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THE BAND
- Ozzy Osbourne - Vocals
- Tony Iommi - Guitar
- Geezer Butler - Bass
- Bill Ward - Drums
- Geoff Nicholls - Keyboards
CONCERT PHOTO GALLERY
You
can view the photo gallery for this concert here.
TOUR REVIEWS & REMARKS
From: "Stephan" <spigeon@email.msn.com>
Subject: The Toronto Experience
Date: Sun, 14 Feb 1999 15:21:47 -0500
Black Sabbath Experience
The Prelude :
Well here is my review for the Toronto show. This is more than just the show, this is an
entire experience. So if you want just a show review, go to the next one. If you want to
read about my experience...this is the place to go.
I finished work on Monday around 5pm. I could of stayed longer since I was waiting for a
friend to get off work and pick me up. My boss was getting on my nerves so I decided to go
to the near by East Side Mario to have a drink and wait for my buddy there. After 3 beers
he finally showed up. By this time, I can feel the anxiety in me build. (actually it has
been building for 12 years but this is another story).
I didn't find anything to smoke for the show so we made some last minute purchases. There
is no way I was going to witness a live version of Sweet Leaf without burning some up.
We then return to my buddy's place here in Ottawa, where we spent the evening burning a
few up and listenning to the entire Black Sabbath w/Ozzy discographie (We didn't dare skip
one), drink a few beers, eat pizza and jam some Sabbath riffs on his guitars. By
1am, we were fast asleep.
The Morning :
Apparently my buddy Howie could not sleep came 5am. He gets up (annoying the hell out of
me) asking if I want some eggs and bacon...NO ! At around 6 :30 am, I finally drag
my butt off his couch to the smell of coffee and pot. I take a toke and jump in the
shower.
At 8am, we walk down to the nearby McDonalds so that I can get myself some breakfast. You
see my nutritional routine is pretty similar to the one Sabbath probably had in the Mid
70's. Beer, fast food, pot and more beer. After I eat what this fast food giant calls a
breakfast, we jump in a cab en route to the Ottawa train station.
The Train Ride :
9 :20 am, our train leaves en route to Union Station in Toronto. I brought with me several
mailings of the Black Sabbath Mailing List to keep myself occupied. This is a 4 :30 hour
ride. By noon, the snack guy rolls down our alley with some snacks and beverages. My and
howie immediately order a beer. They don't have Bud so I settle for a Labbatt Blue. Man
did it ever taste good. I get up 20 minutes later to find this guy with the good suds. I
order another one each. This guy is kind of paranoid of us getting drunk on his train so
he informs me that this is his last call (at 1pm...go firgure). We finished the suds and
arrive at the train station.
Toronto:
Upon our arrival at Union Station, we turn heads our way since we are both wearing Ottawa
Senators Jerseys, we hail a cab and tell him....The beer store and then the Delta Chelsea
Inn. He takes us criss crossing around town and acts as a tour guide. AB This is where you
can get coke BB he says pointing to a run down neighborhood. AB This is where all the
prostitutes hang out BB Pointing to another neighborhood near by. AB This place is full of
guays BB he says pointing elsewhere up the road. I don't need a prostitue, I don't need
Coke and I certainly do not need a cock up my ass so I tell him, just get us beer. So we
did. He informs us to go to the Wiskey A Go Go if we want to see nice strippers after the
show. We said that we would think about it.
The Hotel :
We get at the Delta Chelsea, a nice posh hotel that my girlfriend had already paid for us.
I go to check in under my name. I have short hair and look semi respecteable. I have no
problem at first. Then my buddy howie shows up, long hair, biker leather jacket and the
attitude...lol. AB Oh by the way BB, the attendant says, AB There will be a deposit in
case of any incident BB. Fuckin prejudism I think to myself. Oh well, up to our rooms.
We get to the room, case of beer in hand to find out that we have landed a really nice
hotet. All thanks to Jennifer. Our balcony faces the Sam the Record Man and HMV on Young
street. If you are not familiar with young street, it is the street in Toronto where you
will find anything, anyone or any freak society might have to offer. We smoke a few
doobies and head for the Hard Rock Cafe:
The Hard Rock Cafe:
We get ar the Hard Rock around 4 :30 pm. Again we cause a lot of comotion being in a
Toronto bar with an Ottawa Senators Jersey. We finally break the ice and everyone welcomes
us to Toronto. I was there to meet a few fans that correspond to this newsgroup but did
not see anyone there. At least no one recognized us. We chat away drinking beer with some
people from all over Ontario and some from Buffalo. People are smoking up in the
establishment and we barely get any hassle from the bar. Only one of the waiter keeps
walking buy asking for a hit. Sabbath videos are playing on the screens.
Skydome :
The cab ride to the Skydome was fast. I had never been at the Dome for any event. This was
my first one. What a way to break in my first one. General impression is that I do not
like the way the seats are set up. Too wide for the width of the stage. I mee up with some
friends that made the trip and have a few more beers with them.
The Deftones :
Didn't see them, didn't care for them. The beer was cold.
Pantera :
My buddy Howie is a big fan so I decided to watch them with him. I guess if you are in
this type of metal, they are good at what they do. I do agree with everyone here that said
that they need a singer. THEY DO ! All I could think of was AB get off the fuckin' stage
and let the masters show you how it is done. BB I must say that they did prime the crowd
for Black Sabbath. They played kind of the Iron Man riff and made the crowd chant Black
Sabbath, Black Sabbath.
BLACK SABBATH :
Hold on to your seats. Now this is a band that changed the course of mylife. Tony is the
one who made me want to pick up a guitar and play. I have been a die hard fan (of Ozzy and
Dio era). My first show was the Mob Rules tour. I made a wish when I was 12 and it was to
see the original Black Sabbath lineup.
The lights went down and the screen in the back of Bill lit up the Reunion logo on it. The
crowd stood up and the vintage footage came on. I was in a total trance. I knew I was
going to be in for a treat.
The stage filled with smoke and all of a sudden from underneath the stage, the band came
up. Sirens everywhere and you know it War Pigs. I have to seriously admit that tears came
running down my cheeks. I could not believe what I was witnessing. Black Sabbath in all
its glory. The band played note for note and Ozzy was full of energy.
The next song was NIB. Bill his usual self, wailed out the intro on his bass. I was in
heaven. I could not stop smiling. The music sounded so fresh. As if the album came out
yesterday.
