Die Young

The exciting sequel to Neon Knights, Heroes - Part Two, and Metal Masters!

Heaven & Hell / Coheed And Cambria
The Warfield, San Francisco
August 10, 2009

There was a moment last week when Umlaut thought he would miss this show due to ANOTHER road trip to see Green Day, this time to the Southern Cauldron of New Orleans and Houston.. No, I haven't written about it yet, and I'm trying to figure out how to do that amidst all of the Rock activity and other commitments that I have this week... Anyway, the Rock Godz are indeed benevolent and my streak of seeing every tour by the Ronnie James Dio-version of Black Sabbath remained intact.

When the reunion of this version of Black Sabbath was announced in 2006 it caused many grown men to scream like little school girls (guilty!). For my generation, this was the version of Sabbath we grew up with and for my money it's always been the most engaging of all the lineups. Unfortunately, it's now 3 years down the line and the appeal of this lineup seems to be waning as the new album is "just alright" IMO and this show was moved 50 miles from the 6,500 capacity San Jose State Even Center to the more intimate 2,500 capacity Warfield... NOT that I was complaining of course since an hour drive home was reduced to around 15 minutes.

Given the show's magnitude, The Umlaut Nation was out if full force tonight... so a shout out to Old Metal Tim, Teri, Raymond, Timo, Jerry, Photo Ray, Johnny, Any, Paschke, Stacy, Metal CPA, Photo Alan, Bret, and Nikki Blakk. Rock Star Sighting = Umlaut's old friend Dave Ed of Neurosis! Dude, Neurosis played a one-off opening the show in Seattle a couple of days earlier and they were offered the entire tour, but couldn't do it... Can you imagine!? Neurosis with Sabbath!?? I can't... and it's too bad because I walked onto the main floor to check out some of Coheed And Cambria's opening set and literally watched 10 seconds of them before turning around to return to the lobby and chat with friends; that dude's voice annoys the hell out of me.

At around 9:20PM the band's standard intro tape of 'E5150' started and then gave way to the call to arms that is 'Mob Rules'.. It was then Old School Metal bliss for the next 90 minutes or so. Besides standards such as 'Children Of The Sea', 'Falling Off The Edge Of The World', and 'Die Young' as well as 2-3 of the new songs, the band also pulled out 'Time Machine' which has always been an Umlaut favorite. A thunderous 15-minute version 'Heaven And Hell' closed the main set (I will never get tired of hearing that song..)... and for the encore they served up 'Country Girl' that acted as an intro to the show closing 'Neon Knights'... WOW!

"It's Heaven and Hell..."

There is no more powerful moment in Metal as when Geezer pounds out the bass line that announces the final verses of 'Heaven And Hell' after the bridge..

"They say that life's a carousel..
Spinning fast.. you've got to ride it well..
The world is full of kings and queens..
Who blind your eyes then steal your dreams.. "

Fuck yeah.. METAL.

While Vinnie Appice has always been a weak link for me, Geezer Butler is still the quintessential keeper of the bottom end... and Dio was in fine form as well, masterfully working the stage with his voice as strong and inspiring as it's always been. When the band hit the stage and Dio picked up his mic stand and twirled it in his hands I got the biggest smile on my face since it's always been one of his signature moves. It's cool to still have that connection with my Inner Teenage Metalhead over stuff like that; we've been best friends for so long. However, it's always been about Tony Iommi for me.

According to the Umlaut Archives, this was my 12th time seeing Iommi in one of the various incarnations of Black Sabbath dating back to 1980. Newbies will always think that Sabbath = Ozzy but the truth is Sabbath has always been Iommi's band; he (and Geezer) created the music and he even owns the band's name. I've said it before in this space: Iommi's tone is where it all began for me and it's guided my life since I was 15 years old.

I love watching Iommi onstage because he knows exactly how badass and legendary he is... He will step to the front of the stage, blaze off one of his trademark riffs, look at the crowd... and then shoot a quick smile at the fans before returning to the backline as Dio sings another line. Iommi has always been my only true Guitar God... Always.

