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THE BAND
- Ozzy Osbourne - Vocals
- Tony Iommi - Guitar
- Geezer Butler - Bass
- Bill Ward - Drums
- Geoff Nicholls - Keyboards
CONCERT PHOTO GALLERY
You
can view the photo gallery for this concert here.
TOUR REVIEWS & REMARKS
Date: Thu, 04 Feb 1999 15:15:12 -0500
From: Leonid Makarovsky <Leonid.Makarovsky@speechworks.com>
Subject: Black Sabbath @ Fleet, 02/03/99
Deftones, Pantera, Black Sabbath.
I was late and came after Deftones finished.
Next was Pantera. There were bunch of Pantera
fans where I was sitting. But I think this band SUCKS! Not 'cause I'm old fart
(I'm 30) and can't stand newer metal and Pantera are not melodic. No, I do love
newer metal and listen to anything extreme from Bolt Thrower to Emperor to
Tiamat to Immortal to Dark Throne to early Sepultura "Schizophrenia"
(not melodic either) etc... Pantera plays backstreet / unintelligent / garage-highschool
/ biker / loud-stadium rock with guitar plugged in into metal distortion. This
is not real metal, but metal sounding primitive rock. There was a band in late
80s early 90s called Exhorder that Pantera simply tried copy. They did a good
job copying the Exhorder sound. But in addition to sound there should be descent
riffs. Pantera lacks them. For curious people, check out Exhorder - Slaughter In
Vatican. Exhorder also appears on Eternal Masters tribute doing Into The Void.
There was a short break after Pantera, and Black
Sabbath intro video was played. Then Black Sabbath opened up with War Pigs....
Songs they played (I don't remember the order)
War Pigs N. I. B. Faires Wear Boots After Forever
Electric Funeral Sweet Leaf Dirty Women Into The Void Black Sabbath Snowblind
Iron Man Children of The Grave Encore: Paranoid
Sound: I have seen Kiss and AC/DC in Fleet Center
before and both times sound sucked. During Black Sabbath sound was MORE than
perfect.
Stage show: I don't go to see Black Sabbath
'cause of stage show, but I go to enjoy music. However, the stage show was
incredible. Fireworks, burning candles during the song Black Sabbath, the rain
with small brown flyers at the end of the show - it all contributed to the show
to be the best.
Performance. Iommi, Geezer, Bill. I'm not gonna
say much. They were perfect. They didn't miss single note. At a time Bill lost a
drumstick, he asked for another one, and roadies couldn't get it to him for a
while. He was beating shit out of drumkit with one hand as if nothing happened
as if he was using 2 arms. It was incredible. Ozzy... before the show I was
afraid he wouldn't be able to sing well due to the nodules he had. So I didn't
expect that much from him, plus I was not happy with his performance in Black
Sabbath in Ozzfest 97. Despite all my bad expectations, he was at his best. The
guy didn't miss a single note. He was loud, he was hitting highs, he was
incredible singer... Misc.... some songs were played differently from studio
versions. I noticed that After Forever, Electric Funeral had a little different
riffs and sounded heavier than studio versions.
Overall.. I will see if I can make it to Buffalo
or to Phila to see them again. If anyone has any tickets for sale in the venues
that are reachable by car from the Boston area, please let me know immideately.
Enough said.
--Leonid
From: "Mike Culver"
<mikeculver100@hotmail.com>
Subject: Fleet Center vs. BankOne, MA vs. AZ
Date: Fri, 05 Feb 1999 10:47:07 PST
The Fleet Center show was unbelievable as one might expect but there were some problems I
would like to address. I traveled to Phoenix for New Years and then spent a few days in
Vegas. Although it was great to see Sabbath open the tour many problems were worked out in
Boston that were present at Phoenix. Like there was a major problem with the sound in
Phoenix that was fine in Boston. There was also a major problem with the crowd in Phoenix
as compared to the Bay State. I stood in many places on the field at Bank One Ball park
and wherever I traveled I would hear some Jackass yelling, "Play Crazy Train man, I
love that song" Needless to say he was not a true Sabbath fan. I found that many
people in AZ didn't get the whole Sabbath experience, most were just standing around with
there thumbs up there ass. I know there were many who appreciated the experience they were
receiving, and I do not mean to offend you but the majority were a bunch of fools. Ozzy
was even fed up telling the crowd that they do suck and really aren't loud and getting
into it.