They kept wailing out the hits, Fairies Wear Boots, After Forever and Electric Funeral.
The Skydome is reputed for bad sound but from where I was sitting , it sounded great. Tony
was playing note for note. Geezer was going wild and Bill kept pace with them all the way.
Ozzy seemed like he had renewed his energy. They did take a break in between each songs
and it does show that that the band is getting older. But the breaks that were taken only
made you anticipate the next song even more. At one point during After Forever, I saw the
Oz genuinely laugh. You could tell on the giant screen that his laugh came from the heart.
I saw Oz in concert 8 times before and never saw him laugh like this. He was having fun.
At one point Ozzy said, "Do people still smoke dope?" the crowd went wild.
"OK, we'll do Sweetleaf for you" Well needless to say I had to spark one
up for the moment. This is a song that I heard a thousand time before but it still sounded
fresh. He went on with "Do people still do coke?" The cheer was not as loud but
still the crowd cheered on. They went into Snowblind.
I heard a lot of people say that when they did Dirty Women that the crowd went dull. I did
not witness that. It was smooth sailing all the way and it really did sound good live. The
next was Iron Man. I could of done without the Oh oh oh oh oh, that follows the riff and
making the crowd chant. But I guess it was ok. At the end Oz tripped on a few lyrics and
it made me laugh. After singing this song a gazillion times, he fucked up.
Then came the treat. Black Sabbath. Lighting and torches illuminated the stage. Ozzy had
his hands raised over his head and really put everything into it. He looked demonic. He
sounded great. When the part came to "Oh no, please God help me" I got shivers
up and down my spine. My life was complete.
Ozzy said that if we were really loud that they would play some more for us (he says that
every show). They finished off the set with Children of the Grave. Ozzy started to look
exhausted but would not let up. The riffs came in and made me realise why it is that I
love this band so much. It is because it is the greatest band in the whole world.
The band took a bow and left the stage.
The crowd went crazy. It was loud in there. You could hear Ozzy in the back saying "I
can't hear you". This made the crowd go absolutely bonkers. Of course they came out
and played Paranoid. This is a song that I was sick of but that night, it was one of the
greatest songs ever written. Streamers came down with confetti, tons of them. I knew that
it was soon over. This was the end. I had to stare in awe to permanently imprint this
picture in my mind.
The band took another long bow and finally left the stage. Changes came on over the PA. I
sat there with my eyes watering telling myself how lucky I was to have witnessed what I
just did. I stayed in my seat for a very long time before I decided to leave. It was all
over. Ozzy did tell us to get home safely so that they could come back and kick our asses
all over again. Does this mean the beginning of another era? Doubtful but I am allowed to
dream.
I made my way out of the Skydome. I met up with my friend Rick "Zaida" from
Sabbra Caddabra. We exhcanged thoughts on the show and I then hailed a cab to the holtel.
For those of you who thinks that I rambled on too much. That is your opinion. For those of
you who are truly die hard fans, you will understand me. I thought that I would be
disappointed by the set list. Although I would of loved to hear, Hand of Doom, The Warning
and The Wizard, I was absolutely satisfied by the whole experience.
I must thank my girlfriend Jennifer. Without her, the whole experience would have been
impossible. She bought me my tickets for christmas and paid for our room. For this I love
you and I will always be grateful to you.
Stephan Pigeon
"When sadness fills my days
It's time to turn away
and then tomorrow's dream
Becomes reality....to me!"
-Black Sabbath-
Date: Wed, 10 Feb 1999 00:45:31 -0500
From: Greg Williams <dgsw@home.com>
Subject: Reunion Tour Report
hey siegler great site
i was at the sabbath show in toronto at skydome sitting(standing ) at floor b stage left
if you wanted to see what all the fuss is all about this show gave you all you wanted to
see and hear sabbath is and will always be music for people that want to get heavy and
have a good time. being 32 ive been to many sabbath and ozzy shows and this was the best
the sound was great after the second tune and my ears are still ringing while i type this.
N.I.B. sweet leaf electric funeral all the classics you want to hear they did. the band
was tighter than the live cd which was a treat no bullshit solos which are a staple of
most metal concerts but guess what sabbath are a just a loud fucken rock n roll band that
doesn't need each band member to give us a blow job of their talents the crowd was great
totally into the show, which for toronto prides itself on sitting on their hands not many
rock shows keeps me until the final song but this one did (guess what song that was)and
the best thing about the show they told the media to go fuck themselves and gave the
tickets to the fans true class cause if you live in canada rock radio is shit. so thanks
siegler for the space hope you can use some of this im a golf pro that looked totally of
touch with most of the crowd but when the music started man we all lost ourselves for that
moment. which is why we go anyway?!. adios siloking
From: "Todd Miller"
<todd_a_miller@Hotmail.Com>
Subject: Reunion Tour Report
Date: Wed, 10 Feb 1999 06:49:46 PST
Well, what can I say? It was easily one of the most anticipated shows in my long
concert-going life. After attending shows of various incarnations of "Sabbath"
over the years, and enjoying every show, this was going to be the ultimate -- the original
Sabs with Ozzy at the helm. Did it meet or exceed all my expectations? YEAH!! They were
tight, I mean, it sounded like they had been rehearsing for the last 2 years! I too heard
the rumours of failing health, Ozzy's vocal troubles, etc, but they laid all that to rest.
Electric Funeral, Fairies Wear Boots, Dirty Women (Yeah, baby!), and Black Sabbath were
among the tunes that they threw at us. Ozzy's voice was well-rested and powerful, even
after the nodule problem, Tony was awesome, Geezer was pummeling his bass, and the
surprise of the night was Bill -- God love him. After listening to the Reunion CD with
some friends, the general concensus was it sounded like he was restrained -- no great drum
fills, really laid back. Well last night, he absolutely killed his drum kit, attacked it
and left it for dead. Almost 2 hours of rock-solid thumping, and he still looked great!
Great lights, the sound was so-so (you can't do much to improve the sound of a steel and
concrete dome -- the Skydome is a terrible place for concerts, but because record
companies and promoters want to make more money, they pack us into a 55,000 seat
stadium!). Oh well, I can rest easy that even if they never tour again, I saw them. I saw
them.
Here's the set list for those interested:
War Pigs
N.I.B.
