set as I was with a friend for Saturday. Shinedown were OK but forgettable in the main. The sound wasn't too great for them either being bass heavy and echo-y. Brent's vocals were fine though. The man is a powerhouse singer that's for sure and a commanding front man.
Finally at 8.50pm on the dot the familiar opening to Doctor Doctor starts up through the PA and the Maiden nutters start to get psyched for the old warriors return to London after having last played at this very venue back in 2013. The set list then was about as far removed from now as it's possible to get. Of course this is still the Book of Souls tour that started way back in 2016. Still you know what you're gonna get before you buy your ticket. Songs from Book of Souls and yet more songs from Book of Souls with a few classics in between.
I was quite enthusiastic about that album when it came out but I think hearing the songs live now, I think I may have been a bit over generous in my enthusiasm for it. The set opens with If Eternity Should Fail which in my eyes is just an OK song with an OK chorus. However the band is energised and does a sterling job of convincing you that they really mean business. The first night I sat in my seat over 60-70 meters from the stage it's hard to get over excited or head bang too hard but the second night I was stood 5 meters from the stage and you can see the band is truly enjoying themselves. This feeds into your enjoyment more as the crowd member and helps create a better feeling on certain songs in any case.
The set continues with more songs from BoS of course, With the ripping Speed of Light coming across better live than on record. The first departure into ancient realms occurs with the coming of the hellbent and aggressive Wrathchild played very ferociously which I witnessed at first hand much closer on the second night. All the better for viewing up close on this particular song.
The band continues with another old classic in Children of the Damned. The old bastards in the house which number plenty obviously lap that one up. Bruce sounds great on that epic and very cool it seems that song is a perfect fit for his modern voice and doesn't test him greatly. It seems the song is quite a comfortable song for him to sing unlike say The Trooper which is a real test. Bruce talks in between songs about this and that, etc and obviously about recent events in Manchester etc. Every concert the world over is gonna mention that one.
It's funny when you go to a concert two nights in a row. You wonder will he mention the same things again and he does pretty much but he does change it around a bit. I guess he realises that many people attend both nights so he doesn't want to completely repeat himself all the time with the same old cliches.
They move on from the old school and revert back to BoS material soon enough as we get Death or Glory, a tune which does little for me to be honest but it's OK and nothing I positively dislike. I'd just so much rather hear a classic, but it's the BoS tour and we must hear those songs. The first actually great song from BoS, namely the mid album epic The Red and the Black soon surfaces and is the first long song of the night. The instrumental section is a sight to be hold, the crowd wooaahh woaahs on cue and the melody is captivating. The first night sitting in my seat it was a great sight to see a 20,000 crowd singing as one to that one. That's one thing you miss when you're right up close as I was on the second night. It almost feels like you are in a small crowd of about 500 down the front or something and although you can see the whites of their eyes you somehow miss the full atmosphere behind you. The good thing is I sampled both on consecutive nights. So TRaTB was a real great effort and the first truly cool moment from BoS which every one loved.
We had to delve into classic territory after that with The Trooper and Powerslave. The Trooper has been played thousands of time by now but it still gets you pumped as hell even though I'm sure it's a real test for Bruce and he does sound a touch strained but no one cares and the energy is through the roof. Powerslave's melodic gallop follows and is a song that every Maiden fan loves. Let's mention Mr Harris since we haven't already. Band leader extraordinaire is a truly inexhaustible guy. He runs heer and there pointing his bass machine gunning as usual and mouths near enough all the lyrics at the front rows. The guy is Maiden's spirit personified. His subtle bass licks are of course very prominent and make the Maiden songs the classics that they are.
Since were' talking about the instrumentalists let's quickly mention them all. Adrian is "Steady Eddie" of the group, playing rocking riffs with no shenagins and ripping leads with not too much smiling. He's the anchor in the band keeping it real as they say haha! Dave Murray is understated Mr Smiley doing a few pirouettes and generally "Mr Grin features" although out of all the guitarists he's the one who looks the most tired of all the touring maybe. His leads sound a bit one dimensional too at times but he's very much adored by the fans for his genial stage persona. That leaves Janick to act the band clown. Pull shapes, dance, play backing and have the odd solo. He mainly does guitar tricks and acts the complete fool, but you know what there's nothing wrong with that. It's actually funny to watch and he doesn't seem to take everything that seriously. That leaves Mr McBrain on the drums or Mr one foot wonder as some call him but all I know is that the guy is solid. Let's just say he's Mr Dependable. No one complains about Nicko and he does his job with an affable smile and has a whale of a time.
