I’ve
just returned to New Orleans LA from Ft. Smith
AR. 26 hours driving 1300 miles for a 90
minute concert and it was a bargain.
I’d been stalking the web page for months
looking for a venue close to New Orleans to
catch the Heep, but none materialized.
The mountain does not come to us, we must go
to the mountain. The wife and I made a
late decision Thursday afternoon and
took of for the land of the Ozarks.
We arrived in Ft Smith around noon on
Friday with no idea of the location of the J
Michael’s Club. We chose an exit off
the interstate looking for lunch before
locking down a hotel room and finding the
club. In our quest for some local flavor
in our choice of eating establishments, we
stumbled on the club by pure luck. It is
a small nightclub in a restored downtown brick
building.
The roadies were setting up in a garden
patio in the back of the club. The
equipment of Heep threatened to swallow the
place whole. We were going to be up
close and personal. The owners are two
of the nicest people one could meet.
They took great interest in the fact we had
driven all the way from New Orleans. The
bar was well stocked for its size, offering a
wide variety of imported beers. But it
was, all being said, a bar. A bar
with an outdoor patio enclosed on
all sides by surrounding brick buildings and
open to the sky, but still a neighborhood bar.
I worried about the effect the venue may have
on the show I had waited years and driven so
far to see. Heep was slated to take the
extremely small stage at 10:00.
At 7:30, I was in the bar. I found a
table with three younger guys with Heep albums
laid out. We immediately struck up a
conversation. Mark, carrying three bags
of rare Heep vinyl and CD material, was from
Florida! "So you’re the guy from
New Orleans", he said when I introduced
myself. Dave and Kurt were local guys
from nearby Oklahoma. They had caught
the band during sound checks and already had
their stuff autographed.
Dave Owens entered with the merchandise bag
and we grabbed him before he even got to set
up. T-shirts, of course, but it
was my chance to pick up the DVDs and CD’s
(since viewed with great relish) and talk some
serious Heep. We are scattered here in
the states, and it is grand to link up some
true believers.
The bar crowd was light in numbers, but
lively. At nine, we moved into the patio
as two local musicians warmed up with some
lively acoustic renderings of classic rock.
As 10 pm approached, I again became
apprehensive. Would our meager offerings
of a crowd be sufficient to appease a legend
as big as Heep? Given also that many in
the crowd were merely there because it was
their local bar? Mark, Dave, Kurt, and I
were pumped, but the small crowd
was setting quietly on plastic lawn chairs.
A short intro by the local classic rock DJ and
Heep parted the crowd and onto the stage,
Mark and I were an arms length from Bernie and
Trevor. The stage area could have
fit in my Subaru wagon. The band
exchanged bemused glances,
Then
the storm broke, not the rain and thunder that
had threatened all day long, but thunderous
storm of Heep on stage. The power
produced could solve the world energy crisis.
Heep defies indifference. By the time
Return to Fantasy completed, the crowd seemed
to triple in size, quadruple in enthusiasm.
The night was saved by a band who
delivers the goods to their
fans with the same enthusiasm their fans have
for them. I felt like I was getting my
own personal concert. Bernie had
remarked upon seeing the venue that he had
never played in someone's back yard before.
But that is precisely what it felt like.
Having Heep in my own back yard. I could
shake hands with the members as the played, it
was so close.
The powerhouse that is Heep fulfilled my
highest expectations that evening. The
play list has been well documented, so I
won’t duplicate it here, except to say it
was not an abbreviated one, but a genuine full
set. No low points, no clinkers, all solidly
delivered.
Afterwards, I sat in the bar, cooling down.
I had my DVDs set for signing. Lee was
in the bar and signed all three. Later
Mick came through and I caught his signature
and quick handshake and hearty thanks.
Phil was quite approachable and genuinely
likeable. Bernie sat with my wife and I
for great length and we had good chat. I
missed Trevor, but my wife snagged his
autograph while I was momentarily away.
We left the bar as the Heep bus pulled away,
catching a last glimpse through the windshield
as the band set off for Santa Fe. It was
glorious night for this Heep fan.
Rick Hoover
I
entered Arkansas at 10:00 pm last night and
entered J. Michaels club
five minutes later just as Uriah Heep took the
smallest stage of their
career. I saw them Thursday night in
Tulsa Ok and just had to see them
again. This was one "mega" show
performed on a patio like area smaller
than the tour bus.
The
one thing different at this show from the
Tulsa
show was they did "Bird of Prey". I
give them a (10) on a scale of 1-10.
Their sound was still as tight and together as
it always was. The newer
music they played was very impressive. Anyone
looking for a show to
remember should see UH at OK City Sunday
night. My thanks for many
years of listening pleasure.
Day Tripper
