Heaven and Hell Metal Masters Concert Review and Setlist in Camden New Jersey Aug 2008
A few of the members from BnR went to see the The Metal Masters tour in Camden, New Jersey on August 6, 2008. The Metal Masters tour boasts five, kick-ass metal bands starting with Testament and then rolling through Motorhead, Heaven and Hell, and ending with Judas Priest. I must start this out by saying how disappointed I am in Philadelphia.
In Europe, shows like these are a dime a dozen because they are promoted and well attended. Metal continues to live and thrive in Europe. In the United States bands like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest are reluctant to tour here because the shows are not selling out. Last night, the Susquehanna Bank Center barely had 2,000 people on the lawn and almost an entire section not filled up in the 200 level. This is ridiculous. But, that didn't stop Heaven and Hell from kicking our ass.
I have seen Black Sabbath before with Ozzy Osbourne, Bill Ward, Geezer Butler, and Tony Iommi. They look like they are just going through the motions to collect a paycheck. They look uninterested in playing the same fucking Sabbath songs over and over and over again. I don't blame them, there is only so many times you can tolerate hearing War Pigs live.
But this formula has seemed to rejuvenate Iommi and Butler. (Black Sabbath - Ozzy - Bill Ward + Ronnie James Dio + Vinnie Appice). I have never seen Tony Iommi smile more on stage and shred through tracks flawlessly and effortlessly. But I am getting ahead of myself.
The house lights dim and you can see the stage awash in ominous blue light. There are two gargoyles sitting atop broken trees on the sides of the stage, two cemetery gate walls, with gas lanterns on each pillar line the back of the stage with the gate walls leading to the middle where Vinnie Appice's massive drum kit sits.
Vinnie gets behind his kit in a sleeveless black shirt and a black headband. Geezer Butler steps out in a black button down shirt and black pants, while Tony Iommi comes out on stage to great applause wearing a black shirt, his typical leather jacket, giant cross, and black pants. Iommi strikes the opening cords for E5150 into Mob Rules. Immediately it is obvious the band is well rehearsed and very tight. These guys came to play and appear to be happy to be on stage again.
Before the words to Mob Rules kick in Ronnie James Dio comes waltzing out in a crushed velvet black shirt and, what appeared to be, black leather pants. From the moment he opens his mouth you can tell, at 66 years old, he still has it. His operatic voice carrying throughout Camden scaring the locals no doubt. His vocal control is still amazing. He can sing soft and then belt out an opera note the very next breath. Some singers like that lose some of their range as they get older and older, not Dio.
The band rips through their all too short back catalog, from Children of the Sea, to I, and even Sign of the Southern Cross. Iommi interacts with this crowd more than he ever has with the Ozzy fronted Black Sabbath. Geezer is smiling and ripping his way through bass groove after bass groove, while Vinnie was slamming on the drums.
My only complaint is the useless drum solo. I know Vinnie is a kick ass drummer, but the solo was long enough to fit my favorite Dio fronted Black Sabbath song, Neon Knights. Sadly, that song isn't played due to the drum solo.
There is also something that needs to be mentioned. People wanted to mosh to these songs, but they really didn't know how to. So the mosh pit contained break-dancing, hand-stands, and receding hairlines. Not the most attractive or dangerous mosh pit.
Due yourself a favor, if you liked Dio's work with Black Sabbath, see Heaven and Hell. If you like Tony Iommi, see Heaven and Hell because he is playing his ass off and having a great time doing it. They are worth the price of admission alone. Check out the set they played:
E5150
Mob Rules
Children of the Sea
I
Sign of the Southern Cross
Ear in the Wall
Appice Drum Solo
Time Machine
Falling Off the Edge of the World
Iommi Solo
Die Young
Heaven and Hell
In Europe, shows like these are a dime a dozen because they are promoted and well attended. Metal continues to live and thrive in Europe. In the United States bands like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest are reluctant to tour here because the shows are not selling out. Last night, the Susquehanna Bank Center barely had 2,000 people on the lawn and almost an entire section not filled up in the 200 level. This is ridiculous. But, that didn't stop Heaven and Hell from kicking our ass.