Fairies Wear Boots
After Forever
Electric Funeral
Dirty Women
Sweet Leaf
Into The Void
Snowblind
Black Sabbath
Children Of The Grave
Iron Man
Paranoid
Date: Wed, 10 Feb 1999 03:46:30 -0500
From: BudMan <budman72@home.com>
Subject: Reunion Tour Report
by Budman
Toronto, Skydome
Feb.9 1999
Pantera lead singer Phil Anselmo claimed themselves as the best metal band of this era,
then honoured Black Sabbath as the "Gods of Metal" during last nights show at
Toronto's Skydome!
I honestly thought the roof was gonna explode! What a concert! Deftones came on right at
7pm playing to a half-empty stadium as most fans werestill pouring in for main attraction
Sabbath! Not being a huge Deftones fan I thought they were ok, sound wasnt great for them,
would rather see them at a smaller place then a Dome. Reading the other reviews, I dont
care what others say, Pantera kicked ass!!! They rocked the joint! 45 minutes of hard
pounding metal! Only part I didnt like was no mosh pit, for the people who saw Pantera for
the first time, they didnt see a real Pantera show with moshing and crowd surfing but
anyways they jammed heavy and I thought they were great!
As for Black Sabbath....wow! My first and probably last time seeing them and what a great
performance! The lights went out they showed about a 5min video of some old live footage
of the band, and opened with of course War Pigs as the band members rose from beneath the
stage as fog covered the stage, amazing! The stage setup was pretty cool, the torches were
lit during the tune 'Black Sabbath' and the sound system was better than I thought it
would be at Skydome, usually isnt great. Ozzy was amazing, clappin hands and the frog
leaps throughout the show, what I enjoyed most was the fact these guys were having fun!
Ozzy was smiling/laughing the entire show (didnt throw buckets of water on anyone,
although he taunted Tony once) Geezer and Tony played great solo's and Bill was awesome!
Ozzy said "Wow this is a big fuckin place!" as he stared to the packed house
chanting "Louder! Louder!" throughout the show. They were all dressed in black
while Bill was pounding the drums shirtless. During the encore 'Paranoid' some fan ran on
the stage and was ushered off by security without any problems, Ozzy kinda greeted him and
didnt look like he cared.... anyways heres the setlist.....
In Order...
War Pigs
N.I.B
Faries Wear Boots
After Forever
Electric Funeral
Sweet Leaf
Into the Void
Snowblind
Dirty Women
Black Sabbath
Iron Man
Children of the Grave
Encore - Paranoid
From: "Michael Lalonde"
<mikelalonde@hotmail.com>
Subject: My Black Sabbath review
Date: Wed, 10 Feb 1999 09:43:58 PST
Anyone who knows me, knows I devote a large amount of my spare time into my Ozzy web page.
One of my frequent complaints, and lifelong regrets is that I have never actually seen
Ozzy Osbourne in concert. This changed last night, February 9th. I drove down from Sudbury
to Waterloo to pick up a friend of mine. He had to write a mid-term exam and did not
finish until around 6:30. So by the time we hopped into the car and drove to Toronto, it
was about 8:30. I did not mind because I came to see Ozzy, not Pantera or the Deftones :)
Next came the parking situation - with the Skydome full of over 20,000 people I figured
this would be impossible. However we were able to find a spot just across the street. The
cost of parking for one evening? Oh, a mere $20 bucks!!! Gotta love commercialism. One guy
said he would move his van from the lot for $20, when in fact he was leaving anyway. No
thanks! It seems everyone is out to make a buck. I saw food vendors, shirt vendors and
even the homeless know to come out and try to make a buck at these events. One group of
people were shouting out "anyone got tickets?" while the other group shouted out
"anyone want to buy tickets?". It seemed the two groups never could meet one
another to complete a deal, they just kept wandering and asking if anyone was
buying/selling tickets. (by the way it was $200 for front row seats)
We made our way into the Skydome and were immediately patted down by security. I can't
imagine how people smuggle camcorders into the stadium because these guys are pretty good.
I had originally planned to put my camera into my waist, but put it in my boot instead. It
was a good thing because the guy felt me up like there was no tomorrow (mainly looking for
alcohol). It turned out he thought I had something suspicious until I showed him he was
feeling up my belt. :)
We made our way inside, and I immediately noticed a huge cloud of smoke filling the entire
stadium. So much for smoke free events. We were situation in the 500 level, which is at
the very top of the Skydome right near the roof. By this time it was 9 pm and the intro
music to Black Sabbath was coming on. We had JUST made it.
Thw stage was pretty simple, a rose colored curtain surrounding the back, a large monitor
in the centre of it which showed the audience and the band throughout the evening, 8
spotlights above that. There were two large wooden ornaments, one on both sides of the
stage which looked to be almost an imitation of the top of a guitar or violin. There were
also what appeared to be lamps (poles with saucers on the top of them, these would be
explained later during Black Sabbath).
I had never been to the Skydome, and knew 500 level was not going to be the best seating
either. We ended up being near the side of the stage, able to see all the band but Bill
Ward whose arms were visible from time to time. Ozzy appeared to be about 4 inches tall
from where we were, but I'll take Ozzy any size as opposed to never seeing him at all.
Ozzy was dressed in a black t-shirt (which looked to be all black with no pictures, but
from 500 level who knows) and black jogging pants. Tony wore his trademark long black
trenchcoat and black pants. For the life of me, I can't recall what Bill or Geezer wore.
Ozzy never removed his clothing, and did not soak the audience with water. I think this is
reserved for his own tours :)
It was very hard to write in total darkness, but I was able to walk away with the setlist
or close facsimile. Here we go:
1) War Pigs - Ozzy jumped up and down a few times, but gone are the days of him thrashing
his head up and down and running back and forth. The end of the song was followed by a
large explosion, after which the attendants covered up the vents on the stage with mats.
2) N.I.B.
3) Fairies Wear Boots
4) After Forever
5) Electric Funeral
6) Sweet Leaf - Ozzy told the crowd he could smell a lot of pot. And when asked how many
of them were smoking pot, the majority of them responded with screaming. However I think
he could have asked them how many of them wear Huggies children's diapers and they'd have
responded with the same amount of screaming. He then said here's a song all about it. Some
idiot sitting right above me was smoking this stuff, and I tried not to inhale any of it.
7) Into the Void
8) Snowblind
9) Dirty Women - I think a lot of people had tuned out of Black Sabbath by this year
because few of them seemed to know the words to the song.
