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THE BAND
- Ozzy Osbourne - Vocals
- Tony Iommi - Guitar
- Geezer Butler - Bass
- Bill Ward - Drums
- Geoff Nicholls - Keyboards
CONCERT PHOTOS
None available - if you have any, let me know.
TOUR REVIEWS & REMARKS
From: drlanham@erols.com
Date: Sun, 15 Aug 1999 18:18:28 -0400
Subject: Reunion Tour Report-Columbia Maryland Aug 14, 1999
Witnessed the great Black Sabbath last night from the 12th row, (center
right, Tony's side) at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia MD, an
outdoor venue halfway between Washington DC and Baltimore.
Walking through the woods in Maryland to see Sabbath is a little like
searching for the Blair Witch, only with a happier ending.
The set looked great. The opening montage of footage and sound clips was
inspiring. It really gave the band its historical due. Following this was
the ominous air raids, heralding the onset of "War Pigs". What an entrance!
How grand to see these four men together, at long last. Long live Bill
Ward!
The set list appears to be similar to the others on this extended leg of
the tour. "After Forever" was magnificent. "Electric Funeral" was downright
evil. And "Fairies Wear Boots" was rousing.
The screen backdrop included smoking scenes from old movies during "Sweet
Leaf", which was very funny. Grainy black & whites of Greta Garbo types,
laughing and smoking while suer-imposed images of the band jamming to
"Sweet Leaf". Classic.
However, Ozzy's voice began to break down during the final verses, and
progressively hoarsen to the point where he was visibly struggling. During
the break, he attempted to talk to the audience, but his voice was reduced
to a rasp. Tony walked over to him and gave him a slap on the back after
apparently inquiring about his status. It was that obvious.
Ozzy downed several drinks of whatever his crew was bringing him, and he
gamely tried to labor through "Into the Void". He deliberately toned this
one down, but got through it.
Following the song, he apologize for the "fucked up way" he was singing
tonight. He'd been to a doctor today, and was told not to perform. But he
told the doctor "Fuck that" and soldiered on anyway, much to the delight of
the crowd.
Tony took an extended solo after this, presumably so that Ozzy could go
gather himself. When he returned, he flawlessly delivered the balance of
the set. He's quite a pro, and he must've known what was needed to relieve
his frogginess. However, he was relativey subdued for the rest of the
night.
I noticed that they didn't do "Dirty Women", and I wonder if it was a
product of Ozzy's condition not to attempt it.
They did all the rest, including a brilliant "Black Sabbath" set to torch
light. One of the greatest concert scenes I've ever seen.
And an intro tease of "Supernaut" to begin "Paranoid", which would've been
amazing if Ozzy would've attempted that one given his health.
I'd read that the winter dates had been cut short due to his throat
problems, so I hope that he's alright.
I can tell you that despite Ozzy's problems during "Sweet Leaf" and "Into
the Void", the performance was superb. Tony was the anchor, and Bill Ward
was tremendous. Ozzy gave a very good performance despite his problems, and
I don't mean to suggest that he was half-assed. Rather, he was thoroughly
professional and resourceful under the circumstances.
It was a sight and sound experience worthy of one of rock & roll's enduring
legends.
Dave Lanham
Calvert County, Maryland
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 1999 22:27:55 -0400
Subject: Reunion tour
From: dwight holmes <logo14@juno.com>
Joe,
Got to finally see Sabbath on this Reunion tour. Been watching your site
for months now, the anticipation just too much. Then the opportunity
came at the 8/14/99 Columbia, Maryland show. Good news and bad.
The good- Tony was exceptionally awesome, so ON it was beyond words. All
I could do was watch and listen and hope to not forget a note. The first
concert I went to sober!! Geezer was non-stop, totally into it just as if
it were 1978 when I saw them in Baltimore. The completness of his bass on
"Black Sabbath" was ultimate. He was really having fun. Bill was cruising
making everything look effortless, yet he was banging those drumheads with
a fury. The band couldn't have been any tighter than if they had just
started their career.