Moving on we have two more BoS songs to get through. The Great Unknown and the title track. The former track is a recent addition to the set list but sadly it's not a great song and seems to pass by without much fanfare at all. Another classic would have been so preferable indeed. The title track however is a monstrous epic and must be played of course in a tour of that name. The song builds and builds and the band sounds great as the song pounds away and then the hammering speedy riff takes the song to a great end from the halfway point onwards.
The song is followed up by the crowd pleaser that is Fear of the Dark. It seems this song is sacrosanct and can never be dropped from the modern Maiden set list. I must admit I have heard it every time I've seen Maiden which is at least 8-9 times and if it was dropped it wouldn't be the end of the world. But you know what - when those familiar opening strains start off it's still magical and the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. It's probably one of the best Maiden songs in a live setting. Just when you thing nahh this shit's getting old you still get that amazing pumped feeling with the energy and woooaahh section and the Fear of the Dark chanting section. Epic!
The main set ends with another song that they seemingly find impossible to omit, which is of course the self titled song from the debut. I can see why they play it as the fans just love it. The energy, the melody and the slightly punky feel. Steve Harris bellows the lyrics with immense gusto on that one. The crowd participation is again extravagant. People just love this song. Personally I'd prefer to hear the return of 11.58 or Aces High but I guess that's for another tour.
The second song in the encore sees a fairly long speech by Bruce on both nights, pontificating the same thing about unity etc and not caring what colour creed or religion we are and that we're all blood brothers that's why we're here. You get the drill! Having said that the band backs it up and the song sounds immensely powerful with the whole arena singing that one back at Bruce. The song itself has emotional melodic sections and very nice delicate solos. I must admit it is one of my fave live songs of the night and well worth to hear it sung by near enough the whole crowd. I actually enjoyed it more from my seat on the first night for this particular song as you can see the whole arena participate.
At the end of Blood Brothers, Adrian quickly starts that melodic motif and you know we've reached the final song of the night which is the very melodic and catchy Wasted Years. Indeed one of the best and most sung with choruses on the night. But the song doesn't have a last song of the night feel about it. The end song should of course be Hallowed but the band has decided to drop it from the set list due to the ongoing court case with regard to copyright infringement. From everything I've read the guy suing Maiden has never said the band can't play the song but it turns out every time they do play it they have to pay a few hundred quid royalties to this guy or something along those lines so they've made the decision to drop it for the time being. I read another rumour on Maidenfans forum saying that Bruce was having difficult singing the song and maybe they used the litigation case as a front for dropping the song. It's probably a bit of both who knows, but all i do know is that the song voted the best Maiden song of all time and my personal fave song by them ever is not currently part of the set list. This is absolutely a shame and it better restored soon as a Maiden gig however great it may be, is incomplete without Hallowed IMO. It may have been played to death but we go to Maiden gigs to hear Hallowed. Simple as. Sort this shit out haha!
Anyway I enjoyed my 2 night stint with the mighty Maiden. They may be knocking on a bit and the movement around the stage is not as rapid and slick as it once was but the ambition and power of delivery is as good as ever. Next time do a greatest newer hits set list with the best songs from 2000 onwards and I'll be there like a shot. Who am I kidding..I'll be there like a shot next time whatever the fuck they play! Up the Irons!
Doctor Doctor
(UFO song)
If Eternity Should Fail
Speed of Light
Wrathchild
Children of the Damned
Death or Glory
The Red and the Black
The Trooper
Powerslave
The Great Unknown
The Book of Souls
Fear of the Dark
Iron Maiden
Encore:
The Number of the Beast
Blood Brothers
Wasted Years
Monday, 30 January 2017
Black Sabbath Live @ the O2 Arena
Well this was my first and last time seeing the legend that is Black Sabbath. Granted the opportunities to see them in the past have been fairly few and far in between but I've never purposefully sought them out as a band that I definitely must see. I've always respected BS but I can't say I've really been a huge fan but I have liked numerous songs enough to show great respect to the band.