10) Black Sabbath - This was very cool. White lights flashed in a thunder effect, loud
tolling bells played throughout the song. The aforementioned poles I'd seen on stage,
erupted in flames. The flames continued throughout the song, it was all very dramatic and
of course the crowd went nuts.
11) Iron Man - a good portion of the opening to the song was getting the crowd to shout
out "OI!" with each drum beat.
12) Children of the Grave - this song was cool because it ended with flare explosions
shooting down from the top of the stage. The band left the stage and the lights went down.
The crowd chanted "Ozzy!!!" and "We want more". Finally Ozzy said,
"I cannnnn't hearrrr you" and they shouted out even louder. (I think he does
this at every show)
13) Paranoid - they of course ended with this song and every metal head in the place went
nuts. Only one fan made it onstage, a woman, and she was escorted off stage.
The confetti started to spew out, and continued for almost a minute. There were also long
streamers that were shot out from the stage. Ozzy told the crowd to "make sure you
get home safely so I can come back and kick your ass again". The show ended with the
Changes song over the speakers and the lights came back on.
T-Shirts were on sale starting at an obscene $35 per shirt. I opted not to get sucked in
because as much of an event as this was, I think Ozzy's management knows a money maker
when they see it and that they'll be back. Eventually.
One interesting note in all this was that on the way there, the radio announced Black
Sabbath had banned the media from inside the show. I can't see why they would do this.
All in all, it was great to finally see them in person. Hopefully the pictures turn out
somewhat.
Mike
Date: Wed, 10 Feb 1999 10:43:27 -0400
From: Sean Palmerston <promo@sonicunyon.com>
Subject: Toronto BS review from the Toronto Sun
This can be found online at:
http://www.canoe.ca/JamConcertsA2D/blacksabbath2_990209.html
No rest as Sabbath rock Dome
By KIERAN GRANT -- Toronto Sun
TORONTO -- It was the concert they didn't want you to read about. Not that there was
anything wrong with it.
After Black Sabbath effectively put a moratorium on reviewers for their sold-out SkyDome
show last night, the concert by Britain's definitive fathers of heavy metal turned out to
be top notch.
Black Sabbath's management mysteriously denied the media access to the gig, which drew a
capacity crowd of 20,000, waiting until tickets had sold out before informing reporters
and photographers of the decision. While banning photographers isn't unheard of, why they
decided to keep critics at bay is anyone's guess.
Needless to say, we found our own, perfectly legal way in -- no scalpers were involved in
the writing of this story.
Eagerly anticipated by fans, last night's show was part of Sabbath's current "Reunion
Of The Century" tour, which features the classic lineup of singer Ozzy
Osbourne,
guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, and drummer Bill Ward.
It's the first time all four members have toured together since Osbourne went solo 20
years ago.
It also finds them playing to some of their biggest audiences ever.
uitably, Sabbath gave the army of veteran metalheads, curious rock history
afficionados,
and head-banging skateboard kids who were packed in to see them a near-flawless
run-through of their best work: Opening number War Pigs, Fairies Wear Boots, Iron Man, and
encore tune Paranoid, all from 1970's Paranoid; N.I.B. from 1970's self-titled debut;
Sweet Leaf and Into The Void from 1971's Master Of Reality.
The party-scarred Ozzy had the most riding on him. Various Ozzy-less incarnations of the
band have never been fully accepted by fans or critics, and he was clearly the main
attraction.
The fact that he was the most likely to burn up on his Sabbath re-entry was also part of
the thrill. Physically, he's a shell of a man. He hasn't had the past 20 years in Sabbath
to master the songs like Iommi, Ward, and the stunning bass powerhouse Butler.
But while he apparently relied on a teleprompter at times, and his vocal chords were
shredded by set-closer Children Of The Grave, he was at the top of his game as a
frontman.
You got the feeling his jumping-on-the-spot moves took a lot out of him.
Gleefully padding across the stage, Ozzy alternately looked like a child delighted by some
prank he'd just pulled -- standing half-crouched, hands on his belly, or a grandfather
rushing to greet a child, running half-crouched, arms half-raised.
"Do people here still smoke dope?" he'd stammer innocently. People cheer.
"Good. This song is called Sweet Leaf.
"Do people here still do cocaine?" Less cheering. "F---ing-A. This song's
called Snowblind."
Sure, the long, slow build on signature tune Black Sabbath came dangerously close to the
Stonehenge parody it doubtlessly inspired in the movie This Is Spinal Tap. The guitar
solos were drawn out here and there.
But those were just necessary rituals.
At its core, this was a solid show by any standards, by a band who've justified their
reunion.
From: "Sabbra Cadabra" <sabbra@home.com>
Subject: Toronto Review (Feb 9 - Skydome)
Date: Wed, 10 Feb 1999 12:30:06 -0500
First, I did not watch any of the opening bands. Only Sabbath.
The lights went down at around 9:20 PM and the Retro/Nostalgic intro video began. They
were in great spirits. played very tight and they were having lots of fun on stage. Ozzy
was bugging Geezer for a few songs, making him break out laughing. Ozzy even missed a few
words due to laughing at one point. Tony was note perfect & tight all night except in
2 songs I noticed he had changed the guitar solo. I do not recall which songs. In After
Forever the first bridge section of the song, it seemed Tony was out of tune or playing
out of key, but they got it together. Ozzy's voice was absolutely amazing. There is no way
someone else was singing. It was Ozzy's voice. He strained a little towards the end and in
the last 2 songs he cracked once or twice, but overall, he was better and more solid than
I had ever seen him live. Geezer & Bill were a tight wall of thunder providing a
strong tight solid rhythm section. Tony even looked up at Bill a few times and nodded that
he was impressed. I was watching Tony at one point with the binoculars and saw him turn
quick and look at Bill with amazement after a drum fill. Bill has proved himself without a
doubt. Bill had his wife and kids with him here in Toronto. I saw him walking around the
city with them just after lunch. They did not play Sabbath Bloody Sabbath for some reason.
The onlt negative criticism to the show was the crowd. The Toronto crowd sucked. Way too
quiet. Ozzy was noticably annoid at the lack of screaming from a sold out show with around
30,000 bodies. The show ended at 10:50 PM. An hour and a half show, that's it. Set list as
follows:
(Set):
- Video Intro
- War Pigs
- Bassically / N.I.B.