I have seen Black Sabbath before with Ozzy Osbourne, Bill Ward, Geezer Butler, and Tony Iommi. They look like they are just going through the motions to collect a paycheck. They look uninterested in playing the same fucking Sabbath songs over and over and over again. I don't blame them, there is only so many times you can tolerate hearing War Pigs live.
But this formula has seemed to rejuvenate Iommi and Butler. (Black Sabbath - Ozzy - Bill Ward + Ronnie James Dio + Vinnie Appice). I have never seen Tony Iommi smile more on stage and shred through tracks flawlessly and effortlessly. But I am getting ahead of myself.
The house lights dim and you can see the stage awash in ominous blue light. There are two gargoyles sitting atop broken trees on the sides of the stage, two cemetery gate walls, with gas lanterns on each pillar line the back of the stage with the gate walls leading to the middle where Vinnie Appice's massive drum kit sits.
Vinnie gets behind his kit in a sleeveless black shirt and a black headband. Geezer Butler steps out in a black button down shirt and black pants, while Tony Iommi comes out on stage to great applause wearing a black shirt, his typical leather jacket, giant cross, and black pants. Iommi strikes the opening cords for E5150 into Mob Rules. Immediately it is obvious the band is well rehearsed and very tight. These guys came to play and appear to be happy to be on stage again.
Before the words to Mob Rules kick in Ronnie James Dio comes waltzing out in a crushed velvet black shirt and, what appeared to be, black leather pants. From the moment he opens his mouth you can tell, at 66 years old, he still has it. His operatic voice carrying throughout Camden scaring the locals no doubt. His vocal control is still amazing. He can sing soft and then belt out an opera note the very next breath. Some singers like that lose some of their range as they get older and older, not Dio.
The band rips through their all too short back catalog, from Children of the Sea, to I, and even Sign of the Southern Cross. Iommi interacts with this crowd more than he ever has with the Ozzy fronted Black Sabbath. Geezer is smiling and ripping his way through bass groove after bass groove, while Vinnie was slamming on the drums.
My only complaint is the useless drum solo. I know Vinnie is a kick ass drummer, but the solo was long enough to fit my favorite Dio fronted Black Sabbath song, Neon Knights. Sadly, that song isn't played due to the drum solo.
There is also something that needs to be mentioned. People wanted to mosh to these songs, but they really didn't know how to. So the mosh pit contained break-dancing, hand-stands, and receding hairlines. Not the most attractive or dangerous mosh pit.
Due yourself a favor, if you liked Dio's work with Black Sabbath, see Heaven and Hell. If you like Tony Iommi, see Heaven and Hell because he is playing his ass off and having a great time doing it. They are worth the price of admission alone. Check out the set they played:
E5150
Mob Rules
Children of the Sea
I
Sign of the Southern Cross
Ear in the Wall
Appice Drum Solo
Time Machine
Falling Off the Edge of the World
Iommi Solo
Die Young
Heaven and Hell
RE: "The Metal Masters tour boasts five, kick-ass metal bands starting with Testament and then rolling through Motorhead, Heaven and Hell, and ending with Judas Priest. I must start this out by saying how disappointed I am in Philadelphia ..."
Dude, "I must start this out by saying how disappointed I am" -- in yer bloody awful arithmetic!
But, more seriously, that's a sloppy-dumb Philly diss there -- and we hear too much of same already; don't blame us as a city for under-attendance at the Camden MMT show ...
ESPECIALLY when Dio first adressed crowd after "Mob Rules" and, tho careful to say he wasn't dissing the gig-hosting Jersey side of the Delaware River, wanted all to know that Philly is his FAVORITE place to play, and "that's not bullshit" -- his quote.
But -- yes, you make excellent points about the soft American metal market vs. Europe.
What/who is to blame?
Maybe in this metro area some fault with:
Promoters?
Local media?
To be fair, Halford and other J. Priesters were on Philly radio Weds. mid-aft. for a v. good interview and the station pushed the show long after, even giving all set times accurately (which lit a fire under my ass to skip a full dinner and get over there).
And the newspaper here had a lamentably short if arguably quite decent show review posted on-line by Thurs. morning, published in today's (Fri.) paper.
BTW -- Dio was, for me, single most impressive performer. Him, yes, and Lemmy, still killing it -- sorry for anybody who missed Motorhead (and/or openers Testament), and I WISH somebody would post a setlist somewhere as I wasn't getting all that info down ...