With this tour billed as The End I thought let me buckle down and go and see them. Sure their best times have long gone but this'll be it and the opportunity will never arise again. The ticket price ended up costing me a hefty £70 in total which was a bit eye watering to say the least but I paid, shut up, and bared witness to some classic riffs.
I missed the start of openers Rival Sons sadly. I thought they were coming on at around 7.40 but they must've already played a few songs as I took my seat. I must admit I liked these guys when they supported another legend, Deep Purple, in this same arena a year or so back. They sounded right at home as an Arena classic rock band and it was no different last night. They have a great soulful singer to boot. They are like Sabbath's less neanderthal and more soulful cousin basically. Strangely when I tried the band's studio material I found it a bit pedestrian and so so, but they come to life in the live arena that's for sure. They have a natty set of tunes and some cool swaggering riffage and some Hammond as well to give you the Purple or 70s angle. Good set!
Finally at the reasonably early hour of 8.15 the intro video was played on the curtain covering the stage and it dropped to reveal that familiar creepy intro to the band's self titled song. The band is fairly static and grim faced it must be said. You won't get too many smiles out of these grim overlords of dark metal that's for sure. But I guess this ain't exactly happy music!
As the band progressed through the doomy opening track I started to believe the hype. This tour has been getting rave reviews for the performance of than band an in particular Ozzy's performance on the mic. I'm not saying he was up to the level of his younger days but for a shuffling old fool approaching his 70th birthday he wasn't half bad at all. he sounded dreary and doomy as his voice boomed across the hall. He still has that dodgy gait about him and some of his kid jumps and stamps are still hilarious to watch but he knows how to work a crowd that's for sure.
The setlist consisted of no new material at all and in fact all these songs were recorded in the 70s. This is understandable since Ozzy is the front man and it wouldn't be the done thing to sing newer material but one track from 13 is not so impossible is it? Not that I like 13 but I just want to hear how it would have sounded.
In any case as I said the band sounded excellent indeed. Iommi needs no introduction from me now does he! The man is the originator and true legend of the riff! Every Sabbath song is blessed with either a monumentally memorable riff or a great rollicking groove. They even played a nice riff medley in the middle which was very cool to hear. The new young drummer is very good too. He had an extended drum solo to show off his skills.
Songs of the night where the intricate and progressive Into the Void, War Pigs with mass sing along by almost the whole of the Arena, Iron Man with it's catchy unearthly riffs and roaring groove and the rollicking, hammering set closer Children of the Grave.
Of course they encored with Paranoid and we said one last goodbye to these legends. They've still got another show to play here tomorrow and two more hometown shows in Birmingham but for my first and last ever Sabbath show I have to hand it to them. Their bodies maybe beat, and the fire for heavy metal maybe diminished somewhat, but they don't half still make a monstrous sound. Farewell to the true originators of heavy metal - Black Sabbath.
Black Sabbath
Fairies Wear Boots
Under the Sun/Every Day Comes and Goes
After Forever
Into the Void
Snowblind
War Pigs
Behind the Wall of Sleep
N.I.B.
Rat Salad
Riff Medley, including Supernaut
Iron Man
Dirty Women
Children of the Grave
Encore:
Paranoid
With this tour billed as The End I thought let me buckle down and go and see them. Sure their best times have long gone but this'll be it and the opportunity will never arise again. The ticket price ended up costing me a hefty £70 in total which was a bit eye watering to say the least but I paid, shut up, and bared witness to some classic riffs.
I missed the start of openers Rival Sons sadly. I thought they were coming on at around 7.40 but they must've already played a few songs as I took my seat. I must admit I liked these guys when they supported another legend, Deep Purple, in this same arena a year or so back. They sounded right at home as an Arena classic rock band and it was no different last night. They have a great soulful singer to boot. They are like Sabbath's less neanderthal and more soulful cousin basically. Strangely when I tried the band's studio material I found it a bit pedestrian and so so, but they come to life in the live arena that's for sure. They have a natty set of tunes and some cool swaggering riffage and some Hammond as well to give you the Purple or 70s angle. Good set!
Finally at the reasonably early hour of 8.15 the intro video was played on the curtain covering the stage and it dropped to reveal that familiar creepy intro to the band's self titled song. The band is fairly static and grim faced it must be said. You won't get too many smiles out of these grim overlords of dark metal that's for sure. But I guess this ain't exactly happy music!