- Fairies Wear Boots
- After Forever
- Electric Funeral
- Sweet Leaf
- Into The Void
- Snowblind
- Dirty Women
- Black Sabbath
- Iron Man
- Embryo / Children Of The Grave
(Encore):
- Paranoid
- Changes (Tape Extro)
There was a lot of down time between songs. Roadies coming out after each song fixing
carpets and other stuff. Almost every break was 2-3 minutes of nothing.
To wrap up, Sabbath tight & solid, the Toronto crowd sucked.
I do not know if this was in all cities, but here in Toronto they had a Media Blackout.
All press & photo passes were revoked and NO MEDIA allowed at all into the show. They
were not permitting any reviews. This makes no sense as they would have gotten a great
review!!! I think the band are still pissed at the security issues and other problems that
occured when they were here on theMeet 'n' Greet tour back on October 30.
*** Special thanks to Joe Siegler for all his time and work on the GETTOGETHER page. ***
*** It was a great idea. Our get together was not organized & didn't happen, but due
to the *** *** list, I was able to go and meet a couple of people from the list that were
sitting near me. ***
*** THANKS A MILLION JOE. YOUR WORK, TIME & EFFORT IS REALLY APPRECIATED
From: "Dave Smith" <kwad99@hotmail.com>
Subject: Toronto's Show was WILD!
Date: Wed, 10 Feb 1999 18:21:28 PST
Joe:
I've been a Sabbath fan for a few years now. (Not as many as some fans, namely the balding
older types, but for some years now.) I've seen them twice before, with Tony and friends.
Those shows were great, but nothing like this one. I'm sure everyone who's seen the tour
would agree. They were all playing amazingly.
I was in the nosebleed section, and although didn't know I could rent binoculars (which
would have helped) for $8.00, I still had an awesome night. I missed the Deftones, but
neither myself nor my buddy really cared about that. The only problem was this goofball
sitting next to us who didn't realize how weird he was to other people and kept talking to
us. Pantera was OK, but the lead singer was pretty annoying (not to mention his singing
ability) I don't like listening to a drunk with a pathetic sense of humour and
"Generation X" Machismo.
When Sabbath hith the stage, the crowd went nuts! Of course, they started with War Pigs
and ended with Children of the Grave, followed by the standard Paranoid encore. Into The
Void shook the audience like a maximum strength earthquake, this being the highlight of
the night for me. I think I wrecked the muscles in my neck from headbanging so hard to
that song.
Ozzy made mention half way through the night that they'd recorded "Never Say
Die" in Toronto 20 years ago, also in the middle of winter.(And from what I've read,
they weren't quite ready for the cold.) He also marvelled how big Skydome is (which it
is)- there were over 20,000 in attendance that night. Ozzy's voice was great up until
Children of the Grave, where it was obvious he had finally run out of steam for the night-
perhaps the reason why they didn't play a 3 hour set, like Rush did last summer.
Tony played great- especially Into the Void and Dirty Women- the latter song serving as a
springboard for a great drawn out solo.
Geezer- awesome- especially the lead in to NIB, where he used wicked WAWA.
Bill- a pleasure to finally see him- he's the only member I'd never seen other than in
pictures- a great performance, especially on Fairies Wear Boots- some really great jazzy
banging! I hope he works out and gets rid of the gut and the tits, because I'd hate to see
him have to quit again because of his health.
All in all an unforgettable religious experience. I hope they come back.
D.
Date: Wed, 10 Feb 1999 13:33:34 -0500
From: "Scott Maxemuck" <scottm@itcanada.com>
Subject: Feb.9th Toronto,Ontario,Canada Sabbath show Totally Awesome !!
Feb.10/99
Joe, Just thought I'd give you a little feedback on the Sabbath show I saw in Toronto last
night
First of all, I am/was, one of those unfortunate individuals who hastickets to the
Postponed Buffalo show that was scheduled for Feb.1 still frozen in Limbo over when this
show will occur, assuming it does
I live in Port Colborne, Ontario, which is actually closer to Buffalo than it is Toronto.
(about an hour closer) so I purchased tickets to the Buffalo show, then felt my heart sink
as the news of the postponment was announced. I tried to dig up any pair of tickets I
could for the Toronto show, even "nose-bleeds" but to no avail. The Toronto show
was completely sold out. Yesterday afternoon, At lunch time (the day of the show, I was
listening to 97.7 Hits FM ( a local radio station, when I heard an announcement that a
small block of tickets for the Toronto Black Sabbath show had been released for sale by
TicketMaster.
The rest is history. Level 100's just off the floor with an un-obstructed view !! A dream
come true. I missed them in 1978 when they came to Buffalo and then they broke up. Saw
Blizzard of OZ with Randy Rhodes in 81. Its been 21 L-O-N-G years. But now, I can be
buried in peace. My soul's thirst for an opportunity to see the original line up of the
Masters Of Metal has been quenched. They did not dissappoint.
There were moments when the OZ appeared to be labouring, and yes there were a couple of
modified versions of what was originally written being sung, but for all intents and
purposes, THIS SHOW ROCKED !!! The bulk of the material was done to perfection or a very
reasonable facsimile.
At times, OZ initially looked a little tired or like he had been on the mend (and after
all, this was the first show after recouperating from his throat nodule) but as the show
went on he seemed to get stronger. Doing Leap frogs and jumping jacks with his arms
flailing and hands clapping he worked the crowd into a frenzy repeatedly.
They pretty much followed the REUNION Play List minus "Spiral Architects, but managed
to work in "After Forever" instead. Didn't here any Never Say Die material, but
it didn't matter. Hearing WarPigs, Snow Blind, Black Sabbath, Sweet Leaf, Electric Funeral
and others done to vintage caliber made everything else meaningless.
Billy was showing us he can still pound on those drums quite well and keep up with and at
times lead the boys into a fury. Geezer was a marvel to watch. His fingers were
"flying" up and down the bass at speeds I've never seen a bass played at before.
From start to finish of the show. As for Mr. Iommi, well what can you say. The Master
played like a man on a mission. His mission: to entertain and amaze, and that he did, the
riffs rang out from one end of the building to the other, as he paced back and forth
accross the stage. His assault was relentless. Power chords, one after the next, being
belted out repeatedly. His masterful hand working it's magic on those chords. A shiver
went down my spine as he cranked out his solo in "Dirty Women" This man has
truly been the MOST under-appreciated guitarists Metal has ever known.
