Review & Photography by Phil Rozier for MPM
What do ‘Fish n Chips’, ‘Bangers n Mash’ and ‘Sunday Roasts’ all have in common? Bear with me on this one, it isn’t what you think. Agreed, they are types of English classic cuisine, but they’re also the chants of 1800 sweaty rockers at a sweltering Saturday night at Bournemouth’s O2 Academy.
Referred to by Zakk himself as the Bournemouth Chapter, the crowd was a sweaty mob of denim, waistcoats, tattoos and beards. Despite Black Label Society and Zakk Wylde having the outward demeanour of well built ‘do not mess with me’ bikers, they’re actually a very friendly chirpy bunch of musicians who just want a good time show.
Possibly inspired by the cheeky side of Ozzy, Zakk and his merry band of biker rockers play their tunes like it’s the end of the world, but, underneath the skulls, is a bunch of toe tapping good time souls.
With a blistering classic set of 12 songs and ugly guitars, it was a belter of a night to remember. Keeping it old school, BLS started as few bands do these days, with the dropping of a giant curtain to reveal the 4 beasts that took the stage by storm and controlled the crowd for the full hour and a half.
Bursting onto the stage after the funeral bell, new song ‘Name in Blood’ just went off! Imagine, that huge opening chugging riff. You know it’s going to be wild, or Wylde should I say, when extra security is called to the front, as the photographers in the pit get squashed by flying crowd surfers.
After dislodging a foot from my head, I’ve already missed half of ‘Destroy and Conquer’ as the band command attention. Their huge stage presence, with all that hair, glow in the dark strings and violently shaped instruments, the crowd is as infatuated as it is animated. Whoah, duck! There’s another body dropping from the shoulders of the crowd and into the pit.
‘A Love Unreal’ and ‘Heart of Darkness’ don’t stop for anyone. The stage is a mixture of green, purple and devilishly red hues as the dry ice fills the auditorium. What an opener of a set. You don’t realise we’re nearing song 5 as the crowd hasn’t even clocked the ending of one song and the start of the next. I think it’s also fair to say that the now vintage law of ‘no smoking inside buildings’ has been abandoned, as has the regard for the purity of regular tobacco. The all-familiar musty haze of an alternative dried leaf being burnt is ever present as the audience goes mental for the solo of ‘No More Tears’. One of the most iconic solos, written and played live by the originator, is something of a defining point in a rock fans life.
At last, we can all stop to breath (and accidentally get a little high even if you tried not too). And this is where the English cuisine storey started. As Zakk introduces the band, as a group of heathens who don’t like Fish N Chips, Bangers n Mash and Sunday Roasts, the crowd’s audible boo’s are balanced with high end raucous chants as Zakk declares his love of such foods. An unexpected, playful interaction shown from the monster musician.
So, here’s another unique offering only experienced at a Black Label gig. Within literally seconds of a sold out 1800 strong crowd chanting ‘Fish n Chips’, ‘Fish n Chips’, ‘Fish n Chips’, is a sea (literally) of tears. 1800 fans shedding a tear for the loss of fallen comrades as ‘In This River’ is dedicated to the loss of Dimebag and his brother, Vinnie.
The show stays at a slower pace, I think well timed, as to give the crowd some recovery time. ‘The Blessed Hellride’ is an awesome track, especially when played live. The crowd sings every word overpowering the acoustic strums. Pace gets back on it as ‘Set You Free’ and ‘Fire It Up’ serve as suitable precursors the classic ‘Suicide Messiah’. Despite being 10 songs in, feet, arms, arses and legs are still piling over each other in an attempt to crowd surf to the front.
And then, it happens again, and it’s even harder to hold back the tears writing about it. ‘Ozzy’s Song’. Everyone knows where this inspiration came from. Ozzy is occupying the eye site of the crowd, as the huge purple coloured backdrop has Ozzy from his Black Sabbath hey day aloft above the crowd.
And then it’s nearly over. ‘Stillborn’ finishes the set to an absolutely bowled over crowd. Loud, heavy, aggressive, soft, hot, immersive. Where were you on Saturday night? If not here at this show, then you should be considering your life choices.
Thank you Black Label Society for providing one of those nights, a night that only you guys can deliver.