As the band progressed through the doomy opening track I started to believe the hype. This tour has been getting rave reviews for the performance of than band an in particular Ozzy's performance on the mic. I'm not saying he was up to the level of his younger days but for a shuffling old fool approaching his 70th birthday he wasn't half bad at all. he sounded dreary and doomy as his voice boomed across the hall. He still has that dodgy gait about him and some of his kid jumps and stamps are still hilarious to watch but he knows how to work a crowd that's for sure.
The setlist consisted of no new material at all and in fact all these songs were recorded in the 70s. This is understandable since Ozzy is the front man and it wouldn't be the done thing to sing newer material but one track from 13 is not so impossible is it? Not that I like 13 but I just want to hear how it would have sounded.
In any case as I said the band sounded excellent indeed. Iommi needs no introduction from me now does he! The man is the originator and true legend of the riff! Every Sabbath song is blessed with either a monumentally memorable riff or a great rollicking groove. They even played a nice riff medley in the middle which was very cool to hear. The new young drummer is very good too. He had an extended drum solo to show off his skills.
Songs of the night where the intricate and progressive Into the Void, War Pigs with mass sing along by almost the whole of the Arena, Iron Man with it's catchy unearthly riffs and roaring groove and the rollicking, hammering set closer Children of the Grave.
Of course they encored with Paranoid and we said one last goodbye to these legends. They've still got another show to play here tomorrow and two more hometown shows in Birmingham but for my first and last ever Sabbath show I have to hand it to them. Their bodies maybe beat, and the fire for heavy metal maybe diminished somewhat, but they don't half still make a monstrous sound. Farewell to the true originators of heavy metal - Black Sabbath.
Black Sabbath
Fairies Wear Boots
Under the Sun/Every Day Comes and Goes
After Forever
Into the Void
Snowblind
War Pigs
Behind the Wall of Sleep
N.I.B.
Rat Salad
Riff Medley, including Supernaut
Iron Man
Dirty Women
Children of the Grave
Encore:
Paranoid
Friday, 4 December 2015
Deep Purple - Live at the O2 Arena
It's a good job I've been off work this week as I've been to 3 gigs and 1 sport event in the last four days and it's really starting to tell on my haggard look. Still I really had to give Deep Purple a shot at impressing me with their brand of classic rock. The O2 is a great venue for a gig but obviously way too ambitious a place to book for Purple. This gig should have probably been held at the 12,000 capacity Wembley Arena. The top sections of the O2 were mostly curtained off and the top section where I was sat, was pretty empty. I would guess the audience to be around 10,000 maximum. Although I must admit I'm glad they booked the O2 as it's a nice venue even though you need a head for heights if your sitting in the upper circle!
California's Rival Sons were the support act and they came on promptly at 7.30 sharp. These guys were pretty much a perfect support for DP in every way shape and form. I know their name quite well but haven't paid too much attention to the music but judging by their performance last night I should be giving them more of a chance. The only thing is I'm not sure ow much I'd enjoy in the studio compared to their live performance which was flawless. They had a perfect sound and it was even pretty quiet, so may they weren't given the full power of the O2 PA system. Any how the band was totally cool throughout their 45 minute set. They have big heavy riffs that remind you of Sabbath and then they have these moody melodic bluesy passages to juxtapose the heaviness.
The singer truly has a wonderful voice and showcased it throughout their set. His soulful flair was really nice to hear and he added such an emotional depth to the songs. Even though I don't really know their material the songs were so easy on the ear with melodies sweeping by you and caressing your ear, yet they could also be quite groovy and heavy when they wanted. Very impressed with these hard rocking Cali boys!
Finally the stage was readied and I actually moved to a better seat than my allotted one as I could barely see Rival Sons from my allocated one. Deep Purple came on to rapturous applause from the all seated old fogey crowd, yes, I actually felt young at a gig! The intro played out and the band launched into the speedy and energetic Highway Star. They sounded in tip top form it must be said with a crystal clear sound mix as well. I felt that Gillan was struggling a little with the higher notes and he was tending to over-scream them in the first song but his band mates were on fire especially Don Airey on keys and Steve Morse on guitar but more on them in a sec.
