|
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: Jrozzy666@aol.com
Date: Sun, 7 Feb 1999 02:45:12 EST
Subject: Nassau Coliseum Set List 2/6/99
Black Sabbath
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Uniondale, New York
February 6, 1999
Set List:
War Pigs
N.I.B.
Faries Wear Boots
After Forever
Electric Funeral
Sweet Leaf
Into The Void
Snowblind
Dirty Women
Black Sabbath
Iron Man
Children Of The Grave
Encore: Paranoid
Notes: The show started just before 10:00p.m. All members of Black Sabbath were really
working for the crowd. Iommi played incredible riffs throughout the evening. Iommi's
Guitar solo for "Iron Man" was totally off and Ozzy knew it too. Ozzy sounded
great, just like he did at this past Summer's Ozzfest. Terry "Geezer" Butler was
great on the bass-guitar throughout the evening. Bill Ward was better than expected. Bill
proved that he can still keep up with the rest of the band. During the song, "Black
Sabbath," an object came down from the ceiling and several flames were lit across the
stage. There was an explosion of fireworks after "Children of the Grave."
Confetti came down from the ceiling at the end of "Paranoid." The band took a
bow for the sold out crowd as confetti filled the arena.-John Ramos, Stuyvesant Town, NY,
e-mail: Jrozzy666@aol.com
From: "Joseph Aupperlee" <jgajlp@sprynet.com>
Subject: Reunion Tour Report
Date: Sun, 7 Feb 1999 00:14:26 -0500
Oh, my God! I just got back from the Nassau Coliseum show, and it was just great. Words
could not express how good it felt to see all the guys together again, especially with
Bill Ward(who played great!). They really looked like they had alot of fun. Lets all pray
they decide to do a studio album now. JGA-Long Island
From: EPac@aol.com
Date: Sun, 7 Feb 1999 13:41:14 EST
Subject: Reunion Tour Report
Saw the show at the Nassau Collesium in Uniondale, Long Island last night -what a show!
Came in late for the Deftones, but saw Pantera - as usual, they smoked (set list was
Domination, A New Level, Walk, Becoming, Use My Third Arm, Primal Concrete Sledge, This
Love, Fucking Hostile & Cowboys, w/ a bit of Cat Scratch Fever! Phil even took
Dimebag's guitar & started playing "Raining Blood"!) Interesting note -
nothing off "Southern Trendkill". Phil talked quite a bit to the crowd, mostly
about staying true to metal & their new album would be out in the summer of '99 &
it would be pure metal, like Sabbath, Priest, Slayer, etc. Not a long delay, & then
the reason everyone came - SABBATH!!!!! This had to be a dream come true for most on hand,
and the band didn't disappoint. Opened with War Pigs, followed by 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. Encore was Paranoid, natch! Only
complaint - set was a little too predictable & close to the "Reunion" album,
though "After Forever" was a nice surprise. Also, the band is showing their age
a little - Bill Ward looks like George "the Animal" Steele!! (the wrestler) But
still , an awesome night, and I'm really glad I went! Highly Recommended.
Erik
From: BassManNYHC@webtv.net (Fred Kimmer)
Date: Mon, 8 Feb 1999 00:00:27 -0600
Subject: Reunion Tour Report
Show - Feb 6th - Nassau Coliseum Long Island, NY
It was about 9:45pm on 2/6/99 at the Nassau Colisem in Long Island, New York when the
house lights went down...The overhead video screens and scoreboard displayed a
retrospective of who Pantera's Phil Anselmo described as the "Godfathers of all that
is Metal"...Blue spotlights flooding a stage covered in a thin veil of fog... The
sound of a siren piercing the shouts of thousands of fans screaming "OZZY!!!
OZZY!!!"... The 4 original members of Black Sabbath broke into "War Pigs"
while being risen from beneath the stage on hydraulic lifts...
And so the madness had begun...
For one and a half joyous hours Black Sabbath tore through their most famous tracks -
which is about the only complaint I could have about this moving show.
The sound was very good by Coliseum standards - usually my last choice to see a show in
the NYC area. Bill's drums could have used a little more punch in the mix (he was working
his "arse" off back there!!!). But Tony's guitar sound was extraordinary - all
of the "trademark Iommi" ("LOL") feedback and screeching were cleaned
up and the leads were very coherent. Geezer was Geezer - I am always in awe of the man
(that remark is biased, being I am a bass player too!!!) and Ozzy - well, let me put it
this way - was dead near perfect. The band "de-tuned" most of the songs so Ozzy
wouldn't have to strain his voice, and it certainly worked!!! I'm telling you, "Sweet
Leaf" put me in a trance, the vocals were so good...
