Black Sabbath Online: Concert Reviews

from Stephen Lord <badwolf76@adam.com.au>
to siegler@black-sabbath.com,
date Aug 8, 2007 10:23 PM
subject Heaven and Hell concert review

Whatever name they chose for this tour, seeing any incarnation of Black Sabbath live was something I never thought I'd have the chance to do. My town ranks as one of the most concert-starved capitals in the developed world, so a band with Sabbath's reputation playing on a Sunday night in a place known internationally as "the city of churches" was no mean feat.

South Australians are perhaps even more apathetic than the rest of their Antipodean fellows, so much so that a friend of mine has often remarked that you could stage the Second Coming in Adelaide and no-one would turn up. Imagine my surprise, when I heard the concert had sold out in two days with a bare minimum of publicity or press coverage. All that prevented a move to the Entertainment Centre, which seats 8000 as opposed to Thebarton Theatre's 2000, was Gwen Stefani's appearance there the same night.

Fortunately I bought my ticket early, and must thank the venue's staff for their consideration of this particular disabled patron's needs. During my last visit there in 2005, I spent most of the night staring at the back of people's heads after everyone stood up. Less than keen to repeat the experience, I raised my concerns with the management beforehand and together we came up with a solution that allowed me to leave my wheelchair at home (always a relief) and manouvre myself- with help from the security guards- up to the next level where I enjoyed a crystal clear view. Well done to one and all.

Down taking the stage at 7:30 came as something of a rude shock. I don't know any of the band's material nor, after watching their alleged frontman shout and swear his way through an hour of particularly tuneless noise, do I wish to. Here's hoping all those fans who will see Heaven And Hell either in the UK or on the second leg of their US tour appreciate Iced Earth or Queensryche and Alice Cooper a lot more than I enjoyed Phil Anselmo and friends!

Just after nine, the rumbling bass throb of E5150 banished all thoughts of the support act from my mind. No sooner did the founding fathers of heavy metal tear into Mob Rules than I remembered why I was there, and why I'd got out of bed that morning. Children Of The Sea followed, paving the way for a highlight reel of this lineup's finest moments. Seeing Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler on stage and in person in front of me was an experience I won't soon forget, and their complete focus on the music they were playing only emphasised what an energetic frontman Ronnie James Dio was, is and continues to be. With devil signs aplenty, he had us in the palm of his hand all night, apologising for not having been to Australia in so long (27 years) and claiming that Sign Of The Southern Cross was "inspired by the part of the world you live in." I don't know how true that is, but flattery gets a rock god everywhere :).

Voodoo came across much better live than its rather pedestrian studio version, and the ensuing Vinny Appice solo spot was a revelation. I've often considered him the least adventurous of all Sabbath's drummers, but in concert he's a dynamo- almost destroying his kit in ways that would make Keith Moon proud. I barely had time to recover before Computer God (my favourite track from Dehumanizer) began a fresh assault on my ears and Falling Off The Edge Of The World completed a double shot of songs I had hoped, though not expected, to hear.

Of the new tracks from The Dio Years, only Shadow Of The Wind got a look in. While I would have preferred The Devil Cried (an obvious choice since it was a single) or the rather Lovecraftian Ear In The Wall (my favourite of the three) at least the current version of Sabbath bothered to write, record and perform some new material.

Die Young came next, preceded by a short guitar solo that set the stage for the marathon jam that was Heaven And Hell. Many people forget (which is easy enough to do in the wake of his titanic contribution to metal) that Tony Iommi's roots lie in blues and jazz. Here he was able to stretch out and show off in ways that made the version on Live At Hammersmith Odeon look like a warm up.

The night drew to a close with a storming encore of Neon Knights. For some reason I find it hard to imagine this fist-pounding anthem of "circles and rings, dragons and kings" at the end of a set rather than the beginning, but I won't quibble too much. Like the 1,999 other faces in the crowd I went home very happy indeed, and I'm sure Live At Radio City Music Hall (when it comes out) will help me relive some pleasant and deafening memories.

from Mark Hogan <mdheagles@aapt.net.au>
to Joe Siegler <siegler@black-sabbath.com>,
date Aug 23, 2007 4:36 AM
subject Re: Review : Adelaide, Australia 5th August 2007 by Mark Hogan

It all started with an early rise for 3 lads here in Mt Gambier, SA, Australia and a 500 km drive to our states capital to see our lifetime rock 'gods' in action. With the safe trip behind us we enjoyed a few amber ales to shorten the wait until the gig was set to charge. We waited in a lengthy line but somehow managed to chat our way toward the front with other Sabbath fans. When inside, we purchased the compulsary gig shirt and then ventured to the front of the stage to cement our positions in the thickening crowd. I was amazed to see the age spectrum that was there to see the show. At first i thought the youngin's were there to see Down only but apparetly not ! To be honest, i dont think had heard any of Downs music before and didnt really know what to expect. Have been into Pantera for quite a while but had heard that Down was definately not in that intense blasting style. Phil and Co. put on quite a good set which i did enjoy. Will buy their cd's and listen some more i reckon. Having said this, i think i would have rather have seen Megadeth as in the US leg of the tour, but that will happen another day!

The Theby Theatre is definately no huge venue so i was surprised to the see basically the same stage setup as other larger venues from around the world for this tour. You have to wonder to yourself, after waiting literally more that 20 years to see what you have banged your head tolistening to lp's and cd's, is it going to be a memory you will take to the grave or one of simply ' yeah, been there, done that'. It was fantastic from start to finish. And i loved every minute of it. Tony is a legend in his own right. A little static but hey, thats his stlye. Geezer Butler is a freak of nature on the Bass. He played the best solo i have ever heard on Heaven & Hell and really nailed it. I guess he's done it once or twice before hey! He was simply f**king awesome. Vinnie is also a master of his craft, obvioulsy, and what a wicked drum kit. And as for 'The Man' Ronnie James Dio, he was O.K. Only kidding, he absolutely blew us away. How can a man so small produce such a blistering powerful note. In my opinion, and probably many others, Dio has the most melodic throat in all of rock. He covered the Thebarton Theatre stage from left to right, front to back and everywhere in between. Don't think he stood still for more than a few second throughout the entire set. He has more energy that most 18 year olds i know. The entire crowd went off and sang along to every track. In short, this gig probably sits on top of my greatest seen to date. I love Dio and Black Sabbaths music they make, not to say that the Ozzy years were not good too, but those guys are really chalk and cheese. I can only hope i get to see again one day. Until then i look forward to the release of the live Sabbath DVD due out on the 28th August 2007.