However, during the set I kept thinking to myself how disrespectful it was for Iommi to be playing an intimate theater that was NOT sold out... WTF!? How often do you have the chance to see THE person who basically created the sound of a genre?! Tony Iommi created the sound of Heavy Metal with his plastic capped fingers!! EVERY Metal band that has ever existed has basically ripped off or interpreted what Iommi originally did... and here he was in San Franfuckincisco, playing in the smallest venue that he's played here in years, and there were still tickets available at the door. Stunning. Wrong.

THANKS to Old Metal Tim for getting me in as his +1. Backstage revelation of the night: Dio smokes cigarettes.


Compliments I got on my Iron Maiden 2008 Tour hoodie = 2. I checked out the merch in detail, but didn't do a merch audit for some reason. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. Waiting to get backstage is one of the most degrading things if you don't have *the right* pass and Umlaut doesn't have alot of patience for it. Oh yeah, I shook Dave Meniketti's hand while waiting in the Line of Shame... but only around 4 of you reading this know who he is or even care about that.

"So live for today... tomorrow never comes... die young.."

The Devil You Know Rehearsal

The Metal Masters Tour headlined by Heaven And Hell was one of Umlaut's favorite concerts last year. Fast forward to now and the new Heaven And Hell album The Devil You Know is released today. As fate would have it, Umlaut friend South Bay Bret was one of the lucky 100 or so attendees to Heaven And Hell's dress rehearsal down in Southern California this past weekend.

The Mighty Sabbath Takes Over Van Nuys - April 26, 2009
Submitted by South Bay Bret

Black Sabbath, or Black Sabbath presents Heaven And Hell - whichever you prefer - took over a rehearsal studio in Van Nuys, CA on 4-26-09 - giving some local rabid fans a taste of the new material live.

I flew from Oakland to Burbank - and keeping in tradition of Oakland airport spottings (my last flights have been shared with Eric Kretz, Billie Joe Armstrong, and a James Hetfield cameo thrown in) - this time Nick 13 of Tiger Army - but I digress....

A crazy taxi cab ride at Mach 4 led me to the Van Nuys studios, where I found So. Cal Sabbath fanatic Black Sabbath Mark scoping out the scene. Then we were ushered into the smoky warehouse-like studio - and the show began!

(All pics by South Bay Bret)

EVERYONE- TAKE ONE STEP BACK:


The mighty Sabs plowed through a 4 song set - 3 off the new LP: 'Bible Black', 'Fear', and 'Follow The Tears' - all which had coordinated visual displays - and 'Time Machine' from Dehumanizer thrown in as the 4th song. The 'Time Machine' visuals:


The band set up at a stack of amps after their set and signed for the masses:


These posters were passed out:


It was a killer show in a terrific setting- from legendary metal masters Black Sabbath!! Hope the band was able to find parking o.k.


THANKS South Bay Bret! I still can't get my head around the fact that you watched Iommi at eye level, man... The Dio version of Black Sabbath has always been Umlaut's favorite incarnation of the band. Click HERE to find out just how Music Geek I am about them.

Metal Masters

The Metal Masters Tour Featuring:
Judas Priest / Heaven And Hell / Motörhead / Testament
Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mt. View, CA
August 31, 2008

THE concert lineup of the year, and if you weren't there you're kinda, like, a poser. When I was a teenage Metalhead in the early-80's, this was the type of bill I could only read about happening in a muddy field somewhere in Europe.. A show like this:

Port Vale Football Stadium, England
August 1, 1981

Shows like this never happened in America then because the U.S. was not Metal. Trivia: Ironically, Ozzy replaced the Dio-fronted Black Sabbath at Port Vale.

