Rocker (feedbot)
Gold Member
Two of heavy metal’s most seasoned icons performing at London’s biggest venue makes tonight one of the more anticipated gigs of the year for fans of the genre’s heyday, but the magnitude of the show has gained new meaning three days since the announcement of Ozzy Osbourne’s passing. Unsurprisingly, the Prince of Darkness and Black Sabbath are heavily represented amongst the sea of punters adorned in merchandise of tonight’s co-headliners.
As the black curtain obscuring the stage drops to reveal a banner declaring, “Alice Cooper, Banned in England!”, the man himself slices through it to roars of approval before kicking into opening numbers ‘Lock Me Up’ and ‘Welcome to the Show’. The 77-year-old shock rock icon has no intention of letting the energy drop, as a smash-hit run of ‘No More Mr Nice Guy’, ‘I’m Eighteen’ and ‘Hey Stoopid’ leaves the crowd dumbstruck with glee.
The delightful theatrics that accompany his live shows are here in spades, from a superfan meeting their grizzly end at the hands of Jason Voorhees [‘He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask)’], to a towering, zombified Alice swooping around the stage menacingly [‘Feed My Frankenstein’]. Cooper’s wife Sheryl makes an appearance dressed as a dominatrix during ‘Go to Hell’ to give him a good whipping. Green and purple lighting bathe the stage as guitarists Nita Strauss and Ryan Roxie rip into the iconic opening riff of ‘Poison’, resulting in a glorious singalong that is up there for the loudest of the evening. Alice’s band are a hard-working unit throughout the set, with each member getting their moment in the spotlight during a jam of ‘Black Widow’.
Cooper returns bound in a straightjacket for an engrossing ‘The Ballad of Dwight Fry’ that takes a dramatic turn as Sheryl – now dressed as Marie Antoinette – leads him off for a date with the infamous Madame Guillotine. The fall of the blade is followed by Sheryl parading her husband’s severed head across the stage as the band perform ‘I Love the Dead’.
While that’s all fairly par for the course, the evening takes an emotional left turn as the unmistakable riff from ‘Paranoid’ roars through the arena and Alice – now sporting an Ozzy Osbourne t-shirt and joined by Johnny Depp on guitar – rips through a grin-inducing cover of the Sabbath classic. The surprises don’t end there, as the members of the original Alice Cooper band pile in for the show-stopping finale of ‘School’s Out’/’Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2’, with confetti and giant balloons galore fly across the stage. As Alice ends his post-show address to crowd by stating “May all your lovely dreams become nightmares” while ‘Crazy Train’ blares through the sound system, we’re left to ponder if what we’ve just witnessed was real or just a spooktacular fever dream.
A high bar has been set for Judas Priest to bring the night to a close, but the NWOBHM legends are more than up for the challenge on the final date of their “Shield of Pain” tour – a celebration of latest album, ‘Invincible Shield’, and 35 years of bona fide classic, ‘Painkiller’. The traditional intro track of ‘War Pigs’ feels more poignant than ever as the entire arena bellows the lyrics at full volume, a reminder of the brotherhood shared between Birmingham’s two pioneers of heavy metal. Thunder and lightning build the tension alongside the unmistakable refrain of Rob Halford, as the “Metal God” strides onto stage to belt out the opening lines of ‘All Guns Blazing’. Joined by the rest of the band – clad in matching leather jackets and trousers – the Priest engine kicks into top gear with a ferocity and fury that pulsates around the room.
Halford takes delight in inspecting the handiwork of axemen Richie Faulkner and Andy Sneap during the equally thunderous ‘Hell Patrol’, throwing up the horns in approval at their riffing, while bassist Ian Hill cuts a steadfast figure at the back of the stage. ‘You’ve Got Another Thing Coming’ provides another opportunity for the Metal God to rock out to his heart’s content, whilst full-throttle classic ‘Breaking the Law’ makes an early appearance in the set. ‘Painkiller’ fan favourites getting a rare outing brings a special feel to tonight’s proceedings, from the soaring highs of the majestic ‘Touch of Evil’ to the seedy underbelly of ‘Nightcrawler’.
