Deadly petals with strange power
So, went to see Black Sabbath last night. there was a big turnout, and the majority seemed to be 40+. It had thought I'd see more metal-hippies and sludge-punks with Bozzov*en and Saint Vitus patches on their denim cuts, but no. The audience wasn't terribly subculture.
An ambulance rolled up and a stretcher was rolled in while we were cuing to get into the venue. "Hope it's not Ozzy" someone joked. It wasn't
Uncle Acid & The Dead Beats is the support act. It's good without being ostentatious. Very sorta 70s retro-looking. They dedicate a song to Charlie Manson, which doesn't really endear them to me.
Then Sabbath comes on, and kicks off with War Pigs (which my friend had predicted). People sing along, and Ozzy decides to let us sing every alternate line.
Geezer and Iommi look good and sound fantastic. Ozzy looks old, but if his voice sounds worn, he makes up for it with showmanship and rapport with the audience.
The next song is Into The Void, probably my favorite Sabbath song ever. The sheer immensity of the opening, the tempo changes and the four-color lyrics about a space exodus blow me away every time, and it's awesome this time too. Other welcome surprises are Behind The Wall Of Sleep, and Fairies Wear Boots, both with psychedelic backdrops of flowery mandalas and dancing girls in gas masks.
They play a lot of classics (Paranoid, Iron Man, Black Sabbath) and only a few new ones from '13', which clearly is what the audience wants.
The drummer is Tommy Clufetos, a young man who's allowed a long-ass drum solo while the oldsters have a bit of a break. I'm not the world's biggest drum solo-fan (in rock anyway), but he's got a good vibe about him, and seems to enjoy being there with all of us, so I actually enjoy it.
Verdict: It was a great show, with some charming old dudes playing my favorite hymns. Ozzy was clearly the weak link, but it was lovely seeing him enjoy himself. Besides, no one else could have filled that role. It was awesome, poignant and felt a little like a last hurrah.
An ambulance rolled up and a stretcher was rolled in while we were cuing to get into the venue. "Hope it's not Ozzy" someone joked. It wasn't
Uncle Acid & The Dead Beats is the support act. It's good without being ostentatious. Very sorta 70s retro-looking. They dedicate a song to Charlie Manson, which doesn't really endear them to me.
Then Sabbath comes on, and kicks off with War Pigs (which my friend had predicted). People sing along, and Ozzy decides to let us sing every alternate line.
Geezer and Iommi look good and sound fantastic. Ozzy looks old, but if his voice sounds worn, he makes up for it with showmanship and rapport with the audience.
The next song is Into The Void, probably my favorite Sabbath song ever. The sheer immensity of the opening, the tempo changes and the four-color lyrics about a space exodus blow me away every time, and it's awesome this time too. Other welcome surprises are Behind The Wall Of Sleep, and Fairies Wear Boots, both with psychedelic backdrops of flowery mandalas and dancing girls in gas masks.
They play a lot of classics (Paranoid, Iron Man, Black Sabbath) and only a few new ones from '13', which clearly is what the audience wants.
The drummer is Tommy Clufetos, a young man who's allowed a long-ass drum solo while the oldsters have a bit of a break. I'm not the world's biggest drum solo-fan (in rock anyway), but he's got a good vibe about him, and seems to enjoy being there with all of us, so I actually enjoy it.
Verdict: It was a great show, with some charming old dudes playing my favorite hymns. Ozzy was clearly the weak link, but it was lovely seeing him enjoy himself. Besides, no one else could have filled that role. It was awesome, poignant and felt a little like a last hurrah.