Fast forward to the 21st Century: Shoreline was the final stop of the 16-date Metal Masters North American Tour.. After picking up my pass at Will Call, who should I run into but The Legend that is Steve Von Till of Neurosis!! Since he now lives out of the area, I hadn't seen Steve in years so it was really cool to chat with him and to catch up on the latest regarding standardized test scores for Grade Schools..

Backstage Lemmy strode around like the badass Lord of The Manor that he is, and it was funny watching people's reaction as he walked past them.. EVERYONE'S head turned to watch him. My favorite Lemmy moment was when he sat down next to someone holding a puppy and Lemmy pet the baby dog and gave it attention. LEMMY AND A PUPPY!!? I almost shit myself it was so cute..

Local boys Testament should be named the Comeback Heroes of 2008; their new album (the band's 1st with original Guitar God Alex Skolnick in 18 years!) hits on all cylinders and onstage they live up to the comeback as well. Also, Chuck Billy beat cancer! In other words, he defeated DEATH and he still looks and sounds great.. AND he's still the nicest guy in person.. There is NO ONE more Metal than him!

To top it off, as an end of the tour prank, Motörhead's Phil Campbell rode a horse onstage while wearing a blue wig, Micky Dee led the horse wearing a sombrero and blanket, and Lemmy dressed as a sheik followed behind with a broom. Where the hell did they get a horse!? I didn't see it backstage prior to their set. "Over The Wall!"

Motörhead goofs with Testament
(Pic by Umlaut)

The backstage area was jam packed with a veritable Who's Who of Old School Bay Area Metal scenesters and Umlaut Nation members.. I'm not even going to try and name check everyone because I know I'd leave someone out (sorry).. I'm not gonna lie: It was a great scene in a "The drink will flow and blood will spill and if the boys wanna fight you'd better let 'em.." way. Nice.. Also, I have to give myself bonus points for wearing a High On Fire Blessed Black Wings shirt and Matt Pike noticing it when I said "Hi" to him.

Motörhead blasted through the daylight with a set that included 'Over The Top'..."Shoot! Shoot! Shoot!!" Awesome.. Lemmy commanded the stage like the badass Lord of The Manor that he is... However, while 'Ace Of Spades' was the obvious crowd pleaser, it was disconcerting to me how many people didn't seem to recognize the set closing 'Overkill'.. Kids, PLEASE do your homework!

To top it off, as an end of the tour prank, Testament threw an inflatable pig and a sex doll on the backline and some girls invaded the stage to bump and grind up against Lemmy while he played. LEMMY!!

However, THE best part of Motörhead was seeing old Umlaut friend DeVito's art emblazoned on the band's stage backdrop, the bass drums, the tour laminate, the tour shirt, AND on posters around the venue! Dreams really do come true... Congratulations, brother!

Motörhead's Art and Artist
(Pic by Umlaut)

In between bands, I was on the backstage patio chatting with people when a child darted past us... I took another look at the "child" and realized it was Ronnie James Dio making his way to the band's dressing room. Ooops.. Well, Dio IS small in person. "Lookout!"

I was kind of in "work mode" as Heaven And Hell went onstage... I watched the first song of their set from the VIP area at the side of the stage, which might seem cool... but it's really not because it's behind the PA and the sound sucks. At that moment my "work" side would have stayed in the safe confines of the VIP area.. but my Inner Metalhead told me to watch the set from out in the crowd.. so I did.. and The Mob Ruled.

I've seen every Bay Area show that the Dio / Iommi / Geezer version of Black Sabbath has ever played dating back to their first tour in 1980... and I think this was my favorite one. Iommi's guitar tone has ruled my life since I was 15, and his playing was at another level on this night; it felt like I was hearing him play for the first time all over again.. Dude, his tone was astounding!

My Inner Music Geek kept tripping that Iommi played the same vintage and beaten up red Gibson SG for the entire set; I'm pretty sure he's been playing that same guitar for at least 30 years, but on recent tours has mainly played his shiny new custom SGs.. Seeing him wield his old axe again only added to my geekdom over his performance. Note to self: Write "Tony Iommi Is God" on Pee Chee folder during 1st period homeroom.

