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The weekend was
filled with everything a Heepfan could ever want...
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The band,
ex-members John Lawton and Ken Hensley, and 3 days of continuous Heep !!!
The John Lawton Band, The
Hensley-Wetton Band, the Uriah Heep Band,
the fans, the atmosphere,
the prizes and the friends we have all become.
John made a statement while on
a couple of different stages throughout
the weekend that he seemed
to know everyone in the audiences by name...
the webmasters felt the
same..what a wonderful weekend !
Rather then bore you with what
we have to say ,
let's let the fans of Uriah Heep tell it their
way...
Ladies and gentlemen ...
Will
You Please Welcome England's Own Uriah Heep Fans !
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Couldn't
make the Thursday night John Lawton Band gig due to work
commitments. Arrived at the Empire just as the crowds
were going in.
Soon inside managed to grab my first beer and went down to the
main standing area.
Started chatting to a few people and was amazed at how many
Scandinavians were there. Had a good laugh with a few of
them.
Lights went down and Heep came on with Return to Fantasy.
Really enjoyed the show with quite a few surprises
amongst the songs.
A few people were probably not sure of some of the tracks as
they were from very the very early days which I can remember
having followed them from album 1.
Quite surprised that Gypsy was missed out though. Great to
hear Ken back with the good old Hammond and slide guitar
sounds on Circle of Hands and July Morning.
Seemed to make it really as it used to be. Well done
also to John Lawton who still has an amazing voice and worked
well with Bernie.
ooking forward now to the next UK Tour.
All the best.
Linda and Bob Cocks |
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On
my first day in london i went downtown to look for some fun
then i got drunk at the PUB. On my second day in
london i went downtown to look for some fun then i got
drunk at the PUB. ON my 3rd day in london i went
downtown to look for some fun then i got drunk at the
PUB. on my 4th day in london i went downtown to look for some
fun then i watched everyone elses get drunk at the
PUB.
hahahahahahahahaha
MADMAN
p.s. URIAH ( i had much fun ) Heep FOReVER
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First
the Lawton show was great. Opened up with Easy Livin'.
Played some really great tracks, including Rain where the bass
player did the piano part. What a blast. These guys were tight, John
was in top form. Ken sat
in on two songs. The venue was small, about 350 people.
The festival kicked off this morning. Question and
answer session with the
band, Ken, John, and Wetton. Some really interesting
paintings from Roger Dean on display and for sale. Out of my price range I'm
afraid.
Look forward to the MBP tonight. It should be a
something.
I get back to you in a day or so. Too many beers and
late nights! :-)
Ron Mann
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Uriah
Heep appeared on Stage on 10.20 am starting with the
classic opener of the last two years , Return To Fantasy.Then a
selection of newer material followed .Logical
Progression, Universal Wheels, Between Two Worlds, I Hear
Voices , Sweet Pretender and Only The Young were played, not
with that order . Somewhere among them there was Stealin'. But
the biggest surprise of the whole gig was TALES!!!!! I had
neever heard it live in the past and it was AMAZING !!! Same
thing with Magician's Birthday . I 'll Keep On trying was
quite a good surprise too. The other songs were, not with that
order : Sunrise , Gypsy , July Morning , Easy Livin, Bird Of
Prey , Lady In Black , Look At Yourself.
The band was
perfect, much better than last time in 1999. Especially
Bernie was great . In my oppinion he saved the band from the
free-fall.
After the
showIhad the opportunitty to pass backstage . That was the
best experience of my entire life . Meeting Uriah Heep is
something that doesn't happen every day ....
Generally it was
the perfect evening , with one of the best gigs i have
witnessed.
Panos
Papapanagou
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Well
guy's, I've just got home from the most amazing 3 days of my
life. Much
to your annoyance I'm not going to give you a report yet as
I've got too much to do, not least to have some sleep. Rest assured that the
whole event was amazing. Some things were less than perfect but in themselves
they added to the enjoyment of the event.
Bob Carruthers and Dave Owen...those who have rocked salute
you!!!!
Report and pictures later but as some of the European guys get
home I'm sure
the reports will flood in.
Mike Taylor
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Hi
all,
Had a great time at the MBP, a once in a lifetime experience.