At Boston the response and crowd energy was what I had expected at Phoenix and for all the
Sab shows. Ozzy was certainly pleased and probably had hearing problems the next morning,
not from the sound system but from the never yielding crowd. Sabbath played the same set
list they have been the whole tour with no real exceptions. A few notes that do stand out
were Tony really jamming out to Black Sabbath, he really digged the show and crowd.
Fortunatelly Ward didn't have to do a drum solo, you know what I mean if you saw his
pathetic display on New Years, don't get me wrong he is great just not ready to jam like
Mike Borden solo.
What really made me happy about the Boston show was the people I was surrounded by. Most
everyone around me was experianced enought to sing along with the more obscure Sab tunes
on the play list, like Into the Void, Faries, and After Forever. Ozzy really fucked up
Dirty Woman and lost the crowd within it. Maybe because he followed Snow Blind with Dirty
Woman. The only negative part to the show(for songs they played) was Dirty Woman, I love
the song but Sabbath lost the crowd with it. They should drop it and play anything else,
Jonny Blade or Supernaut?
Even though I pray for Sabbath to just cover an album like Never Say Die, or Tech. Ex, or
whatever, something that most haven't heard, I know it won't happen. So I just have to
listen to the old bootlegs and original albums to get my fix. So until next time, Keep
burning metal through the atmosphere...
From: JAMAWALL@aol.com
Date: Fri, 5 Feb 1999 14:02:22 EST
Subject: Reunion%20Tour%20Report
Although it was not a Sunday, the church of heavy metal celebrated Black Sabbath on
Wednesday night at Boston's Fleetcenter.
The faithful congregation was there in vast numbers to hear Father Ozzy and his esteemed
colleagues preach their gospel, complete with thunderous guitar riffs, wicked bass
grooves, and crushing drum beats.
As they ascended onto the smoke-filled stage, Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi,Geezer Butler, and
Bill Ward were received with deafening applause from their loyal fans. For some, it had
been over twenty years since they witnessed these four men on stage together. The rest
were virgins to the experience, and were there to learn what the myth of Black Sabbath was
all about.
The entire band sounded better than ever. Following a week of rest due to a nodule
developing in his throat, Osbourne's voice was spectacular, haunting, and devilish, while
the music of Iommi, Butler, and Ward sounded even more evil than it did when they recorded
it twenty-five years ago. From the opener "Warpigs" to the encore
"Paranoid," the crowd was so loud that at times it was difficult to hear Ozzy
himself sing his legendary lyrics. Classics like "N.I.B.," "Fairies Wear
Boots," and "Sweet Leaf" made up the early part of the set, but it wasn't
until the song "Black Sabbath" that the true essence of the band forced itself
into the minds of each and every person in the arena. The gothic torches burned bright
flames, as did the thousands of lighters surrounding the stage. Osbourne approached the
microphone, a "big black shape with eyes of fire," with his arms stretched
outward like a vulture ready to attack, or an angel ready to fly. The slow, demonic lyrics
and hypnotizing music began. Everybody - the band and the crowd - was at a standstill.
Then came the final section of the song like a fiery explosion. Iommi, Butler, and Ward
increased the tempo as a madness overtook Osbourne, who began running and leaping
intensely, with the face of a devil, engaging in frog-like acrobatics. The band was crazy,
the crowd was crazy, and that is exactly what Osbourne aims for - mass insanity. The song
came to a screeching halt, and somehow thebreathless crowd managed a blaring applause,
which was met with an "I love you all" from Ozzy.
The band closed the show with "Iron Man," "Children of the Grave," and
theencore "Paranoid," which was preceded by one final invitation to "go
fucking crazy" by Ozzy. The final notes of the infamous riff were played, and a
stream of fireworks and confetti filled the arena, the epitome of one of those eighties
concert videos that people love, whether they want to admit it or not. The crowd exited to
the tune of "Changes," with not much to say. The intensity they felt was quite
enough.
Date: Sat, 06 Feb 1999 00:00:04 +0000
From: Mark & Deb Wilson <demark1@bellatlantic.net>
Subject: Reunion Tour Report
Sabbath was absolutely AWESOME! I almost didn't go to the show, being an old Sabbath fan
who saw the original lineup 3 times in the mid 70's I was afraid they wouldn't quite live
up to my great memories of the past. By the time I decided to get some tickets the show
was sold out. Lucky for me my brother got two tickets in the 15th row.