Bloodsucker was next and it's not a song I recognised. Is it new? I don't know but Gillan was starting to warm up now and his vocals were starting to show their undoubted power. He does look a bit like grandad let loose on the karaoke when you see him up on stage but that's just his look perhaps. The guy still has power to spare although he does have a tendency to over-sing some lines and some of the melody maybe gets lost.
Not being a Purple aficionado apart from the hits, the songs that followed I either haven't heard for years or have never even heard of at all. Vincent Price was great, and interesting tune. Can you believe I've never ever heard that song? After that song followed a super guitar solo from Morse. The guy is a super tasteful guitar wizard. Every note is well crafted and drips with clarity. He's not a 1000 notes a second guy at all. His solo captivated the crowd and soon enough it was time for Don on keys to show his massed ranks of keys to great effect in the song Uncommon Man. Keyboard wizards everywhere take note Don is your master!
The next few songs I didn't really know but they all featured either stellar musicianship from all members including an amazing drum solo from Mr Paice during the end of one song which the set list doesn't indicate, but as drum solos go it was one of the more memorable ones I've witness from the legendary skinbasher. A further keyboard solo followed from Don after his keyboard acrobatics in Uncommon Man his own solo was even more over the top than before. He brought the place down nearly his fingers were ripping here there and everywhere.
From here on in until the end I knew every song thankfully. Perfect Strangers was awesome and I'm glad they played it as I'm not sure it's a live staple or not. It was one of the best received songs of the night from the packed floor that's for sure. Space Truckin' was a grooving sped up tune that got a few people off their feet and dancing down below. An extended intro with a guitar between Morse and Scott Holiday led into the most famous riff in the world and everyone was air guitaring around me and standing up down on the floor beow. The band goes quiet in the middle to allow Gillan to orchestrate the crowd during the chorus and the whole of the O2 was singing of course. A pretty cool site to be a part of and of course my first time hearing Smoke live.
The band waved and said thank yous and left but of course the night was not over as the two song encore of Hush and Black Night followed. Hush is a tune I've never really been that much of a fan of but it's one of their most popular. I don't think they could leave the Arena without playing it. They'd get lynched!
And finally we had a bass solo from Mr. Glover. Everyone else in the band had extended solo sections so we can hardly begrudge the legendary 4 stringer his moment in the spotlight which he took with much aplomb. He had a very nice clean bass tone I must say and had some fancy grooves and bass licks before the full band joins in and Morse plays the iconic riff to Black Night and Gillan joins and everyone is rocking out one last time. The band left to huge cheers and Ian thanked the crowd profusely for turning out and waved the fans goodbye.
For a first time Purple show I must admit I was surprised at how good and vital they sound. I'm not a huge fan of the band or anything but their status as legends is fully cemented and not in any way dented when they put on performances such as these. I hope they keep going for a while yet and maybe I will see them again who knows. Anyone who has doubts about Deep Purple rest assured that they still know how to rock pretty damn hard!
Mars, the Bringer of War
(Gustav Holst song)
Highway Star
Bloodsucker
Hard Lovin' Man
Strange Kind of Woman
Vincent Price
Guitar Solo
Uncommon Man
The Well-Dressed Guitar
The Mule
Lazy
(with Stephen Bentley-Klein)
Demon's Eye
Hell to Pay
Keyboard Solo
Perfect Strangers
Space Truckin'
Smoke on the Water
(with Scott Holiday)
Encore:
Hush
(Joe South cover) (with "Green Onions" by Booker… more )
Bass Solo
Black Night
California's Rival Sons were the support act and they came on promptly at 7.30 sharp. These guys were pretty much a perfect support for DP in every way shape and form. I know their name quite well but haven't paid too much attention to the music but judging by their performance last night I should be giving them more of a chance. The only thing is I'm not sure ow much I'd enjoy in the studio compared to their live performance which was flawless. They had a perfect sound and it was even pretty quiet, so may they weren't given the full power of the O2 PA system. Any how the band was totally cool throughout their 45 minute set. They have big heavy riffs that remind you of Sabbath and then they have these moody melodic bluesy passages to juxtapose the heaviness.