Where can I order the DVD / CD Set
Keep on rockin'
Vincent |
I'm
back home finally despite of the fog in London this morning
that delayed
the flight. I had a really great time in London. Thanks to all
who were there to share the experience.
More later
Tapio M.
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I still keep forgetting
to look left when crossing streets in London.
Bob Winward |
The
Shepherd's Bush was lined up around the corner. After leaving the Heep and Beer meet we got in the line.
Some
guys with a mic and camera came by us and asked me if I would do a short interview.
I answered his questions, but
wished I
had said something different. Having the lens pointed at
your nose erases some of your mind. Madman standing next to
me knew exactly what to say,thanks to him for bailing me out.
As we got inside, the venue was an old opera house setting. The first level seats had to be the best, the floor was packed
and we set up camp on the left side about fifteen feet from
where Mick was going to play. We were buzzing with
anticipation,
wished we could have taking some photos, but they asked for no flash and I try to play by the rules.
Trevor & Stella Hensley came on first. Nice warm up
act, they fit in great on this night. When the show started we
were treated
to the normal Uriah Heep show for the first portion. Tales with Thijs van Leer on flute sounded great.
He was an
excellent choice for a special guest. He also played on Mistress Of All
Time, another nice change of pace.
Then it was time, they introduce Ken Hensley to a rousing
applause.
July Morning never sounded better. Everyone shared the
spotlight, Phil took back seat to no one. Paradise/The Spell
lingers in my mind, this may be one of the best deliverance's they have
given on stage in years. The Magicians Birthday was the cream of
the crop (too bad they didn't have to re-do it at the end), when John
Lawton
came out to sing the good Magician part at the end I was in a
trace state. John came back and they played Sympathy.
He
and Bernie
blended voices like they had been doing it for years on a
nightly bases. I can't imagine this every being played without
John on lead
vocal. Maybe that is why very few Lawton ear tunes show
up in setlist anymore.
I could write much, much more but I'll leave some things out
and I don't remember everything at once anyway. This is my
shot, the rest of you guys fill in the blanks. One closing
thought, Ken never said goodbye, like has been mentioned already, so what do they
do for an encore? Can this be topped next year?
It gets better
all the time, life is good!
Ron Mann
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Hello
fellow Heepsters!
Got back home to Finland from London today having spend 3
unbelievable days
and nights in London at MBP!
I'm not gonna write a huge report as I'm quite tired having
close to no sleep last night except a little naps at
Airport bus and plane.
Thursday nights gig was John Lawton Band at Borderline. Bunch
of Heepsters got together at Royal George pub before and after the gig. I didn't write down the setlist
so someone
else hopefully posts that. During the set Trevor and Stella Hensley did a couple of numbers and Ken
joined for 3 songs, singing the lead for Lady In Black!
Heep Festival started on Friday at Kensingto Hilton Hotel. At
the press
call there were all of the band (except Lee who was late thanks to British rail or something like
that), Ken
Hensley and John Wetton.
Of course there was chance to get autographs. Lee came just in for the
autograph session. In the afternoon there was a Biggest Heep Fan competition. It was very very tight and and
finally the
three runner ups Louis Rentrop, Tapio Minkkinen and a third guy whose name I don't remember
(sorry) who
answered all 30 questions had the last hard task in front of them: air guitar
competition (Stealin')!
This again was extremely tight and finally crowd chose Louis to be the
vinner. Prize was a nice
jacket. I hope
someone will post a picture
on a web site soon.
Shepher's Bush Empire is just a walking distance from
Kensington Hilton. Heepsters got together at O'Neils
pub next door to Empire to get ready for the evenings show
full of surprises. There was magic in the air as Ken was going to join Heep on stage. As a supporting act
Trevor and Stella Hensley got a call only 4 hours notice. They did a great acoustic set. Heep came on
stage and kicked the shoff with Return To Fantasy followed by some usual stuff. Then the surprises of
the evening
started to happen: Tales!! with
Thijs van Leer from Focus on flute. He sure is a great player.
Later on the set he joined Heep on Misstress
of All Times. After I'll Keep On Trying Ken Hensley joined and
now we had
6-member Heep on stage with double keyboards! Heep continued with July Morning,
Paradise/Spell & Circle of Hands in which Ken
played slide guitar in the end. Then what we all had been
waiting for. Magician's Birthday!!! Mick's solo with Lee was awesome! John Lawton joined in laiter with
Sympathy.
