July 21st - Brookfield
Illinois
I saw Uriah Heep back around 1977. The first
concert was the "Return to Fantasy"
tour and a little later I saw the
"Firefly" tour. (Just after Trevor
joined the band.
I remember thinking that this band had
achieved perfection. It did not seem possible
that they could be any better. After hearing
them at Brookfest, I realized that somehow, they
had taken perfection to an all-new level! This
show was amazing!
I found out about the concert on the official
Uriah Heep website, uriah-heep.com.
I live in Atlanta, GA and it seemed that the
Brookfield concert (Chicago area) was the
closest drive of any of the shows. So, I called
the promotional office and got all the details.
A friend from work was also a fan, so we decided
to make it a road-trip. The total driving time
was 28 hours, round-trip! But believe me, it was
worth the drive!
We arrived at the park in the early
afternoon. After about 5 minutes, we started
getting heavy rainfall. I was afraid that the
show might not go on. But fortunately, the rain
slowed and finally stopped.
Before the show started, we went to the
merchandise table to buy pictures and CDs. While
there, I had the pleasure of meeting Dave White,
the webmaster for the official Uriah Heep site.
He is quite a nice fellow. But then, who
wouldn't be with a job like that! (grin!)
Finally, Uriah Heep took the stage and
Brookfield was treated to some of the finest
rock-and-roll on the planet. Mick's scorching
guitar riffs and Phil's amazing keyboard work
were furiously driven by the thunder of Lee's
drums and Trevor's flawless bass lines... the
perfect backdrop for Bernie's crystal clear
vocals! Their energy was phenomenal! They did
old songs, new songs and a few in-between songs.
After the show they all signed autographs
until the last fan had left the grounds. I was
very impressed by their dedication to their
fans. So many bands of their caliber will not
take the time to thank their fans on such a
personal level. But then, Uriah Heep is not your
average band!
So, in closing, let me say a big "THANK
YOU" to Mick, Lee, Bernie, Trevor and
Phil for putting on such a fine show!
Thanks to Dave White for an outstanding
website! (Keep up the good work!)
Thanks to Officer Mark Ryan (Brookfield PD),
Michael Shlifka (All American Music and Sound),
to Cathy Edwards, Bill Russ and their
organization, for bringing the band to Chicago.
To Mark and Judy (I enjoyed your company during
the show) And to my friend Bill, for putting up
with me on the trip and being my
"camera-bag caddy".
I would gladly make the trip from Atlanta to
Chicago all over again to see Uriah Heep. If you
have never had the privilege to see them... I
highly recommend it!
Email me :
wayne@goww.com
