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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
From: JohnDeb923@aol.com
Date: Wed, 20 Jan 1999 04:36:30 EST
Subject: reunion at rosemont
since 1982 mob rules tour has sabbath played the rosemont horizon and they might need a
tour guide for tony& bill to help them find the stageits been a long long time ive
waited for this & the wait was worth it ! the opening band sucked they were giving out
free cds in the parking lot dont even know their name .pantera was good phil looked like
he was gonna puke he did say he was wasted & dimebag played great pretty long
set.heard anthrax was there in the crowd i liked when phil honored sabbath for letting
them tour with them he said another band would not let them go on tour did not know what
band that was? he said sabbath are the kings of heavy metal and had the crowd chant
SABBATH SABBATH several times.sabbathcame on pretty fast 15 minutes geezer came up thru
the stage ozzy going nuts bill waveing to the crowd shirtless tony smiling & pranceing
in that usual spot.the band was tight they should have taken dirty woman out & left
sabbath bloody sabbath in the crowd just did not get into that song.after forever was a
good choice instead of behind the wall.other than that same songs as reunion ozzys voice
seemed good only a couple of times his voice went out but tonys guitar was loud it seemed
on some songs he turned it up more like funeral it was very loud geezer was great his head
all over the place his bass swinging ,tony looked cool with his shades & his red sg i
never seen him smile & laugh so much,bill with his monster kit not missing a beat,even
though the songs sounded a bit slower than usual it stillsounded good & very tight
even seen geoff on the side.well my dream came true tonight to see the original gods of
rock i hope every sabbath fan can also see this lineup,because this could be the last of
sabbath,but thats what memories are for long live tony ,ozzy ,geezer, & bill
without the four of them music would have been dead a long time ago.p.s eric you
missed a great show !!!!!thanks for the memories sabbath!!!
Date: Wed, 20 Jan 1999 03:20:07 -0500
From: Tom Swoboda <Tom_Swoboda@compuserve.com>
Subject: Chicago, 1-19-99
My life is half-complete. The other half varies on a weekly basis--right now it involves
dumping the clutch on a Ferrari F355 just short of redline and leaving my stomach behind
as a road hazard...
<ahem> But the half that's relevant to this mailing is seeing the four men who for
all practical purposes invented heavy metal, all playing together on stage again.
That occurred between about 9:15 and 10:45 last night (it's now 2:10) at the
Rosemont Horizon near Chicago. The set list lacked anything off Sabotage or SBS,
which should be a major blemish on the show, but for me it just isn't. THEY FUCKING
ROCKED!!! Bill's drumming seemed right on time, Ozzy didn't have any problems
whatsoever that I could detect, the playing was tighter than hell... Was anyone at this
show who saw/will see another show? Was it just me, or were they really on fire tonight?
I've always felt that the tightest playing was achieved by the Martin/Murray/Powell
lineup, but the originals brought it off just as well tonight, if not better.
The set list was the same as for the other shows, minus of course the songs that
were only played in Phoenix. Getting Symptom of the Universe into a medley at least
would have been nice, but again I'm not complaining, especially since we got After
Forever. My favorite song of the night would probably be N.I.B. for some reason...Ozzy
still does the idiotic noises to Iron Man, but I just tried to focus on Iommi's monster
riff.
Well, I have to be at work at 8:00, so I'll leave those of you who have yet to see
the Sabs with dreams of demonic sugarplums dancing in your heads. Keep the Sabbath
holy...
--T.J.
Date: Wed, 20 Jan 1999 10:57:31 -0600
From: Tim Shockley <ellentim@megsinet.net>
Subject: Chicago Show
WOW! Fucking awesome to say the least! Twelve hours after the sold out show at Rosemont
Horizon, my ears are still ringing! And with good reason. My wife and I had FIRST row
directly in front of Tony Iommi! Amazingly, we got our tix from Ticket Bastard who, for
once, came through! Actually, the people on both sides of us did Ticket Bastard, so maybe,
somehow, Sabbath made sure the REAL fans got the good seats!? Security was pretty tight so
I couldn't sneak in a camera. Bummer! There's a million things for sale. The lime green
shirts sold out immediately! There's also a HUGE BS cross for $50. First band Incubus
sucked big time. Yet another Rage Against The Korn reject. And since when is a turntable
an instrument? Pantera were actually better than I thought they'd be, tho' that's not
saying much. Singer Phil Anselmo did one of the stupidest things I've ever seen. Someone
threw a small object on stage, maybe a lighter. He threw his mike into the audience. The
result? About twenty seats got trashed! Nice goin', pal. As for Sabbath, they were damn
near perfect. How anyone could give them a bad review is beyond me. This was the fifth
time I'd seen the original Sabbath and the third time from first row, so I think I know
what I'm talking about! They might be tighter than ever. The setlist was basically (!) the
same as posted here, tho' they didn't play "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath." :( Maybe
Ozzy couldn't hit the hight notes? He did sound great, tho', much better than on Reunion.