After the show was over
Heep had to redo 3 numbers due to some problems as the gig was
recorded for DVD. Here's the setlist:
Uriah Heep, Shepherd's Bush Empire, Dec 7, 2001
Return To Fantasy
Universal Wheels
Only The Young
Stealin'
Tales *
Sweet Pretender
Between Two Worlds
I Hear Voices
Logical Progression
Misstress Of All Times *
I'll Keep On Trying
July Morning **
Paradise/The Spell **
Circle Of Hands **
The Magician's Birthday ** ***
Sympathy ** ***
Easy Livin' **
Encore 1:
Sunrise **
Free And Easy ** ***
Encore 2:
Lady In Black * ** ***
* w/ Thijs van Leer on flute
** w/ Ken Hensley
*** w/ John Lawton
That was a Heepsters heaven but what was to follow the next
day ....
Missed the beginning of Heep Festival being a little sleepy in
the morning
and got to Hilton
in the middle of Roger Dean session. After the autograph
session there was
an acoustic workshop by John Lawton and Steve Dunning (John's bass
player). That was a
lot of fun. In the end they played Lady In Black and some Heepsters
including joined them on stage for backing vocals. Tapio Minkkinen made a debut of his singing career
getting on stage and singing a couple
of first verses of Finnish version! After workshop there was a
Heep auction of different memorabilia
including a Fender Squier Stratocaster signed by all Heep
members and Ken
Hensley, John Lawton
and John Wetton. This went to Muzzy for $300. Also there was a
t-shirt auction from Mick's personal
collection.
Last night's concert was Ken Hensley & John Wetton at
Kentish Town Forum.
Doors were supposed
to be opened at 6 (have to finish by 10) but they opened them
little later than 6.30 which turned to be a big bummer since support act Mostly Autumn had to shorten
their set.
This is really a great band
and deserved to have more time on stage. At about 8 Ken came
on stage and
started the set with a short piano improvisation leading to Hammond improvisation
during which the band came on stage (w/out John Wetton) and they kicked into Easy
Livin' Ken
handling the
vocals. I can't really find words to tell but Ken was so into it 110% with full of emotion!
It
looked that this moment meant so much to him. He was singing almost in tears. At the end of EL Ken
called Mr. John Wetton in and they kicked into one of my favorite tunes of Wetton ear, One Way Or
Another John
handling the vocals! It was
Heepsters heaven again. After that they did some Heep numbers
followed by
John's stuff and songs
from Running Blind. John played guitar in the main set and
switched to bass
on encores (double bass)
Here's the setlist:
Ken Hensley & John Wetton, Kentish Town Forum, London, Dec
8, 2001
Easy Livin'
One Way Or Another
Return To Fantasy
July Morning
Wetton song
Confession
Wetton song
Wetton song
Wetton song
The Wizard
I Don't Wanna Wait
Running Blind song
Ken's slide guitar solo->
Tell Me (?)
Encore:
Lady In Black
Heat Of The Moment
Downside of Forum was their security & bouncers. I haven't
seen anywhere so
aggressive security and
bouncers (even in Tavastia Club in Helsinki) than in Forum.
They were
aggressively spotting cameras and confiscating them and "kicking people around".
The night before at Heep gig in Empire Dave Owen made a kind request of no flash photography as the gig was
going to be taped for DVD and everything was cool and discreet.
Alright, it was great time in London, seeing 3 great shows, 2
day festival
and meeting old Heep friends
from around the world and also meeting new ones. Thanks to
everyone for the
great time! I hope to see
more reviews soon once people get out of London to their
computers :-)
Jyrki Usva |
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Congratulations
to you all for all your hard work and effort, that surely must
have gone into making of this truly remarkable event.
The Heep
weekend
Party til' ya drop
Thursday........I
Partied
Friday.............I Partied
Saturday..........I Partied
Sunday..............I Dropped
Cheers
Eamon Sands
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Okay,
it's a little late but here's my take on TMBP. We
made sure to get to the venue by 6:30 which was good because
it wasn't long before there was a line behind us.
It was cold waiting outside but I was too excited to really
notice as this would be my first time seeing Heep in concert.