Tony's Ancient Weapon on the video screen
(Pic by Umlaut)

In fact, all of Heaven And Hell were at the top of their game; Dio's voice was flawless and he worked the stage in similar fashion, Geezer owned the bottom end as always since he practically invented it, and even Vinnie Appice got my seal of approval despite his drum solo (which I usually can't stand because of the 80's-style electronic tape loop thing..). At one point the guy behind me said "Unbelievable!!" to his friend, and I could not have agreed more; 'Die Young' was especially inspiring and kinda left me reeling, man.. "Behind a smile there's danger and a promise to be told: You'll never get old..."

To top it off, as an end of the tour prank, Motörhead handed out newspapers to the first several rows so when Dio & Co. hit the stage the first 3 rows of Section 103 appeared to be reading the news instead of watching the Metal. HaHa...

Judas Priest were great only because of K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton... Man, Halford's voice is shot now.. There, I said it.. BUT he still knows how to work a crowd like no other Metal God. Kids, you will NOT learn how to play guitar like K.K. and Glenn by masturbating with Guitar Hero.. However, if you can score chicks by pressing those plastic buttons instead of caressing strings, more power to you.

K.K. in particular was working the stage above and beyond the call of duty; when he bent backwards while playing his white Flying-V at the end of each verse in 'Green Manalishi' I thought the skies would open up and rain molten metal down upon us... Also, Umlaut still loves the opening riffs of 'Devil's Child' as much as he did when he was 17.. "Feast your eyes on (Feast your eyes on!) a whole lotta sin..." Oh, and Priest dusted off 'Dissident Aggressor' (For the newbies: From their 1977 album Sin After Sin), which they have never played live before this tour! Wow.

This show would have been epic back in The Day and it was epic here in the 21st Century; the other old people know what I mean. It would have been incomprehensible seeing so many Metal legends sharing the stage in fucking Mountain View back in 1981. As I said at the top of this rant, back then shows like this only happened in muddy fields in Europe.

I didn't do a merch audit, and I probably won't until further notice. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag. Man, Timo and I attempted to meet up at a Denny's for our traditional post-concert grub, but here in the 21st Century that chain no longer exists in the vicinity of Shoreline Amphitheatre! The Denny's that used to be on El Camino near Tower Records Mt. View (R.I.P.) is now a Chink restaurant. WTF...

The Metal Masses during Judas Priest
(Pic by Umlaut)

To Be Real

Heaven And Hell / Alice Cooper / Queensryche
Sleep Train Pavilion, Concord, CA
September 30, 2007

A couple of months back I saw Rodrigo y Gabriela and I hated the show. Not because of the performers (who are amazing musicians), but because of the crowd! My hatred was triggered by a group of drunk Marina types standing in front of us, who did the "Caucasian Dance" all night (dancing only with the shoulders and not moving the hips) and who talked loudly to one another during practically every song. Since the show was sold out and packed there was no where else to move; it was ANNOYING as FUCK... They were casual music fans whose attitude towards the music and performers was casual. Casual music fans annoy me.

Even after all these years, I still love attending Metal shows because the crowds are not casual about their music. That attitude makes Metal shows, like... REAL, man. REAL! That Techno music you listen to is gutless!

Anyway, long story short, while I listen to a lot of different music (like Rodrigo y Gabriela yuppie music), my heart is still molten Metal. As a result of my DNA code, I drove to Concord for the first time in 4 years for this gig. On this trek I was accompanied by Umlaut friends Teri and Raygun in The Shuttle.. and we met up with Timo at the venue exactly as planned. Surgical precision.

After exiting off the freeway in Concord, I temporarily docked The Shuttle and thought I'd be Star Trek and use The Shuttle's GPS system to find the nearest Chili's (Hey, for a chain restaurant Chili's is alright; we just needed pre-gig food and not a “dining experience”...). After struggling with the coordinates for some minutes, the course was set and I launched The Shuttle onto its new course... only to feel like a total lame ass when we saw a Chili's literally only a block away (the address I'd entered in the GPS was for another location). Nicely done, technology.. Nicely done.

