August 21, 2009 Heaven and Hell plays Detroit, Michigan.

What a glorious evening. Weather was great, not too hot for an August night. The set list was the same we have been discussing on the boards. Right at about 9 PM EDT, The lights dimmed and the illustrious E5150 came over the PA system, getting the crowd on it's feet, where most, if not all, would stay for the remainder of the evening. Vinnie climbed into the kit, quickly followed by Tony taking the stage to a loud cheer, and then Geezer. Ronnie was the last to join them. Tony went right into the opening rif of Mob Rules, and the crowd was very pleased.

They played for 90 minutes. They were very tight, and looked to be having an awesome time performing. Tony flashed the horns 5 times (the most I have ever seen him do it), as well as Geezer twice did an almost horn salute, rather giving the "I Love You" sign with the thumb out. I have seen them 5 times now, and have never seen Geezer do this. No glitches or problems, which is always a plus for the fans. Ronnie gave the crowd a hand, and he thanked all of us for coming out, which is always a classy move, in my opinion. The stage was the same as the 2008 Metal Masters show, but was a treat for those of us in Motown, as H&H did not have the gargoyles on stage last year, and this year they did.

The 3 tracks they played off "The Devil You Know" (Bible Black, Fear & Follow The Tears) received good reception form the crowd. When Follow The Tears was played, a few folks sat down, but were quickly back to their feet as the band played followed it up with Die Young. I sat fairly close and after the show I went down with a friend to see if we could get a pick or set list. Hung around for a bit and scoured the floor, nothing. Asked several of the security guys if I could have a set list, no luck. Turned around to find my buddy, whom I attended the show with, gone.

I walked out to his truck. I was meet a few minutes later by my friend. In his hand was a set list and 3 Tony Iommi picks. He gave me 2 of the picks and the list. Well that capped off the night for me! Awesome show from Heaven and Hell. I left very satisfied that we had witnessed and incredible show, but also had a feeling that this may have been my last chance to see the 4 play together.

SET LIST:
E5150
Mob Rules
Children of the Sea
I
Bible Black
Time Machine
Vinnie's Drum Solo
Fear
Falling Off The Edge Of The World
Follow The Tears
Die Young
Heaven And Hell

Encore:
Country Girl / Neon Knights

We got to the Meadowbrook Music Theater during Coheed and Cambria's set just as they started a cover of "The Trooper" by Iron Maiden, which immediately earned them brownie points. Overall, I was impressed by them. For a new metal band, they showcased dynamics and had a vocalist who actually sang, rather than shouted all the time. There were quite a few fans with C&C shirts on and seemed to know every word, a lot of whom were younger, and many of the other Sabbath fans seemed to appreciate the openers. What was great was that all the younger fans stuck around for Heaven And Hell and were very enthusiastic for them, too.

This was my third time seeing this line-up, and even though the set list could/should have been longer, I will venture out and say it's the absolute best by far. The Sabs just keep getting better every time they go out! Here's the set list, same as the rest of the tour:

E5150/The Mob Rules
Children of the Sea
I
Bible Black
Time Machine
Vinnie Appice Drum Solo
Fear
Falling Off the Edge of the World
Follow the Tears
Die Young
Heaven & Hell

Encore:
Country Girl (Intro)/Neon Knights

"Mob Rules" is always a great opening tune, and even though Dio's voice was lost a little in the mix for a minute or two, the crowd went berserk! Every song was played with vigor and intensity, and "Heaven and Hell" clocked in at well over 15 minutes. One of the many aspects of this line-up that I love is that Dio is able to step aside and let the other members show their musicianship, and the jam session in "H&H" was nothing short of epic.

As always, my favorite song of the evening was "I". I think they keep making it heavier with every new tour. And even though Dio isn't known for using profanity on stage, he actually sang the third verse as "I'm a virgin / No, I'm a fucking whore!" which got the crowd going. "Time Machine" sounded better than on the last tour, and in the middle of the song, Geezer played and extra measure of bass before Iommi's solo, and he went and stood at the end of the stage, smiling, and the crowd cheered wildly for him. As Iommi stepped out to begin the intro to "Die Young", Dio went over to him and said to the crowd, "In case you've been under a rock for the last thousand years and don't know him, this is Tony Iommi, and he's fucking brilliant!" They ended the show with the entire first verse of "Country Girl" (vocals included) before easily transitioning into "Neon Knights".

The three new songs fit seamlessly into the set as if they've always been around, and the crowd was very receptive to the new material. Of the three, "Bible Black" had the most singing along from the crowd, but the ultra-heavy "Follow The Tears", which made the album version seem almost light by comparison, elicited the biggest reaction.