The stage setup was minimal - which is great!!! No huge banks of amps, no backdrops (Some
of the best seats were probably those BEHIND the stage) and a very minimal use of props.
But during "Black Sabbath" there here 8 huge burning torches on the stage, which
definitely set the mood for the song...
The whole band was dressed in black, with the exception of Bill who wore his kilt... Tony
wore a knee length leather jacket and had small sunglasses on for the entire show...
Highlights for me were definitely "Sweet Leaf", "After Forever",
"Into The Void" and "Snowblind"...
The only drawback to the whole show was the audinece's lack of response to "Dirty
Women" - it seemed as if 75% of the crowd never even heard itbefore. I also wish they
had done some of their more "ff the beaten path" songs, like "A National
Acrobat" or "The Writ"...
But when all was said and done, the show was beyond excellent - I heard many fans saying
that this was the best show they had ever seen. And now a whole new generation (I had the
privilege of seeing them in 1976) can say that they have seen the original Black Sabbath
on stage...
From: "pete rasulo" <rasulope@hotmail.com>
Subject: 2-6-99 Nassau
Date: Mon, 08 Feb 1999 06:59:14 PST
Whoaaaaaa!!!!!!!!! I have seen well over 300 concerts and I will go on record right now as
saying this was the best show I have ever seen. The band didn't miss a beat and Ozzy,
sounded the best I've ever heard him sound. I guess that week off really helped because he
sounded awesome. I was priviledged to have scored 2nd row seats so I had a real good
eyeful of everything. The guys looked like they were having a great time laughing and
totally enjoying themselves. Tony was about 10 feet in front of me. I wish Geezer would
move around the stage. He seemed to have just stayed in his spot the whole time banging
his head and ripping that bass apart. I got some of that confetti and streamers everyone
was talking about. I even got one Of Tony's guitar picks. What a tremendous experience
that night was. I wonder if there are any plans for a summer tour. Maybe headline the
Ozzfest?
Date: Mon, 8 Feb 1999 18:05:11 -0500
From: Domenico Pizzuto <domenico@imagine-sw.com>
Subject: Reunion Tour Report
Review for Feb 6th 1999 show.
domenico@imagine-sw.com ( Dom Pizzuto )
Seeing the masters of heavy metal from the 18th row was an experience I will remember for
a long time. It was clear from early on that Ozzy was illin', his voice seemed to
disappear for brief periods every so often and he turned and faced the drum kit after each
song and seemed to be either drinking or spraying something into his mouth. Nevertheless,
he is an incredible showman and gave every ounce of energy he had to the crowd --
executing his patented "frog jumps" and constantly urging the crowd to go wild.
The highlight of the show was, perhaps arguably, "Into the void". After so many
years, this tune still sets the standard for heaviness which no other band has been able
to approach and I doubt any band ever will. The Sabs proceeded to kick some serious ass
with this one, leaving the crowd feeling like they just got smashed in the face with a
sledgehammer. Other highlights included "Black Sabbath" and Tony's extended
guitar solo in "Dirty Women".
What I witnessed on Saturday night was nothing other than a significant historical event.
The reunion, after more than 20 years, of the band which 30 years earlier created and
defined the musical genre known as heavy metal. Even more amazing is that these guys STILL
rule the landscape -- and they proved it to anyone who was willing to listen.
From: Jcd530@aol.com
Date: Tue, 9 Feb 1999 09:07:39 EST
Subject: Reunion Tour Report
Black Sabbath put on a phenomenal show this past Saturday on Long Island. Iommi and Butler
were amazing. So amazing, that during some points of the show it was difficult to hear
Ozzy's vocals. The crowd was extremely energetic and excited to see the original Black
Sabbath back together. The only problem I had with the show, and trust me it was a very
small problem, was the selection of songs they played. For whatever reason, they chose not
to play any songs off of "Sabotage" and "Never Say Die," both of which
are excellent albums. Yet, they played five songs off of "Paranoid" and four
songs off of "Masters of Reality." The show would have been more complete if
they played at least one song off each of the aforementioned albums. There really wasn't
any need for them to play "Electric Funeral."