Ozzy looks like he lost a lot of weight. Bill Ward looked and played great. Vinnie who? As
always,Tony & Geezer were The Dynamic Duo! A chick threw her bra onstage and Geezer
put it on his bass! The whole band was laughing! From our seats we couldn't tell if there
were video screens, but they filmed the entire gig. It was also the most indoor
pyrotechnics I'd ever seen. We could feel the flames! My wife and I both got Pantera
picks (woo-woo), and she also got one from Iommi! I've scanned them if anyone wants
to see them. I still have scans of the first row ticket, too. SABBATH STILL RULE!!!
Tim Shockley
Rock review, Black Sabbath at the Rosemont Horizon
(This originally appeared here: http://metromix.com/reviews/detail/1,1259,2000052,00.html)
By Greg Kot
TRIBUNE ROCK CRITIC
Wednesday, January 20, 1999
Back in the early '70s, when Black Sabbath was making music as foreboding as its name,
Ozzy Osbourne sang, "I've seen the future/And I've left it behind."
Who would've thought that the hard-living members of Sabbath even had a future back then?
But as evidenced by a sold-out crowd at the Rosemont Horizon on Tuesday, it appears that
even the harshest of nihilists sometimes get a second chance. In the first Chicago concert
in 20 years by the British metal band's original lineup, Sabbath occasionally lumbered
like a heavyweight boxer who had been hit a few too many times, but was still standing
dazed and triumphant at the finish.
That the quartet was credible, if not crushing, in its second go-round says a lot about
the original appeal of Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer
Bill Ward. Wearing black neck to toe, except for the beer-keg-shaped, bare-chested Ward,
the quartet never had any sex appeal to begin with, so there was none to lose. The band
members still revel in their ordinariness, still wear the mask of tough, seen-it-all
working-class stiffs fiercely loyal to their fans.
Osbourne remains one of the frumpiest front men in rock history; his eyes outlined in
mascara, he minced and leapfrogged around the stage like a recent convert to the Richard
Simmons school of aerobics. He played the part of the eccentric uncle and the hectoring
headmaster, admonishing the crowd for not cheering loudly enough.
The singer needed help remembering lyrics to the band's classics, frequently staring into
the TelePrompters positioned at his feet, and his flagging voice was propped up by backing
vocalist Jeff Nicholls, positioned at a keyboard offstage. (Ed Note: That's their
spelling of Geoff, not mine)
Ward, coming off a heart attack suffered last year, no longer hits with the same crippling
authority, but he demonstrated a nimble touch on the fills and with only a few exceptions,
such as the stumbling midsection of "Iron Man," kept the groove steady.
Carrying the music were Iommi and Butler. The bassist, the only Sabbath member who has a
clue about how to make a contemporary metal album (as evidenced by his recent solo
releases), was in top form, from the tarantula-like jazz riffing that opened
"N.I.B." to the tremors he ignited under the galloping set-closer,
"Children of the Grave." Iommi, ever the cool surgeon in his knee-length leather
overcoat, alternated talon-like riffs with solos that didn't simply parrot the old
records, but turned "Into the Void" and "War Pigs" into galvanizing
roller coaster rides.
The band made no pretense of updating its set list. Most of the songs were drawn from the
first four classic albums, circa 1970-72, and these served mainly as a reminder that few,
if any, metal bands have equaled their impact. When playing its signature song,
"Black Sabbath," the sound of rain falling, thunder rumbling and a bell tolling
was followed by three mighty guitar chords, struck with ritual grandeur and plunged like
unseen swords into each listener's chest. Osbourne's voice of cold terror rose from the
murk: "What is this that stands before me?/Figure in black that points at me
..."
It was as if Ozzy were singing about his band, risen from the dead yet again.