Our random pre-show conversation included Teri revealing how she once went on a date with Vinnie Appice in 1983 (!) and Raygun's reference to paraquat, which is a word and a reference I haven't heard in probably, like, 20 years.. If you didn't grow up in the 70's you probably have no idea what I'm talking about.. and in another nice touch of nostalgia THE CAVEMAN was at the show! He’s been at Bay Area concerts since the 70’s… but what the hell does he do for a living?? Not that it matters, ‘cause The Caveman’s front row seat showed he obviously has the Lock ‘N Loll hookup. Nicely done, Caveman.. Nicely done. I also ran into a gaggle of Old Metalheads... Sorry, dudes I can't remember everyone who was there to give namechecks.. but you know who you are, bruthas.

Queensryche: There was a guy around my age several rows in front of us who held aloft a vintage Operation Mindcrime (1988) shirt during the entire set like a lovestruck teenybopper at a New Kids On The Block show. There but for the grace of Dog go I.

You couldn't help but notice the saxophone propped onstage... even as the band played its hits like 'Jet City Woman', that saxophone sat onstage like The Grim Reaper waiting to kill the set... and then it did.

Queensryche have been around for how many albums?? They have quite a few radio hits... and instead they opted to play a cover of Pink Floyd's 'Welcome To The Machine' with Geoff Tate "playing" the saxophone!? Egads... Dude, didn't Rush cover that song already?? Plus, it's a Pink Floyd song that's on FM Rock radio, like, every 10 minutes.. You might as well cover 'Stairway To Heaven' if you're trying to show just how irrelevant your band has become.. But thank Dog they didn't play 'Silent Lucidity'.... and 'Eyes Of A Stranger' is still a good song... but they shoulda busted out 'Queen Of The Reich'.

Alice Cooper: Alice pretty much stole the show IMO.. In Junior High my best friend (John Lutkinhouse) and I would go over to his house after school and listen to his older brother's albums.. Our two favorites were KISS - Alive! and Alice Cooper - Welcome To My Nightmare. Fast forward 30 years (I'M OLD!) and Alice came roaring onstage with a great swaggering young gun band led by drummer Eric Singer (KISS).. They opened with 'No More Mr. Nice Guy' > 'Under My Wheels' > 'Eighteen'. WOW. Alice and Iggy Pop are the Immortals of Rock: They both defy time.. There MUST be something in the water in Michigan, right? As Timo says "ROCK LEGEND Alice Cooper.." I couldn’t help but smile as Alice twirled his cane in his trademark manner.

The decidedly un-PC theatrical performances of 'Only Women Bleed' > 'Dead Babies' included Alice beating a woman (portrayed by his real-life daughter) and then impaling her baby on a wooden stake and holding it aloft… which led to my favorite song of the set: 'Ballad Of Dwight Fry' with Alice singing in a straight jacket and which climaxed with a gallows being wheeled onstage and Alice being hung for his crimes during 'I Love The Dead'... and then defying his onstage death by returning to close the set with 'School's Out'.. WOW. The encore that included 'Billion Dollar Babies' and 'Elected' was perfect. "I'm your top prime cut of meat, I'm your choice, I wanna be elected!"

Heaven And Hell: Man, the band’s mix sucked as they stormed onstage with ‘The Mob Rules’; Geezer’s bass smothered Tony’s guitar like a rough palm over your mouth... but it improved after a song or two. Dio was working the stage like nobody’s business and I couldn’t help but smile as he twirled the mic stand in his trademark manner.

Things were fantastic until REAL life intervened... and Raygun passed out during 'Falling Off The Edge Of The World'... I'm not kidding.. Irony! No, he wasn’t wasted.. and, thankfully, 15 minutes later he was fine and it was like nothing had happened… but we took the opportunity to bail out a bit early to beat the parking lot crush since I didn’t feel right about staying to the end given the real world scare. Glad you’re okay, Raygun!