Following a blistering ‘Between the Hammer & Anvil’, Halford takes time to thank the crowd on the last night of their tour, whilst acknowledging the grief that himself and the metal community are going through after the passing of his long-time friend. He remarks that: “This is what he’d want us to be doing, to be together celebrating”, before dedicating one of the tracks from their latest album, ‘Giants in the Sky’, to Ozzy. An ode to iconic musicians no longer with us, cheers go up around the arena as the likes of Lemmy, Ronnie James Dio and Janis Joplin on the screen behind the band are joined by two new faces – a wild-eyed younger Prince of Darkness, and the elder statesman of his later years. As Halford points to the screen and cries “Giants in the sky/You won’t ever die”, it’s a tearjerkingly touching tribute on a night filled with them.
If ever there was a way to bring everyone back into the room after such a moving moment, it’s the unrelenting firepower of ‘Painkiller’ itself. Every element of the well-oiled Priest machine turns the intensity up to 11 for the song, from drummer Scott Travis’ furious intro, to the scything solos of the Faulkner and Sneap twin guitar attack. Halford’s screeching vocals hit their highest pitch, belying his 73 years of age with just how good he sounds in his twilight years.
The revving of a motorcycle engine offstage signals the encore as Halford rides a Harley Davidson onto stage for the classic ‘Hellbent for Leather’. Guitarist Glenn Tipton – still an ever present in the studio, but limited to select live appearances because of Parkinson’s – joins in for the traditional closer of ‘Living After Midnight’, bringing the night to a satisfying end that’s a reminder that over 50 years in, Priest still deliver the goods on the big stage, and then some.
Reflecting on the week that was, it brings into focus just how much of a privilege it is to get to see some of the most formative acts in heavy music still performing at such a high standard. While their legend and legacies will always live on, Ozzy’s passing is a reminder that they are as mortal as any of us. Tonight was a beautiful celebration of what we still have in Judas Priest and Alice Cooper and of the joy Ozzy brought to so many. It’s also a reminder if you ever needed one to go and see your musical heroes live if you can, because you may never know when it might be the last time.
BRAD STRATTON
As the black curtain obscuring the stage drops to reveal a banner declaring, “Alice Cooper, Banned in England!”, the man himself slices through it to roars of approval before kicking into opening numbers ‘Lock Me Up’ and ‘Welcome to the Show’. The 77-year-old shock rock icon has no intention of letting the energy drop, as a smash-hit run of ‘No More Mr Nice Guy’, ‘I’m Eighteen’ and ‘Hey Stoopid’ leaves the crowd dumbstruck with glee.
The delightful theatrics that accompany his live shows are here in spades, from a superfan meeting their grizzly end at the hands of Jason Voorhees [‘He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask)’], to a towering, zombified Alice swooping around the stage menacingly [‘Feed My Frankenstein’]. Cooper’s wife Sheryl makes an appearance dressed as a dominatrix during ‘Go to Hell’ to give him a good whipping. Green and purple lighting bathe the stage as guitarists Nita Strauss and Ryan Roxie rip into the iconic opening riff of ‘Poison’, resulting in a glorious singalong that is up there for the loudest of the evening. Alice’s band are a hard-working unit throughout the set, with each member getting their moment in the spotlight during a jam of ‘Black Widow’.
Cooper returns bound in a straightjacket for an engrossing ‘The Ballad of Dwight Fry’ that takes a dramatic turn as Sheryl – now dressed as Marie Antoinette – leads him off for a date with the infamous Madame Guillotine. The fall of the blade is followed by Sheryl parading her husband’s severed head across the stage as the band perform ‘I Love the Dead’.