The members themselves were unstoppable. Vinny's drumming was spot-on, and his solo was short but sweet. Geezer's bass was up in the mix and heavy as an elephant. He actually moved from his standard spot on a number of occasions to get closer to the crowd, and he looked to be really enjoying himself. Tony, despite needing hand surgery, played effortlessly and was nothing short of brilliant. He, too, was in high spirits and smiled a lot, moving back and forth across the stage many times. I noticed him rubbing his hands together to loosen them up between songs, but he never missed a note. Dio, ever the showman, slapped hands and touched devil horns during and between every song. I've never seen a frontman so appreciative of an audience and react so kindly and with such enthusiasm as he does.

Again, this show was spectacular. It was tight and spot-on, the crowd was at a fever pitch for the whole show, and the band played with skill and intensity and really looked to be having a great time themselves. If this is the only line-up of Sabbath that ever tours again, I would not be disappointed.

I think this was my 6th time seeing Tony and Geezer in concert and it was my third time seeing Dio in concert and this show didn’t disappoint a bit. Despite the fact that the average age of this band is hovering around 60 years old, they put on a show that could keep up with any band of any age. The setlist was a bit short, with the show only being about 90 minutes or so but other than that it was nearly perfect.
We got to our seats in the 5th row behind the pit shortly after 7:00 and Coheed and Cambria had already began to play. I wasn’t familiar with them at all when I first saw that they were opening but my friend and I had listened to them a bit on myspace and youtube so we had an idea of what to expect. I had decided that they should at least be interesting to see in concert and I was right. They really put on quite and entertaining show and after having seen so many bands open over the years at Ozzfest, I must say that Coheed and Cambria was much more entertaining than many, many bands that I’ve sat through. I doubt I’ll ever buy any of their material or go out of my way to see them again but I’m glad we got there early enough to enjoy them before Heaven and Hell hit the stage. We were very far to the right of the venue, on the side where we need Tony would be and after coming back from a bathroom break after Coheed and Cambria we discreetly slipped over and drastically improved our seats. We were just a tad closer to Tony than we were the center of the stage and overall we had an excellent view and the sound was powerful and clear.
I saw Heaven and Hell on their reunion tour in 2007 and I remember that show being nearly perfect and that there was no way that this show could top it. I think this show did slightly top it, however. Everyone in the band seemed to be in an excellent mood and enjoying themselves onstage. Dio has never disappointed in any way in the three times that I’ve seen him but I don’t think I’ve seen him genuinely enjoy himself in quite the same way that he did this time. He was full of smiles and very interactive with the crowd and his voice was just excellent. Given his age I think his energy, showmanship, and vocals were nothing short of amazing. Tony, who rarely does anything more on stage than play his guitar like a badass, actually flashed the devil horns a few times and gave the crowd a few more smirks that usual. Geezer is always a delight to watch and his bass sound was absolutely excellent. Having seen Sabbath in ’99 and ’01 I have to say that Geezer’s tone seems to be consistently better since about ’05 than it was before. It’s hard to describe but it just sounds more vibrant and energetic than I recall the first two or three times I saw him live. Vinny is an absolute powerhouse and also a lot of fun to watch on stage with his giant drum set that he beats the hell out of. I enjoyed his drum solo because it was very good and fit within the shorter amount of time that I think a drum solo should take up. I missed seeing Scott Warren up on stage with his hair blowing in the wind like it was with Dio in ’03 but his presence was appreciated nonetheless.
I looked at the setlist in another review and I am simply pasting it here, as it seems to be accurate as far as I can remember.
E5150
Mob Rules
Children of the Sea
I
Bible Black
Time Machine
Vinnie's Drum Solo
Fear
Falling Off The Edge Of The World
Follow The Tears
Die Young
Heaven And Hell
Encore:
Country Girl / Neon Knights
I really wish that they would have played the full version of Country Girl as I’ve been really diggin’ that song a lot lately. Time Machine, while also a fine song but not nearly my favorite, could have been shortened or cut to make room for a full version of Country Girl or something as far as I’m concerned. The song Heaven and Hell was extremely extended and powerful. All of the songs sounded great but I actually think it was the slower songs that came through best as far as the sound goes. For example, Mob Rules did sound really good but just lacked some of the clarity and pure emotion of some of the other songs. Falling Off The Edge Of The World really stood out in my mind as a gem in this aspect and Children of the Sea was fucking fantastic as well
Overall the show was really excellent and well worth the ticket price. It’s kind of hard to believe but it really seems that most members of this band seem to generally be getting better each time I see them. It’s like how much more better could this concert have been? Not much more better, as it was absolutely brilliant just the way it was.

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