If you bought one of every Heaven And Hell merch item you would have paid around $685. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. I would bet money that there were more people in The House from Heaven And Hell's merch company than there were from Alice Cooper's. Keepin' it real, man... Keepin' it real.

Oh, then there's this bit of REAL:

Socializing feral kittens at Casa de Umlaut - Oct. 5, 2007

Neon Knights

"Good things never last,
Nothing's in the past,
It always seems to come again.
Again and again.
Again and again.
Again."

When the following news hit the Information Superhighway last week I almost screamed like King Diamond:

RONNIE JAMES DIO Says HEAVEN AND HELL Will Do 'A Year Of Touring'
- Nov. 9, 2006

Legendary heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio (DIO, BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW) has revealed to Classic Rock magazine that HEAVEN AND HELL — the new band featuring Dio alongside original BLACK SABBATH members Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward — will likely headline next year's Monsters of Rock festival.

Monsters of Rock returned to the U.K. festival scene at Milton Keynes Bowl this past summer, with DEEP PURPLE as headliners. Now it looks like it will return in 2007, with HEAVEN AND HELL on the bill.

The following is a brief interview Classic Rock conducted with Dio at Monday's (Nov. 6) Classic Rock Roll of Honour event in London:

Classic Rock: Speaking of Tony Iommi, there are of course rumors that you will be reuniting with him, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward as HEAVEN AND HELL next year.

Ronnie: They're absolutely true. We'll probably be doing a year of touring together. And it's looking like you'll see us at the Monsters of Rock festival, then shows in America. And after that we'll come back to the U.K. for eight or nine more shows.

Alot of my Old Metal buddies agree with me that the 4 Black Sabbath albums (3 studio + 1 live) with Dio are equal (or even superior) to the band's output in the 70's. For the newbies: Dio was in Sabbath from 1980-82 and then again in 1992.. I'll go out on a limb and state that most of the songs spawned during his time in the lineup are superior musically and lyrically to Ozzy-era Sabbath. There, I said it.

Dio is a gifted vocalist and lyricist and he brought these talents to his Sabbath alliance; Ozzy was always Iommi and Geezer's errand boy musically and creatively (Geezer Butler wrote the majority of Black Sabbath's lyrics in the 70's, NOT Ozzy... VH1 doesn't mention that, do they?). Ozzy flashes the Peace Sign onstage; Dio flashes the Devil Horns. Fuck that Hippie Shit; S810!

Also, Tony Iommi's solos on the Dio-era albums are the best of his career IMO. Listen to songs like 'Heaven And Hell' or 'Turn Up The Night' and you will know what I say is true.

"Turn up the night, it feels so right!"

HEAVEN AND HELL - 1980

I was 16-years old and my cousin and I took BART to Oakland Stadium from his house in Concord. There were alot of huge scary bikers down front during Sabbath's set. Dio wore a cape onstage in the Summer heat, but when they opened with 'War Pigs' > 'Neon Knights' he had the crowd in the palm of his Elven hand.

Dio's Cape > Summertime Heat
(Pic by Timo)

I got separated from my cousin in the crowd and ended up falling asleep in the stands during Journey. About a month after this show, Bill Ward quit the band and didn't perform with Geezer and Iommi again for 5 years (at LiveAid).

Merch purchased: Black 'Heaven And Hell' shirt.

About 3 months after this show, Geezer Butler caught a bottle with his face in Milwaukee and Sabbath left the stage after only 2 songs... which resulted in this:

The Milwaukee Journal
October 10, 1980

Give the people what they want, and they'll beat a path to your door. But take something away from a Milwaukee heavy-metal crowd, and . . .

"The bands, the audience and Arena officials never expected the event to live up to its name - the 'Black and Blue Concert.'