Overall, I was amazed at how the band sounded live. I never imagined they would be as good
as they were. Any and all Sabbath fans should go see this show. I only hope that the
reunion tour isn't a one-time-only event, because I would really like to see the band play
again.
From: John Hanna <JHanna@ANDERSON-STRUDWICK.COM>
Subject: reunion tour report
Date: Tue, 9 Feb 1999 12:42:59 -0500
A few friends and I went to the Nassau show on Feb. 6. One word comes to
mind.....IN-fucking-CREDIBLE They played all that I wanted to hear and then some. Ozzy
was, of course, his usual self demanding that the crown go "fucking CRAZY" which
we did. The sound was perfect. The playing was perfect. Nassau has always been a good
place to see a show and this one was no different. I can now die a happy man. In my
opinion, Black Sabbath is the most influential band on rock that there has ever been. I am
not discounting the other bands that have influenced "rock and roll", I am
merely speaking about the "rock" part of that phrase. The music was loud and the
crowd was very vibrant and reponsive. It was one of the few concerts I have seen where the
crowd has been louder than the band at parts. During Iron Man, the band jammed and Ozzy
got us shouting "HEY" to the beat. At one point the crowd was considerably
louder than the music chanting "hey". This seemed to raise a smile on Tony's
face. This point of the show was electric. These guys did not show their age one bit.
Geezer banged the hell out of his bass while Ozzy jumped around like a lunatic at aerobics
class. Bill rolled and banged up and down on his drums while Tony smiled almost the entire
show. These guys were lovin every minute of this and so were we. I was surprised at the
amount of Inspirational Jamming and solos that were played. I had thought they would just
come out play their songs and haul ass, but i was pleasantly surprised to be blewn away by
some serious jamming. We drove 550 miles to see them and it was worth all the traffic and
back seat drivers. I have but one bit of advice for anyone who reads this contemplating
whether or not they should go. Sell everything you own if you have to but do not miss
these guys. Tough to say whether they will ever do this again, so dont miss out. about the
openers..... Pantera actually surprised me, and others in our group, by not growling,
shouting and howling the lyrics too much. They sounded great as well.
From: Glembo98@aol.com
Date: Tue, 9 Feb 1999 19:37:53 EST
Subject: Reunion Tour Report
Date: Feb 6, 1999
Venue: Nassau Coliseum
The concert of my life. I saw the original Black Sabbath with Pantera and the deftones.
THe deftones were the opening band and played a energy filled set to a empty arena. They
played, in no particular order, my own summer, headup, be queit and drive, bored, around
the fur and a few others that i cant remember. Chi Cheng the bassist was un able to
perform do to a foot injury suffered on the sabbath tour, so the bassist from quicksand
filled in. Chino Moreno their singer is one of the most electrifying performers around.
Then came the cowboys from hell, PANTERA. Pantera played to about a full capacity. I dont
remember their first two songs cause I was on the line to take a piss. The songs that I
remember them playing were walk, becoming, this love,fucking hostile and cowboys from
hell. I think they also played 5 minutes alone and new level plus some other songs that i
cannot recall. They gave shout outs to other fellow new York bands that were in attendence
including Type O Negative, Vision of Disorder, and Biohazzard. The lead singer from
Biohazzard came on stage and song a few songs with them. The also teased the crowd by
playing parts og Metallica's four horsemen, and Sabbath's ironman. They called them self
the new modern metal, and sabbath the grandaddies. Also Philip encouraged the crowd to
grow their hair long, stay true to metal, and pretend its 1986. Then came the
grandfather's of it all, the almighty BLACK SABBATH, and were they almighty. they first
played a 15 min video of highlights of the band in the 70's . Then OZZY, GEEZER, TONI, AND
BILL rose from the stage floor to the opening number of war pigs. They also played
N.I.B.,Faires wear boots, after forever, electric funeral, sweet leaf, into the void,
snowblind, dirty women(i think), black sabbath(the most amazing 8 min you have ever seen),
ironman, children of the grave. Ozzy looks in alright shape, gezzer and toni look awesome
and bill doesn't look too good, but he sure can play. Ozzy encouraged the crowd to get
fucking louder, did jumping jacks, and old school frog leaps. Sometimes he looked
delerious and had to read of a telerprompter, but its still fucking OZZY. the band palyed
a tight set, and in my opinion to almost perfection. If these guys play ozzfest don't miss
it.