The Bad News-- Ozzy was awful. Vocal nodules were back, he apologized at
one point. Now and then his voice would come back in, fortunately during
"Black Sabbath". Moreover, Oz seemed to be hardly able to walk the stage,
not drunk but old and frail. Then with the black eye make-up and the
buckets of water, he looked dead!! And we were 20 rows from the stage.
They did 11 songs, played 90 minutes and they were done. I so wish that Oz
hadda been ON, so many songs that could have been done, it "left me wanting
you (Sabbath) and your kind" more than before the show. I hope your right
and this won't be their last tour. But I have my doubts. I also hope for
the sake of the European fans that Oz gets his voice problems fixed for
good before he hits the stage over there. In fact my friends suggested a
tour by the band with Ronnie Dio--what's he up to?! Anyway, I waited since
1978 to see the original band and despite Ozzie's voice, I wouldn't turn
down a chance to see them again and again. Keep up the great job--thanks
for taking the time to keep us all informed!!!
Sab fan from Catonsville, MD
From: drlanham@erols.com
Date: Wed, 01 Sep 1999 11:22:19 -0400
Subject: Merriweather Post Aug 14th
Walking through the woods in Maryland to attend a Black Sabbath concert is
a little like searching for the Blair Witch, but with a happier ending.
>From the 12th row center-right, it got downright frightening to be that
close to the great Black Sabbath.
The montage of clips and soundbytes which heralded the onset of the show
was quite inspiring. It really encapsulated the band's history, and flagged
their mark in the historical context of rock and roll.
The air raids which preceded War Pigs was spine-tingling. What a grand
entrance!
The delivery of the standards was simply flawless. Fairies Wear Boots was
rousing; After Forever was soaring and Black Sabbath by torchlight was
arguably the finest presentation of music and moment that I've ever seen on
a concert stage. Nice to see them give these great songs their due with a
first rate production.
The evening wasn't without hitches, however. But I witnessed one of the
most gutty professional efforts when Ozzy's voice began to vacate him
toward the end of Sweet Leaf. Always a number that stretched Ozzy's range,
the ending was simply beyond his voice. Having read about his problems in
the winter, I wondered how he might soldier on. Even Tony came over to lend
a pat on the back for his struggling mate.
But soldier on he did, partaking of the numerous fluids provided to him by
his crew, downing bottles and soup containers with handles. He tried to
speak following Sweet Leaf, but his speaking voice was a raw tangle of
sandpaper. He gamely rolled through Into the Void, a more monotone melody
than Sweet Leaf, and he managed quite well. And he wisely kept his audience
exhortations to a minimum.
Following this number, he gathered his speaking voice to explain that a
doctor has advised him this very day not to go forward with the evening
gig, to which he told him "Fuck that". Everyone in the outdoor amphitheatre
gleefully seconded that sentiment.
Tony followed with a brilliant solo, while Ozzy exited to gather himself.
Like a great running back or ace pitcher setting up for the stretch run,
the legendary singer seemed to dig within himself and returned to a crisper
and more emphatic delivery of the remaining set than thought possible a few
songs earlier.
It was truly one of the gutsiest performances under adversity as you'll
likely see. What a trooper.
By the time that Paranoid was concluded, under a hail of festive confetti,
the exhausted mass had witnessed the gritty determination that made this
band one of the enduring icons of roll and roll music.
Long may you run, gentlemen!
Dave Lanham
Calvert County, Maryland
From: "Dan Sheehan" <dsheehan@firstva.com>
To: <siegler@black-sabbath.com>
Subject: Sabbath @ Merriweather Post
Date sent: Fri, 1 Oct 1999 18:27:39 -0400
The concert was in a two words Rocking and Disappointing. They played an
incredible rocking set which was the same as the Ozzfest set. That was
okay it's great music and I attended both. However, I was expecting them
to play a little longer than they did at Ozzfest. This was not the case.
The show ended BEFORE FREAKIN' 9:30!! Ozzy's voice did sound pretty
scratchy, which was probably a factor. But I feel I got the shaft for the
price of the tickets. It was my wifes first show and I was actually
embarassed that they did not live up to the hype I always dish out.
Anyways, it was still a rocking set. Fairies Wear Boots kicks ass. -Dan
Culpeper, VA
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