As we were waiting a film crew came down the line asking where
we were from to which I yelled out "California!"
Don't ask me what all I said after that because when you have
a camera in your face you tend to not remember a whole lot.
Hopefully if it shows up on the DVD it won't be too
embarrassing.
When we went in we took our place over by the stage on Mick's
side. I wanted to be up close for this one and didn't
mind standing in my place for the 2 hours before Heep came on.
After some songs by Trevor and Stella Hensley (who were pretty
good) and a little more time Heep finally came on. They
opened with "Return to Fantasy" and were off
running. Highlights of the show for me were
"Tales" "I'll keep on trying" and
"Sympathy." It was great to see the
"Firefly" version of the band up on stage at times.
The surprise guest was Thijs Van Leer of Focus and he
complimented the band very well. Ken fit in great with
the band for this show and the best part of the night had to
have been when they did "The Magician's Birthday."
When
John Lawton came out and sang with Bernie after Mick and Lee's
solo's, well, that almost made the trip over to London worth
it itself. FANTASTIC! All in all Heep lived
up to my expectations and probably even surpassed them if
that's possible. I can't wait for the DVD and CD to come
out.
Barry Hoffman
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There
are things in one's life that should never be
forgotten.
But
this was an evening,and in some respect a one
and only, guys... no one will ever have to remind
me of.
I
really don't have more right words to describe what
I'm still feeling.
So, thank
you very much Mick !
Thank you very very much Lee!
Thank
you very very very much Trevor!
Thank you very very very very much Phil !
(and
forget about me mentioning 'Abominog' and ' Head
first' at about 1.30 pm ,
just
wanted to chat a little!)
Thank
you very very very very very very much Bernie!
(We
couldn't have wished for a better photograph , well...
and
here she is our daughter who has asked us to try
to
get a picture from you ).
It
ain't over till it's over , see you again december the
22th in Helmond
Yours,
Till Future Echoes Pass
Rob
Penninks & Karin Derksen
and Mirte of course !
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My
trip to London was great...I roomed up with ED H.HE was great
to hang out with as well as having fun. My trip started in
WEST PALM BEACH. then went to Ohio,, get on the plane there
and here this hey merrick,, it was no
other thn Dave white and friends...Dave and i
laughed almost whole thrip. I kinda felt bad for the guy
trying to sleep next to us,, hahahahahahahaha...I am not
one for going into a bunch of detail ,,there will be
plenty of posts.....All of the shows were cool,, even
the glitter band at the after party and they played
an OSMONDS TUNE,, one called crazy horses that
has heavy gtr riffs...AS far as the
Heep show i was 1st balcony front...i could see
verything, it was a great visual and hear everything
as well.. i have always wanted to see MAGICIANS BIRTHDAY
PLAYED LIVE with the gtr and drum jam,, WOW....
As far as trying to mention everyone forget it,, you
know who you are...it was great to see old faces
as well as meet new ones......ALL the events were
great....all the beer drinking was great,,all the fun
was great EXCEPT FOR ONE OF YOU CALLING MY ROOM AT 5 IN
THE MORNING...nuff said....except for i had
a lot of fun.....
MADMAN
uriah ( one of the best times in my life) Heep forever
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Hi Guys:
I got back in about 4. Mac and I left Ed at he
airport, then he came to my house for a few hours till Debbie
got here to
pick him up. Now, I'm just trying to read about 300
emails, get my mind fixed on Eastern Standard Time again and
get
more then 4 hours sleep for a change!
I will make a few simple post tonight, but that is it. This week has been like a fairy tale.
I talked to people
from all over the world who had one simple bond.......Heep!
The highlights for me were:
1. Meeting Ken for the first time. Thanks to Dan
Diehl from GA, who is a personal friend of Ken's (looks like
modern day version of Dave Byron), he introduced me quite
well. Ken talked to me as a person one on one for about
an half an hour. He told me personally, "I never said
goodbye, did I?"
2. The MBP show: Wow! That is all I can add
now. The highlight to me was Sympathy, Paradise/The
Spell, TMB, and redoing the three songs at the end.
3. John Lawton: His acoustic set was about as
good as his regular show. His bass player (damned I
can't remember his name) is one of the best musicians I've
ever seen. John and Iris are class. They talk to
everyone and remember our first names. What else can you
ask for.
