I know this is a week late, but WOW!, what a show! My family and I traveled
from New York State to Ohio to see Heep for the first time.
I've been a fan
since I heard Look at Yourself, and have been collecting their music for
many years. I was really afraid that I wouldn't get to meet them or get any
autographs, but that ended as soon as we arrived at the venue.
It was about
6:30, and we must of just missed the sound check. Mick was still on stage
checking things. The next thing I know, Lee, Trevor, and Phil are walking
right towards me. I couldn't believe it! There was hardly anybody there yet,
and all five of the guys were just walking around casual. Before the show
started I had gotten all of their autographs on my Sonic Origami book, as
well as several pictures. I was just blown away. The show was just
fantastic! My wife and 2 sons were so impressed with the quality of music
and vocals. Of course I was also! My oldest son was really impressed by the
vocals in the beginning of Bird Of Prey. The mix was really superb. Really
nice and loud, but yet able to distinguish every instrument and voice.
I
really hope you guys make it to New York State during this tour, because I
know I'll be there. For anybody out there that hasn't been to see Heep yet,
DO IT!! You won't be disappointed! They are so friendly and easy to meet!
Thanks guys for making one of the best weekends of my life. You definetly
have a lifelong fan!
Dick Jones
HEEP'S U.S. TOUR IS A FANTASY-COME-TRUE FOR LOYAL FANS
Uriah Heep opened the show in Deerfield, Ohio, June 16, with "Return to
Fantasy," and lead vocalist Bernie Shaw told the crowd "We've got 30 years to
catch up on."
It was a "return" of magnificent proportion and a truly fantastic
"fantasy"-come-true. As Shaw promised, concertgoers caught up on 30 years as
their collective mind journeyed back to Heep's heyday.The journey was on "The Easy Road" thanks to a modern Uriah Heep that stays
true to its original sound, pumping out classic Heep hits alongside newer
releases with accuracy and ease. Of course, the absence of Thain, Byron, and
Hensley is deeply felt â€" but today's Heep honors them with superb talent and
loyalty to the Uriah Heep legendary sound. Shaw, bassist Trevor Bolder, and
keyboardist Phil Lanzon are clearly talented in their own right, but each puts forth the extra effort to reproduce a sound that's hardly
distinguishable from the Heep of yesterday.
The entire band was technically sound â€" despite a few technical difficulties
from the bass amp â€" and full of energy. Lee Kerslake worked as hard as ever
behind his drum kit. He is clearly one of the best rock drummers to ever pick
up a pair of sticks â€" and he still has every drum lick perfected.
Mick Box and his guitar are as melodic, enchanting and invigorating as ever,
though Box himself is a little toned down from the old days (aren't we all?).
He seems to genuinely enjoy an intimate relationship with the audience he
entertains. Fronting the band, Shaw has a splendid stage presence and
delightful rapport with the audience. He carries the band through 30-plus
years of music with stellar talent and a grace that seems to come easily.
In some way, Uriah Heep is as entertaining today as when I saw the group in
1973. In part, it comes from the joy of being reunited with the music and
band that meant so much to me as a young man. Because today's Uriah Heep
stays true to the legendary sound while still creating original new music, my
real-life "return" to Heep this year was better than any musical "fantasy."
Dale Harrison
Lake Milton, Ohio
Hi
Heepsters
I
just wanted to say the show was the best
Uriah Heep show I have seen outof all
the shows I have seen in the past.I
think Bernies voice is just getting
better as time goes by. I took my
daughter with me & they were all
nice
to her. It was the first I ever seen
them do Sunrise. I love that song.
Mick
& the guys were all great. I like to
thank Mick& Trevor for being so nice
to me and my daughter. Hope see you guys
come to Cinti. Ohio on your 2nd leg
of your tour I have lots of friends who
would like to see Uriah Heep.
Doug
Peterson
I made it back from Deerfield!! WOW!! I am speechless!! I have alot of
catching up to do at home, but will chronicle everything! I have drove a
thousand miles this weekend. I have been to the top of Heep mountain!! The
ultimate experience. Everything will be reviewed totally, from the trip to
the fixtures in the hotel room.
Part I
I started my journey on Friday evening. The first leg of the journey was to
drive 200 miles to pickup Barry Lombardo. When I got to the Pennsylvania
Turnpike, traffic was backed up and not moving. I sat for an hour, later
found out it was a 12 car pileup. Thank goodness I brought lots of heep to
listen to.