There is just not enough time to describe how enjoyable this event was, but I will say
this, it was a powerful show that I will never ever forget. This show was well worth every
nickel spent and more !
Regards,
Scott Maxemuck
Port Colborne, Ontario
Canada
PS) Still plan on going to the Buffalo show though. Can't understand what the hold
up is on making an announcement with an OFFICIAL reschedule date. ?? What's the problem ?
Does anyone know ?
Here's the number of the Fantastix Ticket Outlet that is suppose to be keeping
people up to date with the whole thing. They're doing a lousy job by the way! Fantastix -
Buffalo : (716) 888-4000
Date: Wed, 10 Feb 1999 17:05:02 -0500 (EST)
From: CHARLES ROBERT PINNEGAR <cpinnega@julian.uwo.ca>
Subject: Toronto, briefly
Well, I have now seen the original Black Sabbath. Without going into excruciating detail
as to the set list, song-by-song colour commentary and so on (I'm sure this will be taken
care of by everyone else) the show was a lot of fun and I certainly will remember it for a
long time. It was well worth the price of admission and the trip.
As expected, the SkyDome acoustics were a problem. Several of Tony's solos were difficult
to hear, and for at least a third of the show I was not able to make Ozzy's voice very
well. Often he was actually drowned out by the crowd. (Towards the end of the concert he
seemed to be having a few vocal problems which may have contributed to this.) Also, the
volume of Geezer's bass seemed to go up and down a little at random times during some
songs. This probably depends a lot on where you happen to be sitting in the stadium.
Cheers
Rob, Canada
From: Matthew Dobrindt <dobrindt@niagara.com>
Subject: Toronto show review
Date: Wed, 10 Feb 1999 22:21:47 -0500
Here is the link to my review of Sabbath at the Sky Dome in Toronto. Use it if you
want to: http://www.edgeniagara.com/news/sabbath.html
Matthew Dobrindt
Date: Thu, 11 Feb 1999 17:33:22 -0500
From: Jeff Craig <jeffc@pop.ghbbs.com>
Subject: Reunion Tour Report - Feb 9 - Toronto
Wow! What a show! I've been to many concerts over the past year and this one tops them
all. Ozzy was amazing, and the entire show was crisp and clean (except when Ozzy seemed to
forget the lyrics during "Iron Man"). Tony Iommi and Geezer were fantastic and
never missed a beat. The opening acts were the Deftones and Pantera. The Deftones were
okay - nothing special. Pantera put on a pretty good show, except when Dimebag Darrell's
guitar came unplugged or something during "Becoming". Even though the fans
enjoyed the opening acts, it was a Sabbath kind of night. I was disappointed, however,
they didn't play "Psycho Man", but that's okay cause Sabbath Rules!
Jeff Craig
Date: Thu, 11 Feb 1999 18:57:49 -0500
From: Chris Jackson <c.jackson@sympatico.ca>
Subject: Toronto Review
On Tuesday I finally saw the great Black Sabbath reunion at Toronto Skydome. I had
prepared for this show for a long time, even buying a couple crucifixes back in October
from a Hallowe'en display to wear to the show - but they weren't where they were
_supposed_ to be when I looked for them last week, so I never did find them. Shows how far
being planning ahead will get you. Oh well, on to the show.
When I got in, just after 7:00, the Deftones were in their first song. All that was really
memorable about them was how small the drummer's kit was - you could see him really well.
Pantera wasn't as bad as I thought they would be but I still wouldn't buy their albums,
self-proclaimed "kings of modern metal" or not. There was a good 8-10 foot gap
between the stage and the front row so when the drummer threw his sticks into the crowd
they only reached the first few rows when they made it at all. They started a
BLACK-SAB-BATH chant which everyone must have quickly forgotten - more on that later.
Some comic relief was provided after their set when Skydome security gave some drunk guy a
hard time for excessive "headbanging" behaviour - they were really making sure
there was no slamming or stuff like that. The previous night Skydome had hosted WWF
wrestling and all accounts say that it got really out of hand with people throwing trash
and fighting in the crowd and things like that, so they probably weren't going to allow
things to get too far after that debacle.
Sabbath finally hit the stage at about a quarter past nine, rising on those hydraulic
platforms. I was 37 rows back out of 40 in the first deck but still had a pretty good view
of the stage....when Tony rose up he had his right hand on the guitar neck, the left arm
held straight up with pointer finger extended. That's the image I remember most from the
whole concert. Bill started the show with no shirt on, but I couldn't see him at all from
behind the drum kit except for the occasional arm. Everyone else wore all black like
you've seen in the photos, but Ozzy's shoes had some white on them.
There was a pause between their rising onstage and the beginning of War Pigs. There was
actually a lengthy pause between _every_ song in the set. At no point did they ever go
from one song right to the next. After every song the screen would go to the Reunion logo,
and Ozzy would go over to the platform the drum kit was set up on, to get a drink or
something, it wasodd.
After "War Pigs" (which has always been MUCH better live!), the stoners in our
area started a small "Ozzy" chant in our section. I really wish they had chanted
"Sabbath" instead. Didn't Pantera teach them anything on how to do it right?
Ozzy then said something about how Toronto was the last place they had recorded an album
together....that made my heart skip for a second in the hope that they might launch into
something from "Never Say Die", but no luck (the title track would have been SO
appropriate - think coming back to Toronto brought back any memories? Maybe not good
ones). "N.I.B." followedand the screen had a "throb" effect during
Geezer's opening solo. Here's the full setlist: War Pigs, NIB, Fairies Wear Boots, After
Forever, Electric Funeral (with some "ripple" effects on the screen), Sweet
Leaf, Into the Void, Snowblind, Dirty Women, Black Sabbath (a show highlight with the
torches, fog, and Ozzy's face in a rotating "sphere" on the screen), Iron Man,
Children of the Grave, and Paranoid.
Before Paranoid the crowd just lit lighters and yelled instead of being able to put
together a coherent BLACK-SAB-BATH chant for the encore. Once again our section tried to
make an OZ-ZY chant. The winner behind me had been slumped in his chair for the entire
second-half of the show after stoning himself into a stupor. Dude - you can get stoned any
day of your entire life, seeing the Black Sabbath reunion is a once-in-a-lifetime shot.