While that’s all fairly par for the course, the evening takes an emotional left turn as the unmistakable riff from ‘Paranoid’ roars through the arena and Alice – now sporting an Ozzy Osbourne t-shirt and joined by Johnny Depp on guitar – rips through a grin-inducing cover of the Sabbath classic. The surprises don’t end there, as the members of the original Alice Cooper band pile in for the show-stopping finale of ‘School’s Out’/’Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2’, with confetti and giant balloons galore fly across the stage. As Alice ends his post-show address to crowd by stating “May all your lovely dreams become nightmares” while ‘Crazy Train’ blares through the sound system, we’re left to ponder if what we’ve just witnessed was real or just a spooktacular fever dream.
A high bar has been set for Judas Priest to bring the night to a close, but the NWOBHM legends are more than up for the challenge on the final date of their “Shield of Pain” tour – a celebration of latest album, ‘Invincible Shield’, and 35 years of bona fide classic, ‘Painkiller’. The traditional intro track of ‘War Pigs’ feels more poignant than ever as the entire arena bellows the lyrics at full volume, a reminder of the brotherhood shared between Birmingham’s two pioneers of heavy metal. Thunder and lightning build the tension alongside the unmistakable refrain of Rob Halford, as the “Metal God” strides onto stage to belt out the opening lines of ‘All Guns Blazing’. Joined by the rest of the band – clad in matching leather jackets and trousers – the Priest engine kicks into top gear with a ferocity and fury that pulsates around the room.
Halford takes delight in inspecting the handiwork of axemen Richie Faulkner and Andy Sneap during the equally thunderous ‘Hell Patrol’, throwing up the horns in approval at their riffing, while bassist Ian Hill cuts a steadfast figure at the back of the stage. ‘You’ve Got Another Thing Coming’ provides another opportunity for the Metal God to rock out to his heart’s content, whilst full-throttle classic ‘Breaking the Law’ makes an early appearance in the set. ‘Painkiller’ fan favourites getting a rare outing brings a special feel to tonight’s proceedings, from the soaring highs of the majestic ‘Touch of Evil’ to the seedy underbelly of ‘Nightcrawler’.
Following a blistering ‘Between the Hammer & Anvil’, Halford takes time to thank the crowd on the last night of their tour, whilst acknowledging the grief that himself and the metal community are going through after the passing of his long-time friend. He remarks that: “This is what he’d want us to be doing, to be together celebrating”, before dedicating one of the tracks from their latest album, ‘Giants in the Sky’, to Ozzy. An ode to iconic musicians no longer with us, cheers go up around the arena as the likes of Lemmy, Ronnie James Dio and Janis Joplin on the screen behind the band are joined by two new faces – a wild-eyed younger Prince of Darkness, and the elder statesman of his later years. As Halford points to the screen and cries “Giants in the sky/You won’t ever die”, it’s a tearjerkingly touching tribute on a night filled with them.
If ever there was a way to bring everyone back into the room after such a moving moment, it’s the unrelenting firepower of ‘Painkiller’ itself. Every element of the well-oiled Priest machine turns the intensity up to 11 for the song, from drummer Scott Travis’ furious intro, to the scything solos of the Faulkner and Sneap twin guitar attack. Halford’s screeching vocals hit their highest pitch, belying his 73 years of age with just how good he sounds in his twilight years.
The revving of a motorcycle engine offstage signals the encore as Halford rides a Harley Davidson onto stage for the classic ‘Hellbent for Leather’. Guitarist Glenn Tipton – still an ever present in the studio, but limited to select live appearances because of Parkinson’s – joins in for the traditional closer of ‘Living After Midnight’, bringing the night to a satisfying end that’s a reminder that over 50 years in, Priest still deliver the goods on the big stage, and then some.
Reflecting on the week that was, it brings into focus just how much of a privilege it is to get to see some of the most formative acts in heavy music still performing at such a high standard. While their legend and legacies will always live on, Ozzy’s passing is a reminder that they are as mortal as any of us. Tonight was a beautiful celebration of what we still have in Judas Priest and Alice Cooper and of the joy Ozzy brought to so many. It’s also a reminder if you ever needed one to go and see your musical heroes live if you can, because you may never know when it might be the last time.
BRAD STRATTON