From: "Jimmy B"
Subject: Reunion Tour Report
Date: Tue, 9 Feb 1999 20:10:23 -0500
Black Sabbath @ Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY, Feb. 6
by Jimmy B
Last Saturday I saw my favorite band in the world - Black Sabbath - kick ass on stage!
Here's my take on the show:
Deftones sucked! I have nothing against heavy (Pantera & Metallica are among the bands
I like) but being just heavy without anything to back it up will get you nowhere. I'm so
tired of all these Alterna-metal bands who think they're doing something groundbreaking
when all they're really doing is ripping off kids who can't tell the difference between
good music and shitty music. It's giving heavy-metal a bad name.
Pantera simply rocked. They played Domination/Hollow, Walk, Use My Third Arm, Fucking
Hostile, Cowboys from Hell (with a little "Cat Scratch Fever" mixed in there),
This Love, and other songs not necessarily in that order. Phil (the singer) said, "We
are the kings of modern metal. Don't try to deny it," but later referred to Black
Sabbath as the "gods of metal." At the end of the show Phil said, "I've
gotta say something 'cause I really believe it: Eat pussy 'till your fucking jaw
breaks." It had nothing to do with the show, but a nice thought nonetheless. I know a
lot of people can't get passed the screaming vocals when they hear Pantera but this is a
band that deserves respect. Dimebag Darrell was going nuts! As a 16 year old trying to
learn how to play guitar it was humbling to see him play. Last thought on Pantera: They
put on a great show, but they paled in comparison to what I was about to see.
Black Sabbath was, well, Black Sabbath. There's really nothing more you can say than that.
It was Sabbath classics the way they were meant to be heard. I own Ozzy's
"Speak of the Devil" album and it sounds like some band trying to be
Sabbath but not pulling it off. The same thing can be said for live cuts of Black
Sabbath with Ronnie James Dio as singer (God I hate that egomaniac!). Black Sabbath should
only be seen one way and that is with the original members onstage. I consider myself
extremely lucky for having been able to see them. I won't go into detail about the songs
they played (It was the same set they've been playing) but I will say this: It was perhaps
the greatest hour and forty-five minutes of my life and certainly the best fifty bucks I
ever spent. Ozzy was the amazing showman he always is, doing frog-leaps, throwing buckets
of water on people, and saying lines like "Go crazier than you ever have in your
fucking life!!!!" At one point in the show Ozzy forgot the lyrics to one of the songs
and I was close enough to see Tony Iommi laugh when it happened. They all seemed to be
having a great time together. My favorite parts of the set were the jaw-dropping rendition
of "Electric Funeral" and the song 'Black Sabbath" complete with a dozen or
so torches set on fire. The band seemed to be tighter than ever! Geezer didn't miss a note
and Iommi was his usual amazing self. Bill Ward played great. Vinny Appice was nowhere in
sight (thank god). If you have the chance to see Sabbath live, do it! It was an amazing
show. If they ever come back around my area, I will be the first one in line for tickets.
Long live Black Sabbath!!!!!
From: "Richard J. Munz"
<firegryphon@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Reunion Tour Report
Date: Wed, 10 Feb 1999 20:10:56 -0500
Uniondale, New York Nassau Coliseum Black Sabbath Concert Review
YEAH! Black Sabbath is, and always will be the very best heavy metal band. Everything they
did, and the way we the crowd, responded reinforces this. The show was so awesome it's
easily one of the most memorable things I've ever experienced.
Expensive souvenirs were sold in the lobby of the Coliseum. Even the program was $15! I
ended up with three T-Shirts and one of those cool wallets with the Black Sabbath Reunion
logo on it. After I purchased the goods, it was time to move on into the arena. The first
band, deftone, was not good at all. Their name is more descriptive than any words could
express. Pantera was a bit better, but still lacking in quality. For both of these bands,
I found it hard to tell where one song ended and the next began. deftone had almost no one
in the arena when they played. Pantera drew a bigger crowd, but the arena was still about
half empty. The Pantera singer (or yeller as the case may be) actually insulted Black
Sabbath fans. He referred to us as "old" or "mature" people who need
to open their minds to new music. This didn't go over so well, and I heard several people
yelling, "F*** YOU!" Neither of these two opening bands got much applause
(Pantera definitely got more than deftone, though), and both tried to get applause by
saying, "You're all here to see the kings, Black Sabbath, right?" to which
everyone cheered. After Pantera finished, the singers' parting words to the crowd were,
"Eat f***ing pussy until your f***ing jaw breaks!" Is this the future of heavy
metal?