Their sound was brillant, loud and forceful but crystal clear. Seemed to me I could make
out every note played. The audience was a great mix, lots of new young fans and plenty of
older fans like myself. I used to tell people how great Sabbath was in the early
seventies. Lots of crowd involvement and singing along on the songs. Tonight was the same
way. People were singing along, flashing the peace sign and just having a blast. Ozzy
wasn't quite as wild as he was twenty years ago but he is still a great frontman. Geezer
was slick as ever and Tony was just outstanding. I did miss the old Iommi twenty minute
solo but he was brillant, especially on Dirty Women & Snowblind. In some other reviews
on your site some people cut down Billy Ward but he seemed as powerful as ever to me.
Highlites for me were the opening number War Pigs, Electric Funeral, After Forever and of
course the song Black Sabbath. Only disappointment was nothing from Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
or the Sabotage albums and it seemed to be over to quickly. All you guys with tickets for
future shows especially fans who saw the original lineup years ago are going to love it.
Same great rock with a 90's light show and fireworks too. NEVER SAY DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!
(From Joe: I hope this was about the Boston show - you didn't
say what show this was!!)
Date: Thu, 01 Mar 2001 02:44:02 -0500
From: The Charles Laquidara Radio Hour <clrh@wzlx.com>
Subject: Reunion Tour Report
SABBATH REVIEWED BY DAVE LAWRENCE / 8 FEB 99
Dave Lawrence here at Boston's Original Classic Rock (dave@wzlx.com most directly). I am a
member of the airstaff at 'ZLX & work w/ Charles in the morning.
I'm doing a three-show Sabbath odyssey: Boston, Nassau Coliseum, and the old Philly
Spectrum... I would have written before now, but I've been busy. Anyway, I have a
little time so I'll blast out a report!
Sabbbath ruled and in a big way. They appear to be doing the same set each night.
I've seen varying reports from folks with quite different song orders, but I think that
comes more from confusion than anything else. Here's what they did at The Fleet Center,
and Nassau Coliseum, and no doubt they've probably done this same set at nearly every
show:
WAR PIGS
BASICALLY
N.I.B.
FAIRIES WEAR BOOTS
AFTER FOREVER
ELECTRIC FUNERAL
SWEET LEAF
INTO THE VOID
SNOWBLIND
DIRTY WOMEN
BLACK SABBATH
IRON MAN
CHILDREN OF THE GRAVE
=
PARANOID
That was it. And it rocked. The Boys followed The Def Tones and then Pantera, both modern
heavy metal bands, The Def Tones mixing rap in pretty heavily. Sabbath faced a crowd made
up half of younger folks MUCH more familiar with the riffs of Dimebag Darryl from Pantera,
rather than Tony Iommi and obscure references to by-gone eras like "Dirty
Women", the classic dirge from Sabbath's ill-fated and largely ignored 1976 studio
release "Technical Ecstasy". As far as I'm concerned, that tune makes this a
bona fide reunion. If they didn't pay some respect to those of us WHO BOUGHT EVERY ALBUM,
AND LEARNED EVERY RIFF, AND LIVED AND BREATHED IT, than it would be as bogus as their
detractors might claim. But alas, it was not. Though big Bill looked, well, bigger than
ever, and he sounded a bit sloppy, he still was Bill, WHO WE NEED. GOD BLESS YOU BILL
WARD. And without Cozy around, God Bless the Bill Man even more. And Ozzy's voice sounded
pretty ragged, but it WAS THE REAL THING, I think. You hear these rumours, about some
little room with the guy from Lynch Mob singing as a ghost performer, but I heard nothing
to indicate anything more than a little Eventide Harmonizing going on. I'm a seasoned
concert goer, and in my line of work, I see a lot of stuff, and Ozzy sounded live, and
real. They did have Geoff Nicholls back there, but his channels seemed to be low on the
mixing console, at least that's what my ears heard. He pipes in with some vocals here and
there, some keys now & again, and maybe punches in alittle monkey business that could
be triggered from the keyboard, but Ididn't hear anything that sounded suspect. Tony Iommi
sounded crisp and clear, and looked totally into it. He and Oz had a good few quality
exchanges in Boston, but more in NY at Nassau Col. Also, Geezer/Tony exchanges seemed in
short supply at the Boston show, and were MUCH MORE EVIDENT at Nassau Col. You wonder how
they're getting paid; it has to be Ozzy's operation, and then The Boys are salaried, I