Why people do this is beyond my understanding. Luckily that smoke was diluted by all the
cigarette smoke (luckily?).
Geezer mostly stood in one spot whipping his head around and flapping his right hand like
his fingers were made of rubber! Tony wandered from the front of the stage to the drum kit
and back again from time to time. Ozzy did not moon the crowd (I didn't mind missing that
part, did anyone?) and as for buckets of water, he lugged one onstage with both hands
making it look really heavy, then teased tossing it on Tony, which he eventually did, but
it only had a trickle of water in it! Ozzy did all his frog-jumping, jumping jacks, and
the bulging-eye routines, but he mostly shuffled around hunched over a lot. A few
exceptions to his usual stage banter - at the people in the deck: "you can't hide
from me......I can see you"; and "F---ing A man, this place is BIG"!
Someone did get onstage for "Paranoid", getting up beside Ozzy and dancing on
the spot. The security pulled her off but just let her jump back over the barrier into the
front row again. At the end of the show when all four members came on stage, I saw Bill
Ward had these black pants on, but they had these flaps on the front and back like a
native chief would wear. Healso put on a shirt for the "Paranoid" encore. As
they were onstage Geezer was playing with this flap on the back of Bill's pants and making
like he was going to pull it over his head. I couldn't see much specific band interaction
from where I was during the show but you could still tell how tight these guys were just
from the way they interacted on stage just before they left. It was great. I stared at the
"screen capture" long after they left while "Changes" was playing
before I went to the floor and scooped some confetti.
For reasons never made clear, the media was banned from the show. That didn't stop a
review from appearing in the Toronto Sun the next day - and it was a mostly positive one
with a reviewer who wasn't trying to show how great he is by coming up with big words and
clever phrases.
It was great to finally see the four guys I had read and heard so much about for the last
couple of years. This has to be the most exciting time for the mailing list in the span of
its existence. It might never be this great for Sab fans again so we all have to get the
most out of this while we still can!
- Chris Jackson
From: "Doug MacArthur" <macarthd@vaxxine.com>
Subject: Reunion Tour Report
Date: Thu, 11 Feb 1999 21:51:51 -0500
Actually a little disappointed with the show, and I'm very sad to say it. I wasn't totally
sober, but it didn't seem like they played very long. Bill Ward looked really bad, but he
played his heart out. I was the most impressed with Geezer; he looked like he was really
enjoying himself. Tony didn't look like he was totally into the show, and Ozzy, well, he's
always Ozzy. Set list had:War Pigs, After Forever, NIB, Electric Funeral, Fairies Wear
Boots, Paranoid, Children of the Grave, Into the Void (absolutely awesome, especially
Tonys extended solo), Snowblind(definitely one of my fav's), Black Sabbath. I think that
was it, but I may have missed one. I was disappointed I didn't hear Sabbath Bloody
Sabbath or Behind the Wall of Sleep. It seemed like maybe they were really tired out which
is totally understandable. Of course I may be totally off here, and I hope someone could
tell me if I am. It may be because I have been spoiled to see Van Halen, ACDC(best show
ever) and Metallica and obviously Black Sabbath is a little different. I definitely loved
seeing them, especially knowing that it will probably never happen again. Although I
do plan on going to see them in Buffalo since it is postponed.
Matt MacArthur
From: "The Bechards" <bechards@sympatico.ca>
Subject: Reunion Tour Report
Date: Fri, 12 Feb 1999 00:11:28 -0500
Sabbath Rules!
A review of the Feb 9th show at Skydome û Toronto, Ontario
This was, by far, the best concert I've been to, and I've been to quite a few. Our group
arrived right after the Deftones finished. I can't remember much about Pantera, because I
don't know any of their songs, and we just wanted Sabbath, as did most of the 20,000
others in the stands. When the air raid siren started up, we knew this was going to
be an event û everyone jumped to their feet and started yelling. As the Sabs took the
stage, I was in awe. Since I was 7 or 8 years old, when my older brother played the hell
out of Black Sabbath's first album in our shared room, I have worshipped these guys, man.
I am a drummer, and seeing THE Bill Ward, whose style influenced me the greatest, get
behind this monstrous kit just slayed me. It was like being transported back to 1970 when
Ozzy, Tony and Geezer took the stage and began playing War Pigs. The sound was incredible,
and everybody was going hysterical over his or her luck for being there. Ozzy pointed his
microphone out to the very, very loud audience on every other line of War Pigs as he and
we sang it back and forth. My voice was pooched about halfway through their set of classic
tunes. When they started to play my favorite Sabbath song, Into the Void, I thought the
roof was going to fly right off the Skydome, with me right behind it. The demand for an
encore at the end of the set was the loudest I've ever heard, and the stands were
literally bouncing. If I could afford it, I would go see this show over and over again, at
the risk of losing my job, my hearing, or both.
Date: Mon, 15 Feb 1999 09:23:29 -0500
From: "J.Poirier" <jpoir@buffalo.quik.com>
Subject: Sabbath-Toronto Feb 9 1999-Comments
Living in the only city (Buffalo) that is in need of a confirmed tour date, and facing the
prospect of never getting a chance to see the Sabbath, a drive into our neighbor to the
west was in order.
The Sky dome sold out weeks in advance. Pittsburgh went fast also. I was unprepared. I was
in possession of four Buffalo tickets that might never see the turnstiles. The only ghost
tickets on the tour. Arriving at the deserted Sky dome around 2pm, Bill and myself find
three lone mobile ticket salesmen. Section 125 left of center stage, $100
apiece...American.
......We pay $90 and are on our way... in search of an ale house to kill a few hours.
That is when we discover the hidden asset of the Sky dome. The Hard Rock cafe overlooking
the stage. There was a large blue curtain blocking most of the view, but you could still
make out some of the mirror and other props. What was equally intense were the sound
checks rattling the walls of the Hard Rock and drowning out the sabbath background music.
We stayed in the Hard Rock until the lights went out and went down to our seats to check
out the DefTones. They needed some volume badly, but were proficient and deserved some
more wattage. Pantera shook the rafters, but I needed to save my short attention span for
the band formally known as EARTH.
..After Forever...good god! Iommi kicked the living shit out his guitar. Solos lengthened
to the point that Ozzy stares in disbelief. Where the hell does Iommi come up with this
shit? Is he coming into his musical prime now?