The stage was then prepared for Black Sabbath. The seats were completely filled just as
the lights dimmed, and a short documentary about Sabbath was played on the overhead
monitors. An air raid siren blared, as Sabbath rose from beneath the stage and began
playing "War Pigs". Ozzy let us sing every other verse( a la the Reunion CD)
although everyone was singing during every verse. Sometimes you couldn't even hear Ozzy
sing because we were cheering and singing so loudly. A burst of flames lit up the stage to
end the song.
After War Pigs, they played "N. I. B." This was the first Sabbath song I ever
heard, and they played it great. Tony Iommi sounded perfect, Geezer Butler was totally
awesome for the intro, Bill Ward rocked the Coliseum on drums and Ozzy sounded every bit
as good as he did back when the song first came out.
"Fairies Wear Boots" was next, followed by "After Forever". It truly
rocked, and the lyrics were a nice contrast to some of the following songs. "Electric
Funeral" followed, then came "Sweet Leaf" (complete with coughing sound
effects in the beginning). I thought Tony's solo for "Sweet Leaf" was
exceptional. "Into the Void", "Snowblind", and "Dirty Women"
were next. All these songs were excellent. The next number, their signature song
"Black Sabbath", was extra special. A golden chandelier came down from the
ceiling, and torches around the stage lit up. Everyone sang along with Ozzy word for word,
including his evil laugh. The song was truly amazing- the very personification of evil.
When the band was about to move on to "Iron Man", Ozzy wouldn't continue unless
we yelled loud enough. He just kept on waiting for us make the roof rattle! Finally, Tony
began his opening riff, and everyone screamed, "I AM IRON MAN!" along with Ozzy.
The Coliseum sounded just like the Reunion CD after that. Everyone in the arena was
humming along to Tony's guitar, and singing with Ozzy.
Finally, the last song was introduced: "Children of the Grave". Tony did
"Orchid" splendidly, and Geezer totally rocked with the bass intro. At points we
went so crazy you could barely hear the music. To finish, they set off fireworks on the
stage. After they finished the finale, Sabbath left the stage. The lights dimmed, and the
crowd roared even louder than before.
At this point, everyone there who had a lighter lit it and held it up. It looked like the
World Series or Baseball All-Star game, except fire took the place of flashbulbs. From the
darkness, we heard Ozzy yell, "I can't f***ing hear you!" Everyone yelled and
cheered, and finally Sabbath came back on stage. Naturally, they played
"Paranoid". No Black Sabbath concert would be complete without
"Paranoid". Ozzy's "f***ing crazy crowd" went totally crazy for this
one. It was played flawlessly. Ozzy led us in some "OY!"s before completing the
song. At the end, confetti and streamers were shot off into the roaring crowd, and the
four Sabbath members gathered on center stage to hold hands and take in the adulation of
the crowd.
After Sabbath left the stage, "Changes" was played over the speakers. A great
end to a fabulous Black Sabbath concert.
From the moment Black Sabbath entered our sight no one sat still. Everyone stood on their
seats, sang, cheered and danced. The music was played perfectly: true to the studio
versions, yet much better with much more energy. The only complaint I have was that the
concert didn't last longer. They played a large number of songs, but I'm sure everyone
would have stayed there for days listening to Sabbath. The band appeared ecstatic to be
back together. Whether they will write more music or tour again is anyone's guess. I've
been listening to Black Sabbath music for a third of my life (I'm 16), and I'll listen to
it as long as I live. If the noise level of the crowd was any indication, everyone had an
absolute blast. Black Sabbath still has a mass following and would definitely be a success
if they released more records and/or toured again. Section A2, row 38, seat 10 contained
the most ecstatic Black Sabbath fan in the world on February 6, 1999.
-Richard J. Munz
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: BLKSAB174@aol.com
Date: Sun, 14 Feb 1999 20:44:06 EST
Subject: Feb 5 and 6 shows
Well, folks I know it's been a week,but here is my review of the Meadowlands and Nassau
shows: 2/5 - NJ - Deftones opened. We liked them, but their sound was too distorted,
AND they didn't play 'Seven Words" (buy'Adrenaline'..you'll know what I mean). Next
was Pantera. These Texas guyskicked MAJOR ass!! Sound was great, set was tight. One thing,
though...no'Cemetary Gates'. They did play 'Walk', 'Cowboys From Hell', and 'First Love'.