assume. Maybe Bill and Geez come in a little lighter than Tony, who probably owns
the name (or should, as far as I'm concerned, for all of his persistence, if often
in vain). But it sure was good at both shows (and I'm sure at most shows) when
Ozzy gets down on his knees and bows to the Tony Man.... THE WAY IT SHOULD
BE. AMEN. Nassau just had a little better vibe, with WHAT SEEMED LIKE, and I could
be wrong, a few less knuckleheads in the house, and more older Sabbath heads. Here's what
I mean: In Boston, during Panteras third... song, should I call it?, the two rows in front
of ours (in premium $$$ seats, too) erupted into a massive, blood splattering brawl that
coated nearly every surface in their seating area with gush of the unsafe, bio-hazardous
material, all quite on-display as venue staff promptly set up a mobile cleaning operation
that went on under a multitude of flashlights a small army of security provided. It was a
scene, with the young and belligerent participants locked onto each other for some time,
taking much muscle power to untangle and remove. These same members of the 'Boston
Intelligentsia Elite' (that's a joke, folks), who for their few moments of time with
Pantera before their big fight, sang along loudly and thrashed about like convulting fish
dying while making a last gasp, re-appeared for Sabbaths set, only to stand there as if
frozen in a trance, yawning occasionally and only barely aware of the history unfolding
onstage. they got their War Pigs, their Iron Man, their Paranoid and one or two others
they recognized, but otherwise they stood there looking bored... How the times have
changed, when what to my ears faceless speed and death metal gets the kids going crazy,
and then the original Black Sabbath seems to put them to sleep. And it looked like Pantera
had some responsibility for packing the joints, too. They are surely on the bill to ensure
that extra sold-out edge. But the 'silent majority', and that's really what the legions of
old Sabbath heads are, appeared to thoroughly enjoy and be totally engrossed by the show.
They are either a bit burnt out and frizzy, scary looking, or just mature looking
blue-collar dudes, reunited with old friends. That's the core old Sabbath audience in a
quick sketch. And they were there to see The Boys break out a few choice nugs, and also
tear up the standard classics, but TOGETHER. Sabbath, the real Sabbath. Tony. Ozzy. Bill.
Geezer. That, my friends, was what we got. It was a fucking happening man! And confetti
and streamers printed with the bands name? How cool is that? I'll tell you... It's Black
Sabbath cool. Thanks boys. You're charging a pretty penny, and the swag is WAY TOO PRICEY,
but the tunes rocked and rocked hard. GOD BLESS BLACK SABBATH. Overall, an amazing show,
and I can't wait to hit the finale of my Sabbath Odyssey in Philly at the old Spectrum.
Keep it together, Boys. Stay healthy, and I'll BE THERE to witness the magic again. Thanks
again Sabbath. It was a blast!
From: "Friends Pub & Eatery"
<anm@ici.net>
Subject: Reunion Tour Report
Date: Thu, 11 Feb 1999 14:54:48 -0500
The Reunion tour stopped off in Boston on 2/3,and it was the single most
skullcrushing,mind-obliterating experience that this long time Sabhead has ever had.From
the opening strains of "War Pigs" to the show closing rain of black confetti,it
was something I will never,ever forget.MUSICAL ORGASM,SENSORY OVERLOAD!!! Way too much for
one brain to take in completely.The show got more awesome by the second.If anyone reading
this has any doubts about going to see the Sabs in their area,put them right out of your
mind because I GUARANTEE that you will never see anything like this ever again.SET
LIST-War Pigs,NIB,After Forever,Fairies,Electric Funeral,Sweet Leaf,Into The Void,Dirty
Women,Black Sabbath,Snowblind,Iron Man,Children Of The Grave,encore,Paranoid.PUT THE IDEA
OF NOT GOING RIGHT OUT OF YOUR HEAD!!!! Pat C. gigmark@hotmail.com
From: "Shawn Eaton" <seaton@ma.ultranet.com>
Subject: Reunion Tour Report
Date: Sat, 13 Feb 1999 12:38:36 -0500
The Boston show was astounding! The pyrotechnics, streamers and confetti; the awesome
sound and comraderie of the band; the crazed crowd; Ozzy's question" You wanna see a
new studio album and have us come back again?" practically STUNNED the crowd...it was
worth coughing up $100 to a scalper to see the guys together again and doing so great!