D*
Oh I failed math. That is why I am not an engineer or you would have bridge collapses and your car would blow up.
I live in Delaware and know the Philly market well. This show was not promoted as heavy as other shows. I have heard more promos for the Staind, Hinder, 3 Doors Down tour than the Metal Masters.
Promoting the show the day of is tough when people are worried about gas prices, their job, etc. The days of "Oh there is a show tonight in Philly, let's go" are over. People need time to plan to go to shows. This is why heavy promotion before the show would have helped.
Also the tickets said the show started at 7:00 which is a direct problem with Live Nation who sold the tickets. I found out through WMMR that the show started 2 hours before that. People were pissed that they missed both Testament and Motorhead because they trusted the tickets.
I have always believed that Philadelphia is a rock town. It is a blue collar, nose to the grind rock town. The city supports hard rock and heavy metal better than any city.
It shocked me more than anything that Philadelphia wouldn't sell this show out. It is the perfect show for the city. Oh well, maybe next time.
Camden sucks. No one likes going there for a concert. It would be really helpful if the city of Philadelphia added a shed like the Tweeter (Susquehanna) center since the Mann refuses to have shows like the Metal Masters anymore.
I saw the show at Nissan Pavilion in Northern Virginia on August 7th. As a fan of all bands in attendance for 30+ years I will have to definitely say Judas Priest was as disappointing as it gets.
Rob bends over like a geriatric old man and sings to the floor. KK lifts his guitar at the end of each song like it is the last song of the night. Glen is par for the course and Ian is a lump on the right side of the stage. I will have to say that this drummer is the best Priest has thrown on stage since Dave Holland.
The straw that broke the camels back was Green Manalishi... The scream that set him apart from all other heavy metal singers was not to be. He held the microphone to the audience to "let us" sing. I didn't pay to be on the 4th row to hear my drunken friends sing. After the "singing slide" Rob had a grin on his face like "I got away with it". If he can't hit the notes, then don't play the song.
This is just my opinion, I am sure hitting a hornet’s nest with a golf club could cause less attention than the response I am going to get from this... but I was there. After 13 Priest shows from the late 70’s to last week… I have seen my last one.
So shall it be written, so shall it be done.
I saw the show in Phoenix and I cannot be totally sure, but it seemed to me there were many pre-recorded vocal parts. Vocals were coming out and the microphone was down at his side. I even heard the same for guitar and drums at the into to one song. Priest were not impressive to me. Black Sabbath kicked ass, I love Dio. His voice is not 100% of what it was 20 years ago, but this band seems to be really playing all the sounds heard, (except maybe some keyboard washes here and there?)
Hey, going to see Heaven & Hell Aug 15 at Mohegan Sun...can't wait! Liked your write up...any words of wisdom for attending? I'm an old schoo, big hair, still wearing leather ol lady...(38) lol...take it easy.
~DHG~
I didn't think any women read our site. I will have to tone my language down. No more cursing.
I would arrive early just to see Testament and Motorhead. They are worth it.
Pace yourself when drinking, you don't want to pass out before you get to the main event.
Enjoy yourself.
Watch out for unassuming young men, like myself, we love big hair, leather wearing older ladies. They have the experience and that sultry whiskey voice.
Craig - Went to the Metal Masters show in San Antonio on Sunday. Both bands totally ripped (didn't make it early enough for Testament or Motorhead). Heaven & Hell ROCKED - they even came out for an encore you guessed it Neon Knights!!! That's San Antonio for you though. The older bands know a true metal crowd, and the 12,000 + fans here let them know their appreciation. Rock on!
Damn you Tony for hearing Neon Knights! I am jealous of you.
I am going tomorrow to the concert at Shoreline. Of course my heroes will be Heaven and Hell. Iommi and Dio rock together!!!
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i have to agree with you I saw this tour at the PNC Arts arena which had a larger crowd. I actually live closer to the Camden show but I believe it was on a weeknight so I made sure to see it in North Jersey and they were spectacular! I have seen them with Ozzy and musically they sounded better with dio. Geezer melted my insides with his playing. a show not to be missed. and they are touring smaller venues this summer...