Finally, the band we've been waiting to see..Black Sabbath!!. Their set was pretty much he
same as others have described. Opened with 'War Pigs', played 'Bassically', then 'NIB',
etc. But the MAGIC was there!!! Rocked through 'Faires Wear Boots'; thrilled us with
'After Forever'; enthralled us with 'Black Sabbath'. Ozzy was fine; his voice was great
(although he came in too quick on 'Children of The Grave'..so did the audience..he quickly
corrected it, though) . Ozzy hung a moon, showed off his tattoos, had water dumped on him,
and a member from the audience jumped up and sang with him. Geezer is a bassist's,
bassist. Playing as fast and powerful as ever, and having a great time. Tony...THE MAN!!
Played great, not missing a note! Mr. Bill Ward..sounded great, looked fine,and had a
GREAT time!! God Bless these guys!! They played 'Sweet Leaf',(which I understand they have
not always been playing on every show). I enjoyed 'Dirty Women', although the audience
seemed to quiet down slightly. They played one of my favorites, 'Electric Funeral'. ( I
wish they would haveplayed my other fav, 'Supernaut'). 'Snowblind' cooked. The encore,
'Paranoid' rocked!!! On Saturday, 2/6/99, I got to do it all over again, only this time in
Long Island's Nassau Colesium. (Floor seats!!..thanks for the tix , John P.!!) We missed
the Deftones and only caught the final minutes of Pantera (because we were partying, not
because we were late). Made our way down to the floor and stood for the whole show on our
seats. (it's kind of hard standing for 2 hrs. on folding chairs when you've been drinking,
but we did it!!). Again, Sabbath sounded GREAT!! (maybe a little better than the night
before..could be because of our seats). Needless to say, we were all drained after the
show. Sweating our asses off! Got confetti this time. Spent well over $100.00 on T-shirts,
programs, etc..between the 2 shows.. Don't care..well worth it!! (played 'Sweet Leaf'
again!!) I just want to say THANKS to Ozzy, Tony, Geezer, and Bill for coming back! These
2 shows were excellent! I've seen Sabbath a total of 8 times, now (4 times with original
members). Looking forward to Ozz-Fest '99; rumour has it Black Sabbath will be playing!!
Thanks again, Guys! GOD BLESS YOU!! Peace!
P.S. I was flashing the Peace sign all night. (Ozzy was, too!) My arms were sore, and my
voice was gone for almost a week from yelling!! Well worth it!!
Chuck
Date: Mon, 15 Feb 1999 01:31:15 -0500
From: Joe College <collegej@hartwick.edu>
Subject: Reunion Tour Report
February 6, 1999. Uniondale, New York. The sold out Nassau Coliseum. I was one of the
fortunate few to be able to witness the return of thealmighty BLACK SABBATH! Also playing
with Sabbath this night were Pantera and the Deftones. The Deftones were okay, receiving a
decent ovation. Pantera then played a powerful hour long set. Then came the moment the
entire arena was waiting for, Black Sabbath! The band was absolutely amazing. They were
very tight musically. Ozzy was all over the stage, drowning himself every so often with
water, asking that the crowd to go crazy and delivering every word and note with pin point
precision. Tony's guitar playing was amazing. Many of today's young guitar players can
certainly take a lesson from Mr. Iommi, especially after seeing his performance on
Saturday Night. Geezer Butler played the bass with the perfect combination of speed,
grace, and power. Despite all the rumors of his health problems, Bill Ward was behind the
drums keeping the beat to every Sabbath classic that was performed. Without a doubt this
was one of the best concerts I have ever been to. This is live metal at its best; not very
many pyrotechnics or special effects, but instead on this night the music did most of the
talking. The Sabs delivered such classics as Electric Funeral, War Pigs, Fairies Wear
Boots, Black Sabbath, and Paranoid with raw energy and power that many of todays young
bands lack. This was a night I will certainly never forget. On this night Black Sabbath
proved once and for all that they, as Phil Anselmo of Pantera said earlier in the evening,
are the one and only true gods of heavy metal.
Jorge R. Osorio Jr.
Central Islip, NY
osorioj@hartwick.edu
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