"But shortly after a bottle sailed out of the audience and struck (Black Sabbath) band member Geezer Butler on the head, The Blue Oyster Cult-Black Sabbath concert at the Arena Thursday night did just that . . .

"(Responding to the incident, Black Sabbath quit the stage after three songs.) Suddenly the crowd reared in anger and became a mob. At first, just a few people overturned a set of chairs, while others raised their fists and egged them on. . . . But within minutes, others started kicking their chairs and ripping out seat cushions. Then iron arm railings were pulled out and tables were toppled. . . .

"When objects started flying at the stage, then randomly around the Arena, some in the crowd started leaving. As they left, many overturned trash cans and smashed lights, windows and glass doors. . . . By the time police arrived in full riot gear about 11:40 p.m., the Arena's seating area was totally cleared."

Miraculously, the riot was captured on one of the most amazing concert bootlegs ever recorded... which you can hear if you know where to look or who to ask...

MOB RULES - 1982


I think it's safe to assume that the Milwaukee incident inspired the song 'The Mob Rules'; why it never became that city's official anthem is beyond me 'cause it's WAY better to air guitar to than the 'Laverne & Shirley Theme'. Anywho.....

Ten dollars and fifty cents!

I seem to remember Old Metal Rich and I got in line for this gig at least 10 hours before the doors opened; this was back in The Day when you did that at concerts. The Cow Palace was sold out, and by Noon several hundred people were behind us drinkin', smokin', and snortin'.. Once everyone was inside the general admission pushin', shovin', and punchin' was pretty rough down at the front of the stage.

During The Outlaws' set Hughie Thomasson caught a bottle with his face and the crowd cheered; this was back in The Day when you did that at concerts. He left the stage, but then came back to finish the set and the crowd cheered. Tough Sabbath crowd!

Black Sabbath > Circus
(Pic by Umlaut)

During the pushin', shovin', and punchin' a girl trying to get to the front bit my shoulder to get past me. It was medieval down there... When Sabbath hit the stage ('Neon Knights' > 'N.I.B.') the crowd surge was so intense I ended up moving back so I'd live to see my 19th birthday.. Once I did that, I flashed the Devil Horns when Dio prompted and didn't worry about my mortality for the rest of the night.

Merch purchased: Tour program and 3/4 sleeve 'Mob Rules' jersey.

Six months after this show Dio quit Sabbath.

DEHUMANIZER - 1992


The reunion we thought would never happen! This was my reaction to the show in Umlaut #7:

Black Sabbath / Exodus
Kaiser Auditorium, Oakland
Friday the 13th of Nov.

The lights went down and it was 1980 again: A couple of girls had their hair feathered! Geezer and Iommi are still gods, but Dio is still an elf. On the way back to the car some pimply-faced teenagers wearing Soundgarden shirts called me a fag. I kicked them in the nuts and shouted "If you listen to fools, The Mob rules!"


Despite having a cheesy title and cover art, Sabbath's Dehumanizer album had solid songs on it... Listen to 'Time Machine' or 'Computer God' and you will know what I say is true. The new songs sounded good next to the old classics in Oakland, and it was like a time warp seeing Dio with Sabbath again after 3,650 days!

Merch purchased: None.

It was raining and storming like crazy outside of the venue that night AND it was Friday the 13th (!), which in hindsight foreshadowed the show's aftermath: Right after this gig Dio quit Sabbath (again) and hasn't performed with them since.

[Trivia: The final 2 shows of the tour in L.A. featured an abbreviated set with Rob Halford on guest vocals. Ironically the shows were headlined by Ozzy solo (?!) and closed with a 4-song reunion set by the original Sabbath lineup.]

Dude, check this out:

'Neon Knights' from Oakland - 11/13/92

Here's to 2007 and hoping The Neon Knights really do ride again! I hope Dio brings the cape back.

"They say that life's a carousel,
Spinning fast you've got to ride it well.
The world is full of kings and queens,
Who blind your eyes then steal your dreams.
It's Heaven and Hell."