Bill Ward looked and played like the 90's version of Apocalypse Now. Whoever wrote Bill
Ward off is in dire need of a lobotomy. If anyone has a certain Hammersmith video, you can
see my point. (Symptom Of TheUniverse)
The floor felt like it was going to drop out when the torches began to burn. Are we in
some sort of time warp? I am having visions of flaming catapults and boiling oil kettles.
A ritual begins to transform. I wonder if the band is smiling for reasons unknown to me,
as the hair on the back of my neck stands in awe.
It has finally happened. Long live the mighty SABBATH.
Jon Poirier
Date: Mon, 15 Feb 1999 12:55:54 -0500 (EST)
From: Bryan Schaly <schalyb@minerva.physics.mcmaster.ca>
Subject: concert review from Toronto (better late than never)
Hey Joe, great site!
That was by far the best concert i've ever seen. I haven't been to alot of concerts but i
can't think of a better show than one of the best newermetal bands opening for the Masters
of Metal (and possibly everything else.)
Opening acts:
Deftones: I don't think they showed up!
Pantera: They played great! I'm not real fan but i know the difference betweena good live
band and a shitty live band. There were alot of Panterafans there as well. They didn't
dissapoint, in fact i wanted to see a couple more songs.
The strange thing was that there was NO moshpit. There were chairs set on the floor. I
thought people would be hitting each other with the chairs and/or jumping into each other
etc during Pantera anyway. They had the crowd going throughout their set but mostly
everyone sat in their chairs except for "This Love."
The greatest band of all time... BLACK SABBATH:
There were no changes in the setlist or stage effects (the torches were cool.) Tony and
Geezer were flawless together, and incredibly heavy. Everysong sounded great- After
Forever kicked major ass and Black Sabbath is still the most evil song known to man. Into
the Void was REALLY heavy and Dirty Women was perfect. Tony jammed for a few minutes as
well (at the endof the song.) Geezer did the wah-pedal bass solo before NIB.
Bill played his ass off. He must get better and 100% more confident for every show. To
anyone who hasn't seen the concert yet, you needn't worry about Bill's performance, he was
in fine form.
And then there was Ozzy. He seemed more tame then the last time i saw him (retirement
sucks tour, '96.) He didn't throw any water into the crowd, but he grabbed a bucket,
emptied most of it, then threw the rest of it at Tony! I wasn't expecting that at all. It
was funny! He made all his patented evil faces, yelled at the crowd and did the
frankenstein walk. His voice was pretty good. It cracked in a few places (most notably
duringSnowblind.)
All in all an amazing show. Everyone was having a blast. Will any part of the tour be
filmed at all? If so, everyone should see it. BLACK SABBATH RULES!!!
Bryan
Date: Mon, 15 Feb 1999 15:22:33 -0500
From: Kotex-Muffin-Bunny <kotex@innocent.com>
Subject: Tuesday's Dream
Toronto, SkyDome, Wow! What a show! Here's the set list (in order) that I wrote on
my arm. I would have sent it sooner, but I was counting my 6512 pieces of Black
Sabbath confetti... I left a trail of the stuff from the Toronto SkyDome to the
Whiskey-A-Go-Go in Thornhill!
1. War Pigs
2. (Bassically) Nativity In Black
3. Fairies Wear Boots / Jack The Stripper
4. After Forever
5. Electric Funeral
6. Sweet Leaf (everyone passed around the funny cigarettes)
7. Into The Void
8. Snowblind
9. Dirty Women (see below)
10. Black Sabbath
11. Iron Man
12. (Embryo) Children Of The Grave
ENCORE: Paranoid
I know alot of you don't like Dirty Women, but Mr. Iommi kicked ass! I missed the Deftones
(but apparently didn't miss anything), and only saw half of Pantera's set (it was my turn
to line up for beers). Met a few people in the Hard Rock Cafe (Yonge Street) before the
show, but nobody from the list (I was sitting at the bar wearing a 1994 Cross Purposes
Tour Shirt), made some new friends, had a hell of a good time and I wanna do it again!
--
Grade-"A" Prime 100% Pure Ratt Salad
I Am Virgin, I'm A Whore, Giving Nothing, The Taker, The Maker Of War
I'll Smash Your Face In, But With A Smile, All Together,
You'll Never Be Stronger Than Me
Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 14:35:59 -0800
From: Edward Mracek <edmracek@willisallen.com>
Subject: HAPPY B-DAY TONY IOMMI / TORONTO SHOW / DIRTY WOMEN
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TONY IOMMI!!! One of rock's greatest shredders and the maker of the magic
riffs that are Black Sabbath music!!! This is a latepost on Toronto, it was my
grandmother's birthday the day before the show and I was lucky enough to score a ticket in
the first level off the floor on Geezer's side. I have been blessed to see them twice. I
caught LA on Jan. 5th. I thought the highlights of this show were: Black Sabbath, Into The
Void, Snowblind and DirtyWomen. ITV just thundered and the band just killed it on this
song. Snowblind was awesome and Tony shredded on this one. Then followed Dirty Women and
Tony really cut loose on the end the solo section. He played a longer solo than in LA and
I noticed Ozzy looked at him as if getting ready to finish up and Tony kept on shredding
instead. Many have been down on this TE inclusion, but it is Tony's number to step out. He
owns the wah-wah pedal. The best was Hendrix; Tony is the kingpin today with Page and
Santana right behind. The phrasing and emotion he puts into the solos are incredible. He
also really ripped on Black Sabbath andIron Man which followed. I got into Sabbath right
before Never Say Diecame out and I wish they would play it as a second encore after
Paranoid; I was kind of hoping they would play it for Toronto, too. Anyway, what a way to
end a show; that song has inspired me for years...The last 2 Sabbath Ozzy albums are big
in my heart as TE was out when I got into them then and I rushed and bought Never Say Die
when it came out. I understand the setlist is reaching out to the greatest number. The
musicianship of this band is unparalleled. I hope to see them again and again. It would be
great to get a new cd and another tour. Do anything you can to see them. On a side note, I
picked up a killer BMG Rainbow live in Germany double cd from the Rainbow Rising tour. It
has a great Cozy drum solo on Still I'm Sad. Thank God Bill is playing great and showing
the fans his incredible talents on this tour. Ozzy sounds great and Geezer is the greatest
rock 'n' roll bassist of all time. Happy Birthday Tony!!! Keep the Sabbath Holy!!!
Ed
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