From: "Perkins" <perkg@ticon.net>
Subject: Reunion Tour Report
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1999 14:35:53 -0600
Jan. 21,1999
Last night I attended the Black Sabbath concert at the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago and
like I said about the show I saw in Minneapolis, sabbath is the "greatest of all
time!" The only difference between the two shows was the stage set-up and set list.
The stage was stripped down a bit due to the size of the arena. There were still the giant
torches on each side of the stage but, the giant columns that they had on each side of the
stage two nights earlier were gone. The set list was changed just by the edition of
"sweet leaf". All members of the band were in just great shape, especially Bill
Ward. I had to sit way in the back and at the top of the arena but, you could see and hear
the music just fine (and very loud). A friend of mine had seats behind the stage but, he
said that it was easy to see them because Ozzy kept running behind the stage during the
set. Even if your not a huge sabbath fan and you were there, we all were a part of
music history!
Thanks,
Eric Perkins
Set List
War Pigs
N.I.B.
Fairies Wear Boots
Elecrtic Funeral
After Forever
Sweet Leaf
Into the Void
Snowblind
Dirty Women
Black Sabbath
Iron Man
(Embryo) Children of the Grave
Paranoid (encore)
*"Changes" was the exit music
From: "Timothy Sobieraj"
<zortman99@hotmail.com>
Subject: Chicago Review
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1999 21:27:39 PST
BLACK SABBATH
January 19,1999
Chicago, IL - Rosemont Horizon
(by Tim Sobieraj)
My dreams came true when the Black Sabbath concert in Chicago, Illinois went off without a
hitch. Let me tell you, it was a truly awesome experience to behold... all 4 original
members on stage, alive and well, literally playing their souls out.
I sat in the 14th row, center stage. I would'nt have sold those tickets for 1000 bucks.
For me, and many other fans there, it was the show of a lifetime.
Honestly, not giving the band any slack, these 50-year-olds sounded superb. Bill Ward's
thundering drums proved he could silence any critic. Geezer Butler pounded out the bass
with renewed enthusiasm. Tony Iommi tore it up on lead guitar. And Ozzy's aging voice and
vocal chords just clicked. He was definitely in top form tonight. Plain and simple: the
band was on fire and hotter than hell itself!
I had doubts and was uneasy after hearing the sound system for the opening band, INCUBUS.
The system improved for PANTERA, but it still wasn't that great. But when BLACK SABBATH
came out, the sound was as good as you can get for a concert. Much praise should be given
to the sound crew. Ozzy's voice could be heard perfectly over the music, and Iommi's every
riff, hook, and twang could be distinguished on his guitar. At certain parts, the music
actually sounded better than on the CD albums, no shit.
I wrote down the set list at the show, so this is official.
********************Chicago Set List********************
(Retrospective Intro)
War Pigs
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 (Encore)
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I would have loved to have heard SABBATH BLOODY SABBATH and the instrumental of SYMTOM OF
THE UNIVERSE, but I was just relieved that the show went so smoothly.
Ozzy could be seen taking some medicine or something after every song, undoubtly for his
recent bout with the flu. He looked tired towards the end of the show, but kept up the
antics and performance. The band played for an amazing hour and 25 minutes straight before
taking a quick leave and then playing PARANOID for an encore.
For those of you who haven't seen the show yet, you are definitely in for a treat. The
band rises out of the floor through trap doors. A giant, Gothic chandelier hangs over the
stage. Torches spontaneously light on fire for the song, BLACK SABBATH. Roman Candle-type
fireworks and showers of sparks from the ceiling highlight the conclusion of the show. In
addition, streamers explode out of the stage and confetti rains down from the air.
With an uncertain future, this could quite possibly be the band's last live performance
tour. All fans should be eternally grateful that all 4 members have eluded tragedy all
these years, as many rockstars have not. We are truly lucky to have this golden
opportunity to see BLACK SABBATH in their full glory once again. This is one to remember.
-Tim Sobieraj
********************Show Highlights********************
Ozzy nailed two people in the 1st row with buckets of water.
A white glow stick was thrown on stage and Ozzy tried to catch it, then chased it down and
whipped it into the crowd.
Ozzy hung a bra that was thrown on stage by a woman on Geezer's guitar while he was
playing.
Ozzy screamed "Alright!!!" and pointed at a topless woman.
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