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Rating: After years of waiting, the umpteenth cancellation of the only Italian date on the Black Sabbath tour was a bitter disappointment, especially since most of the tickets for the Rho date had already been sold and the concert had been announced for months. In previous years, entire tours had been canceled, first due to Ronnie James Dio's illness and then Tony Iommi's, but this time it's really unclear what "logistical reasons" prevented the four from Birmingham from finally coming to our parts. Adding to this is the fact that the 2005 tour, the last so far with the original lineup, didn't even pass through Italy, making it truly frustrating for the most die-hard fans.
What better occasion, then, to combine some European tour dates with a short vacation? The Bercy date finally made it possible to attend a Black Sabbath concert with Ozzy on vocals, after the pleasant period under the Heaven And Hell name and the two unforgettable appearances at our own Gods of Metal several years ago. If good old Bill Ward, for a myriad of reasons more extramusical in nature than anything else, isn't part of the lineup this time either, seeing three of the founding members on the same stage is still a great emotion, especially given that with the recent "13" they still have something interesting to say.
After the forty minutes of Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats, enjoyable but merely a tribute to the early albums of the gentlemen who would play shortly, the lights go down and the sirens of "War Pigs" sound. The arena is in a frenzy, the audience, which includes both twenty-something metalheads and hippies who passed sixty long ago, is engaged and spellbound. Tony Iommi is the usual riff machine, with impressive power emanating from his amplifiers, Geezer Butler maintains his usual earth-shaking touch and Ozzy, fortunately for us, appears in good form from the start, and now one really has to wonder whether that usual lost and haunted look is real or just part of the persona.
"War Pigs", as was to be expected, merely kicks off a setlist of classics, all strictly drawn from the first Black Sabbath albums, those that, for countless reasons that we won't (re)explain now, truly marked a new way of understanding rock. The revival of "Under the Sun", from the often underrated "Vol. 4", is beautiful, as is the remarkable rendition of an old warhorse like "Snowblind". Despite the satisfaction of finally seeing Black Sabbath live, aside from the strange alternative acronyms used in previous reunions, there's still a bit of a bittersweet feeling knowing that at that moment one could have witnessed the much-yearned reconstitution of the original group, but instead we have to "settle" for the excellent Tommy Clufetos on drums, a class session musician with a long resume with big names in world rock, now for a couple of years the eternal substitute for a Bill Ward more interested in legal affairs than in picking up the drumsticks again. "Black Sabbath", "NIB" and "Fairies Wear Boots" roll on without pause, and it's remarkable to see how a group of not-so-young men can carry on two hours straight of concert without interspersing it with endless solos and dead moments.
As said at the beginning, it's nice to see how the new songs are well received, indicating that the new "13" must have been appreciated even by those who, given the not exactly affordable ticket price, hope to hear more of the key pieces of the Sabs' discography rather than the latest arrivals. "Rat Salad" is an excellent opportunity to showcase Clufetos' talents, with a long solo reminiscent of the original from 1970, removing any doubt to the various detractors about the merit of his choice, apparently now the only one, alongside Vinny Appice, capable of making one not miss a Bill Ward who has been out of the loop for far too long. A note of merit also goes to the choice of set design, with giant screens alternating between stage shots and footage shot for the occasion, perfect for creating a dark and gloomy atmosphere. The grand finale, as tradition dictates, with "Children of the Grave" and "Paranoid" and with Ozzy throwing the usual buckets of water on the front-row audience. An excellent concert in every way, predictable setlist, but in these contexts you can't be too daring, and above all, four musicians in splendid form. As long as they're still around, it's worth not missing them, despite the not-so-popular ticket price. The rating goes to the evening and the career.
1. War Pigs 2. Into the Void 3. Under the Sun/Every Day Comes and Goes 4. Snowblind 5. Age of Reason 6. Black Sabbath 7. Behind the Wall of Sleep 8. NIB9. End of the Beginning 10. Fairies Wear Boots 11. Rat Salad12. Iron Man 13. God Is Dead? 14. Dirty Women 15. Children of the Grave16. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath intro/ParanoidLoading comments slowly