The singer truly has a wonderful voice and showcased it throughout their set. His soulful flair was really nice to hear and he added such an emotional depth to the songs. Even though I don't really know their material the songs were so easy on the ear with melodies sweeping by you and caressing your ear, yet they could also be quite groovy and heavy when they wanted. Very impressed with these hard rocking Cali boys!
Finally the stage was readied and I actually moved to a better seat than my allotted one as I could barely see Rival Sons from my allocated one. Deep Purple came on to rapturous applause from the all seated old fogey crowd, yes, I actually felt young at a gig! The intro played out and the band launched into the speedy and energetic Highway Star. They sounded in tip top form it must be said with a crystal clear sound mix as well. I felt that Gillan was struggling a little with the higher notes and he was tending to over-scream them in the first song but his band mates were on fire especially Don Airey on keys and Steve Morse on guitar but more on them in a sec.
Bloodsucker was next and it's not a song I recognised. Is it new? I don't know but Gillan was starting to warm up now and his vocals were starting to show their undoubted power. He does look a bit like grandad let loose on the karaoke when you see him up on stage but that's just his look perhaps. The guy still has power to spare although he does have a tendency to over-sing some lines and some of the melody maybe gets lost.
Not being a Purple aficionado apart from the hits, the songs that followed I either haven't heard for years or have never even heard of at all. Vincent Price was great, and interesting tune. Can you believe I've never ever heard that song? After that song followed a super guitar solo from Morse. The guy is a super tasteful guitar wizard. Every note is well crafted and drips with clarity. He's not a 1000 notes a second guy at all. His solo captivated the crowd and soon enough it was time for Don on keys to show his massed ranks of keys to great effect in the song Uncommon Man. Keyboard wizards everywhere take note Don is your master!
The next few songs I didn't really know but they all featured either stellar musicianship from all members including an amazing drum solo from Mr Paice during the end of one song which the set list doesn't indicate, but as drum solos go it was one of the more memorable ones I've witness from the legendary skinbasher. A further keyboard solo followed from Don after his keyboard acrobatics in Uncommon Man his own solo was even more over the top than before. He brought the place down nearly his fingers were ripping here there and everywhere.
From here on in until the end I knew every song thankfully. Perfect Strangers was awesome and I'm glad they played it as I'm not sure it's a live staple or not. It was one of the best received songs of the night from the packed floor that's for sure. Space Truckin' was a grooving sped up tune that got a few people off their feet and dancing down below. An extended intro with a guitar between Morse and Scott Holiday led into the most famous riff in the world and everyone was air guitaring around me and standing up down on the floor beow. The band goes quiet in the middle to allow Gillan to orchestrate the crowd during the chorus and the whole of the O2 was singing of course. A pretty cool site to be a part of and of course my first time hearing Smoke live.
The band waved and said thank yous and left but of course the night was not over as the two song encore of Hush and Black Night followed. Hush is a tune I've never really been that much of a fan of but it's one of their most popular. I don't think they could leave the Arena without playing it. They'd get lynched!
And finally we had a bass solo from Mr. Glover. Everyone else in the band had extended solo sections so we can hardly begrudge the legendary 4 stringer his moment in the spotlight which he took with much aplomb. He had a very nice clean bass tone I must say and had some fancy grooves and bass licks before the full band joins in and Morse plays the iconic riff to Black Night and Gillan joins and everyone is rocking out one last time. The band left to huge cheers and Ian thanked the crowd profusely for turning out and waved the fans goodbye.
For a first time Purple show I must admit I was surprised at how good and vital they sound. I'm not a huge fan of the band or anything but their status as legends is fully cemented and not in any way dented when they put on performances such as these. I hope they keep going for a while yet and maybe I will see them again who knows. Anyone who has doubts about Deep Purple rest assured that they still know how to rock pretty damn hard!
Mars, the Bringer of War
(Gustav Holst song)
Highway Star
Bloodsucker
Hard Lovin' Man
Strange Kind of Woman
Vincent Price
Guitar Solo
Uncommon Man
The Well-Dressed Guitar
The Mule
Lazy
(with Stephen Bentley-Klein)
Demon's Eye
Hell to Pay
Keyboard Solo
Perfect Strangers
Space Truckin'
Smoke on the Water
(with Scott Holiday)
Encore:
Hush
(Joe South cover) (with "Green Onions" by Booker… more )
Bass Solo
Black Night
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