I arrived at Barry's house around 8 pm. We immediately sat down
and watched the AD dvd together. Afterwards, Barry took me to the Heep
Shrine, a room devoted to Heep pictures and memorabalia. It felt like the
Heep Hall of Fame!! I fell asleep around midnight, but Barry had trouble
sleeping. (excitement will do that) Anyway, he got back up around 3 am and
put the AD video back on. He said that as soon as the opening notes came
on, I jumped off the couch and yelled Uriah Heep!!! then laid back down
with a smile on my face!
I woke up at 5:40 am and Barry was up already. I took a fast shower and we
hit the road about 6:10 am. I was so pumped up, I drove 150 miles in 2
hours, and then we took a brief stop. Along the way, we kept seeing signs
every mile that said "Call Box". I said to Barry, lets obey the message. I
dialed up Dave Owen, but kept getting some goofy voicemail message. We
listened to tons of Heep, Bernie tributes, Spiders from Mars and Grand Prix,
oh and Hensley/Lawton band.
We made it to Ohio, in record time of course, and passed the venue on the
way, so we stopped, checked it out then proceeded to the hotel. I said to
Barry, wouldn't that be funny if Heep was staying at the same hotel?? Well,
as we pulled into the entrance, I saw in the distance a big Maroon/Silver
bus. I immediately hit the gas pedal as hard as I could. The story will be
another post.
PART II
If I rubbed a bottle and a genie came out and granted me a wish, he could
not have done any better than what happened on June 16, 2001. I ended up
staying at a hotel that had He
ep's tour bus outside, got to meet all the
band. Met John White and Mark Dinardo and saw the most outstanding,
fantastic, utlimate concert I have ever seen in my life. I have been a
heepfan since 1974, but opportunity to see them live in the USA never
presented itself. Either I didn't have money, a ride, or knowledge of their
tour dates. For whatever reasons, this time out, the event was not to be
missed. I chose the same venue that was cancelled twice in 1999. The date
was convenient and I figured 3rd time lucky!! And lucky I was, it was a
helluva show.
I arrived with Barry Lombardo and Mark Dinardo. Geesh, I just realized the
similarity of their last names. Anyway, we got there around 5 for
soundcheck, Heep was to come on at 9pm. We did not hurt for things to do!!
The sound check was awesome, with Heep telling jokes, and they played My
Sharona!! I hope that is not their next USA release for a single!! Ha,
ha!!! :-)
After the soundcheck, the band members milled around with the general
public, and that was so cool. The fellows are great, easy to talk to,
friendly, and oh so approachable. Of course the venue was a field with a
fence around it, and a stage, so there were not many places to hide; except
the bus or the 2 dozen toliet booths!! :-) The venue even allowed beer on
premises, so we had a blast! The hotdogs weren't bad either.
Near 8 the local band came on, and though they sounded good, I had too much
fun smoozing with my other heepbuds and buying fireworks at the big factory
next to the field. I did have to sign a waiver promising not to blow up the
concert or any federal buildings, and that I represented no known terrorits
organizations. I did find a set of explosives called Sunrise, and just
happened to be in the fireworks place at the same time Lee, Phil and Trevor
were in there. You know that is conincidence, right??? :-) After getting
the laugh from the band, I put back Sunrise and bought the Atomic Bomb
assortment!! More on that another time.
The magic was hanging heavy in the air, like a fog over a lake at sunrise.
The anticipation, the excitement level was mounting by the second, and then
at a few moments after 9 pm, the band came out to the cheers of the roaring
crowd. Looking around, the crowd sort of reminded me of the scene set in
Central Park in the movie called "Little Nicky" the part where the guys
were following Adam Sandler. If you saw the movie and were at the concert,
you get the laugh!! I bet there were about 400 or so people there, maybe
that isn't much, but they are were vocal and enthusiastic.
The band opened with Return to Fantasy, a rocking rendition! The sound was
flawless, the words crisp and clear. Bernie sounded awesome, and
fantastic!! During the next song, Universal Wheels, Trevor blew his amp. I
heard this has been plaguing him on the tour, but as someone nearby said, it
sure beats blowing goats!! The amp was temporarily up and running, but down
again during Only the Young and Stealin' Yet I did hear bass, and I think
Phil may have synthesized some on the keyboard.
