13th February 2020 marks fifty years since Black Sabbath released their seminal self-titled album, laying down the blueprint for the entire heavy metal genre in the process. To commemorate what is surely one of the most important albums in the history of British music, I thought I would share my review of one the band's final shows, originally written for Liverpool Student Radio in January 2017. Since LSRadio has since been revamped and all the old articles lost, I may share some more of my old work here in the future. For now, read on to experience 'The End' from my 18-year-old perspective...
Black Sabbath @ Manchester Arena Gig Review
Over the course of rock history many bands have claimed to
be on the verge of retirement, deciding to embark on a so-called “Farewell”
tour before taking a final bow and saying goodbye to the road. However, music
fans worldwide can be forgiven for doubting the sincerity of any major band’s
retirement claims, given the tendency of the likes of the Rolling Stones and
Kiss to conclude a ‘final’ tour, only to be back on the road a few years later.
Yet as many of the original giants of rock enter their twilight years, the road
takes more of a toll on band members, while the deaths and illnesses of some
can suddenly make the ‘never again’ concept all the more believable. Of course,
even rock gods are mere mortals after all, with the time eventually coming for
them to say goodbye for real. For Black Sabbath, the godfathers of heavy metal,
that time is now.
After a career spanning almost a full five decades, the band
widely credited with being the single most important figures in the development
of the metal genre are capping off their legendary career with one last
globe-spanning tour, concluding with a series of shows in their native United
Kingdom. I attended the Manchester gig on 22 January, and since this was my
first time seeing Sabbath after being a fan for several years, I was feverous
with the anticipation of seeing one of the last performances of their storied
career.
The entire band thankfully delivered on all fronts, living
up to their reputation with aplomb. Frontman Ozzy Osbourne quickly put down any
whispers that he was no longer able to deliver on the vocal front, sounding in
fine form from start to finish. Bassist Geezer Butler and guitarist Tony Iommi
each sounded absolutely thunderous throughout, with the sheer power of the
latter’s iconic riffs repeatedly inspiring euphoria in the audience. Original
drummer Bill Ward is sadly absent from this final run of shows, being estranged
from the band since 2012, seemingly following a contract dispute. While the
news of Ward not being behind the kit certainly came as a disappointment to
Sabbath’s fanbase, the good news is that fill-in sticksman Tommy Clufetos does
an exceptional job of measuring up to his predecessor’s legacy, particularly impressing
during a lengthy drum solo.
As one would expect, the setlist is mainly a ‘greatest hits’
affair, drawing exclusively from the band’s genre-defining ‘70s albums. While
the omission of the classic Sweet Leaf
causes minor disappointment, the likes of Snowblind, N.I.B and the immortal anti-war anthem War Pigs all sound amazingly fresh for
songs written over four decades ago and prove why Sabbath are fully deserving
of their iconic status. The inclusion of a deeper cut in Hand of Doom provides an unexpected surprise, and by the time the
show concludes with the enduring classic Paranoid,
the entirety of the fans in attendance at Manchester Arena are left exhausted
and elated.
As the band bow out for one of the final times of their
career, the words ‘The End’ appear across the screen behind the stage. It may
be a cliché that bands are never quite telling the truth when they claim to be
retiring, but given the respective ages of the original members, no-one here
tonight is in any doubt that ‘the end’ really is approaching for this heavy
metal institution, whilst I am left in no doubt that this has been the best gig
I have ever experienced.
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Thanks for reading! If you haven't already, check out my Top 10 Albums of 2019 feature and keep an eye out for my February Top Tracks article later this month.
Follow me on Twitter @realdannymoore
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