Any fan who misses this tour should crawl into a hole, curl up and rot away, since they're
missing THE TIME OF THEIR LIVES!!!( At least, that's how I feel)
From: Sabacadab1@aol.com
Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 02:45:25 EST
Subject: Reunion Tour Report
This is a report on the Feb 3,1999 show at the Fleet Center, Boston, Ma. First of all, it
was an experience of a lifetime to witness the original Black Sabbath kick ass. I had been
waiting 20 years for this show. Though the set list was the typical radio hits, the energy
the band released, fueled the crowd into a frenzy. Ozzy was showing his throat problem,
constantly spraying his throat with antiseptic after each song, and forgetting a few
lyrics (there were no teleprompters on stage). Needless to say, his showmanship was in
classic Ozzy style. Bill Ward was incredible and powerful, and Geezer and Tony looked and
sounded great. The only down fall to the show was that many true classics such as
"Killing Yourself to Live," "Hole in the Sky," "Symptom of the
Universe," and even "Never Say Die" were not on the set list. Over all, the
band sounded excellent and the sold out crowd responded actively throughout the set.
Openers Pantera sounded great ripping through a power set and the Deftones experienced
sound quality problems, which is expected when your the first band out.
Date sent: Fri, 14 May 1999 12:26:50 -0400
To: siegler@black-sabbath.com
From: Jack Beermann <beermann@bu.edu>
Subject: Reunion Tour Report
Hi,
I sent this shortly after the show but did not see it posted with the other reviews. Here it is again if you want to post it.
Jack Beermann
Hi,
I thought I would share some thoughts on the Feb. 3 concert in Boston. I have been a fan since the early 70s, but I never got to see Sabbath before so this was very special for me. I had a great time, and for the most part the show completely lived up to my expectations. All the playing was great--I cannot overstate how amazing it is to see and hear what Geezer Butler, Bill Ward and Tony Iommi can do. Bill is the perfect drummer for Sabbath's music, filling just where filling is needed but not being too showy in a way that would distract. I have seen videos of Ozzy live, so I kind of knew what to expect, but I was not prepared for how lovable he seems on stage. He is really fit, judging by how much he moves around. Although he tries to look menacing, with his makeup and his devilish smiles, to me he gives the impression of just a nice guy who is happy to give pleasure to his fans and enjoy the moment. One thing I noticed is that during the show, Ozzy did not appear to acknowledge Bill Ward's presence. They kissed at the end when the band took its bows, so maybe it's just Ozzy's thing not to acknowledge the drummer--he did interact with Geezer and Tony--but I noticed.
I thought that almost every song was played amazingly well. The highlights for me were Children of the Grave, Into the Void, NIB, Paranoid and, of course, Black Sabbath. I thought that Black Sabbath was musically and visually the best part of the show.
The negatives for me were the following. I was off to the side where I could see the extra musician on the side of the stage. He sang almost every word the Ozzy sang, even the "all right
nows" on Sweet Leaf, and sometimes I wondered whose voice I was hearing, because sometimes it was just hard to hear the vocals. He also played some guitar and some keyboard, and once there was a keyboard sound when he was not playing, so it must have been a programmed midi loop. On the song Black Sabbath he did not sing and Ozzy sounded great. For me this was distracting, and I would have preferred it if he were off stage, watching Ozzy on a monitor or something. Also, a few of the songs never got together for me. War Pigs and Iron Man are the ones that come to mind. I don't know if it was the sound, the playing or a combination, but those two songs just missed in my opinion, and I love both songs. Last, I would have liked to hear something from my favorite album, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, but that did not bother me too much since I love all the other early stuff also.
Finally, I want to thank Black Sabbath for filling this gap in my rock education. Now if I could just get Peter Gabriel to rejoin Genesis for a reunion, that part of my life would be complete. I should say that it is an odd business to go to a concert and see the original band, not a cover or tribute band, play a set where all the music is 20 years old or more. It is risky, because there is always the chance that the band is not really into it, having made dozens of songs since then. But these guys did it, and I felt that they and the crowd were rejoicing in the present, not the past.
Jack
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