But when Love in Silence came on, everything was fine, and boy oh boy did they do a fantastic version
of the song. Bernie hit all the high notes to perfection, not only on this
song, but every song. He was incredible. Between 2 Worlds and I hear
Voices were both great, then came a big surprise "the Wizard", Sunrise and
Traveler in Time. Just after T.I.T. Bernie encourages everyone to move up
to the front of the stage, much to the disdain of the security staff. Then
came Gypsy!! LAY and July Morning.
The band was so tight then, the songs
so magical!! Lee was a thunderous powerhouse throughout the whole show.
Lee was an acrobat on the drum set!! Trevor, was solid but
tentative, I think he played with his fingers crossed that the amp would
cooperate. A true professional!! He played dynamically through the
adversity of his technical problems!! Phil laid down a set of keyboards
that any heep fan would call Heep!! And what can I say about Mick?? We
all know he is the worlds best kept secret of who the best guitarist is!!!!! He
was a genie with the strings!! He granted our every wish!
Finally, the encore, Bird of Prey and Easy Livin'. The band was smoking by
then, the crowd was going nuts and fireworks were being shot in the air. I
then heard the song "Land of Hope and Glory" and I knew my ultimate fantasy
was drawing to a conclusion. I was in Heep Heaven, and loving every second
of it. I was not in the least bit sad after the show, the reason, I am
going to see them twice later this week, Virginia and Pittsburgh. Yes
Virginia, there is a santa claus! Don't take my word for this, get out and
see them yourselves, "One Way or Another"!!
The Setlist !
RTF
U.W.
Only the Young
Stealin
Love in Silence
BTW
I Hear Voices
The Wizard (!)
Sunrise
Traveler in Time
Gypsy
Look at Yourself
July Morning
ENCORE:
Bird of Prey
Easy Living
Bob Winward
"Today is only yesterdays tomorrow"
UH their usual gracious selves ; spending time after the show with the
fans - - - always giving 100 %
I've been a Heepster for 31 years now and never a disappointment ....
Love 'em
GPO
We arrived in Deerfield after talking with Bob Winward on the way in, who
was letting me know who was where , when. We had kind of a late start, but
got to the hotel about 3 I think.
Bob had said that the band was already at the gig, but they had left to
take a nap, so we skipped meeting them there, and just piled right over to
the Comfort Inn.
My Wife Carol, daughter Kelly (20), and my son Steven (9) and I
checked in
the hotel, went up to our room, and met Bernie coming out of his !
After introductions and a re-introduction (he and Carol had met in London
about a year ago), they went to the room, and I talked with Bernie about 15
minutes.
He said the tour was going well..everything from small to fairly large
venues. We talked about Trevor's hardware problems (we would watch his amp
blow out again that night)...he looked a little tired, but was very UP on
the tour...
After talking to Bernie, I unloaded my bags, and went downstairs and saw
Bob, Lannis and "Bubbie" (inside joke), Mark Dinardo and met up with Barry
Lombardo, John White and a few others.
Hung around a bit, got something to eat with the family at
Mcdonalds, and we were to go to soundcheck at 4:30 to see them at 5. So we did ! 
Followed Bob out to the venue.
I had done the websites for Midwest
Fireworks in the past, but had never been there and really was curious to
see what the grounds were like.
When we FINALLY got there (20 minutes from the hotel), there was Dave O in
the parking lot...ALLRIGHT !!! Finally...Heep and company in MY backyard !!!
Dave Crookham, and friend Doug Peterson.
I had made the band a series of prints from the website of all the reviews
pictures and things, and gave it to DaveO in the parking lot.
Lannis and I had his car (Grand Prix) and the Heepjeep photographed cause
of our Heep-plates, maybe that pic will come out.
We went into the trailer where the Midwest Fireworks crew was, and I said
Hi to Larry who runs it, and I asked him if he was going to watch the
show...his remark was "Of Course - You think I would miss them after what
happened last year?!" (referring to the 2 cancellations for his venue). He
was looking forward 
to it !
Off to sound check...like a kid in a candy store, I was eyeing all the gear
as they fooled around a bit on stage. Met up with Charlie at the board, and
we talked in general about things..I said to her "Hey...so like if I turn
all the knobs all the way to the right that would be ok right?" Her
response was.."Well...that's about all I do !" ... yeah right...she is a
MASTER at mixing up the Heep for the fans...and Heep knows it !!