4. Ken's show: He and Wetton had a great
chemistry. The Heat of The Moment was a nice addition to
the set. Topped off another great night of fast paced
music. What else can I add to what has been said?
5. Mostly Autumn: This a good band. A nice
refreshing new face on the music industry. Everything
that has been written about them is right on the money.
6. The Heepsters: This is the reason it happens.
You guys are the greatest. I met so many new friends,
hooked up with so many old and had people coming up to me from
around the world who knew me, but I didn't know them. What can be said about you that can do any of this justice?
This reason alone makes me want to go back again and again.
Thanks to everyone who made this happen. You know who you are and I hope you do it again soon!
Ron
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Being
an old Heep fan and not having seen them live since the early
1980’s, it was high time to go see the new Heep.
The gig at the Astoria in March this year was
fantastic, full of life and power, supercharged and one of the
best live concerts I’ve ever seen.
My 10 year old daughter thought so to.
So ….. we went to see Ken Hensley at the Forum on 8th
December.
It
was freezing outside. We
queued for over an hour.
Yes, there were pubs and kebab shops to warm up in
nearby, but we wanted to be right at the front by the stage
and were determined to stake our place quickly once the doors
opened. We were
finally let in and got a great position right in front of
where Ken would be. We
kept looking back to see how much the place was filling up.
It was, but slowly.
Behind us were a group of Germans, to our right a
Viking (with horns) from God knows where (not earth) and we
heard Dutch voices nearby - odd mixture of people at the
concert, all ages and shapes, some still in 1973.
Mostly
Autumn shoehorned themselves on stage.
From the beginning it was difficult for us to hear the
complete sound of the band, or hear their voices clearly,
possibly due to where were standing.
I’d really like to see them again but with more room
for them on stage, a balanced and full sound system and for
them to perform a full set.
The applause for them was spontaneous, generous and
enthusiastic.
My
daughter said the lead guitarist had big trousers, which he
did.
The
roadies cleared the stage and the lights dimmed. Ken walked on
stage to massive applause and cheers - he was grinning from
ear to ear. He
still has that easy confidence onstage.
He played. And
it was fantastic. The
rest of the band appeared as if by magic during Ken’s solo
keyboard performance. John
Wetton arrived on stage and they all launched into Easy Livin,
then straight into the introduction to Return to Fantasy,
which was played tantalizingly slowly, then exploded into
life. Ken sang
and played his heart out, rocking backward and forwards,
giving it everything. July
Morning followed, soft, mellow, beautiful, then full of
emotion and power. Mega-impressive
vocals from Dave Kilminster!
Mega-impressive guitar.
His slender fingers flying up and down that fretboard,
tapping on and off so precisely and at such speed throughout
the evening (even when put off by J.W.!). John’s songs were all pleasantly familiar.
His voice is superb, so natural and he seems to sing
effortlessly. Very
smooth. Ken’s
Confession was sensitively sung, despite having picked up a
cold. His voice
sounded as good as ever to me.
At this point my daughter remarked that Ken had
ladies’ shoes on!
Ken’s
songs off his new album (ready in Feb 2002) were met with loud
applause. We wish
him great success with his new single.
The slide guitar solo was great.
Ken was really enjoying himself - it was fun to see
and hear him, playing notes so high (off the end of the
fretboard) so accurately.
In the background, Dave Kilminster was shrugging his
shoulders, laughing and enjoying Ken’s solo too.
I’ve still got Ken’s glass slide from a Heep
concert at Manchester Apollo - Ken’s progressed to using a
brass slide now - or was it gold?
Then The Wizard - OK we could have sung a bit louder.
This song is an all time classic - world class -and
Ken did it justice on the night.
Encores included Lady in Black (with twin basses!!),
Ken smiling throughout. Never
heard this one live before - a real treat.
I
was really pleased the concert went well for Ken and his band
and John too. We
certainly both enjoyed it thoroughly.
Was
it lacking in atmosphere?
Dunno. Possibly.
Hopefully a 2002 tour will follow the new album.
We’ll be there.
Paul and Katie
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Pictures from Esa Ahola
Pictures by Dick Safier
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Additional Pictures and Reports