The band was goofing around...they were like comedians..Lee would throw out
a punch line, Mick would answer it, Mick would throw out a punch like, Lee
would answer it, all the time playing this funky Vaudeville time repeating
riff .. the whole band was into it..I think it took a little while before
20-30 fans at sound check understood what they were doing, but when they
did, it was pretty funny actually :-))
Mick was playing his new (reissue) Les Paul Black Beauty...he loves this
guitar and it is very apparent. I asked him about it after the gig...he said..."The Blue one (Yamaha
Pacifica 912) gets the job done, but THIS is my guitar !!"
He kept playing this riff over and over, tweeking the sound in between the
riffs..hell, it all sounded good to me, but he wasn't satisfied... his tech
changed the battery in one unit , brought out another, and then Mick cut
loose jamming to hear a few times...this took about 15 minutes...was very
cool to watch him !
They did Return to Fantasy a few times...one was stopped short..one was
done with the bass and the lead guitar starting in diofferent keys (I
mentioned to Barry Lombardo that THAT take sounded like a Heepvention take
:-)), and they did one all the way through I believe...
Trevor was noodling around, and sounded a little soft, but great as can be
expected.
Lee looked Great !! Happy looking, full of pep, and quite a bit of riffing
of the drums...outstanding !
Phil played very well...sounded great !
! But in my opinion is too far back on the stage...they should bring him
forward...he's a neat guy to watch...would make for better pictures too :-)
Mick was still not satisfied and was tweaking his sound after they all left
the stage, and the other band was coming
onsta
ge with
their gear.
Anyway..sound check was about an hour I guess ...
Bob and Barry had gotten some beer, so Carol and I went out and brought
back a 30 pack :-) I was handing them out to people in the crowd during the
show...a few Heepguys got some as well, and we went home with only 3 cans
!! Mick had sent out a bottle of Heineken and a bottle of another beer..I
lost one and drank the other...
Before the show was a band called Soul of One...nice guitar rock band doing
Ozzy/Sabbath Zeppelin and thier own songs...personally I liked them a
lot..talked to them after thier set, and offered a link to/from Heep.com.
We'll have to do that Louis :-) Nice guys..
There was about 20 minutes between the time Soul of One left the stage and
Heep came on. I think (2 beers), and Heep exploded onto the stage. I have
no doubt Deerfield never rocked as hard as it did that night.
See Bob Winward's review
above for the listing and the story of Trevor's amp
breakdown, and the other things that went on...
I will skip ahead to the last 15 minutes or so...
Bernie said something about "Only Old People stay so far away...comon'up to
the front !" Something like that.. 200 people rushed the stage and the security guys had a look of "Oh
Shit"....but Mick assured them that it would be fine...
I THINK with the crowd up at the stage, they did Gypsy, Look at Yourself,
July Morning, Bird of Prey, and Easy Livin'...
Look at yourself was the version with Mick Lee and Phill trading off little
riffs after Mick does his echo solo..it went over really well..
The crowd was nutz ! I was behind my 9 year old Steven who was pushed up as
far as he could go toward the stage, with my wife hanging on to him...Kelly
my daughter was to my left and was having an absolute ball...she was
defintely getting Heep'd ! A die-hard Aerosmith fan who has seen them in
concert about 6 times, she turned around and yelled "They're even better than
Aerosmith !!!!" ... "Look Dad...I'm a Heepster !!"...it's the little things
in life, you know? :-)
The last 15 minutes of this show were really amazing...Mick was all over
the stage, wireless with the guitar, he was over by Trevor, back by Lee and
Phil, next to Bernie, all over. They seemed to have gotten louder toward
the end...maybe it was that WE were closer...but I think they were louder
anyway...the crowd exploded when Mick played with the guitar stung over his
head..
And Bernie...He totally captivates and commands the crowd...it was too
much...these guys were going insane in the crowd, and Heep looked very
pleased...
All in all, a great show...really great crowd and a superb performance...
Midwest shot off some fireworks after the show to complete the night..nice
touch !
Went into the bus to meet the guys, and saw Paul Michael (Myki Box) in
there with Mick, Phil, and Trevor...received a copy of the Lylah CD, and
spoke with him a bit.
They band was watching TV, waiting for Dave O to lead them out to the crowd
that was waiting to patiently meet and greet them, and to get everything
they owned signed...
It was a great night..A fitting end to Bobbie and Lannis's journey and a
fantastic primer to go see them again this Thursday in Cleveland...
Dave White
