| SAXON + RED WINE |
October 25, 2001 |
MADRID |
Saxon, one of the original NWOBHM bands, is BACK! They released their new CD "Killing Ground" and started their tour. So here I am again at Macumba, one week after the hurricane of Gamma Ray, to see them. Yeah! This is REAL METAL! It was a fantastic concert, the band playing with the same pure fun and energy as usual! First up that evening was Red Wine, a young band coming from La Rioja, Spain.
I wasn't sure how the crowd would react to
RED WINE, but as soon as their show started, they immediately transformed the audience into fans. Playing Melodic Classic Metal, in the vein of Tierra Santa and Avalanch, Red Wine were tight and effective (excellent voice of Mario!), despite the fact that most of the audience probably hadn't heard their music before, but that didn't stop them from making the best of the situation. They played some great songs off their debut album "Hijos Del Despertar" including "Hijos Del Despertar", "La Caricia Del Sol" and "Ahogando Penas". For me this was a solid introduction to the band and I am excited to know that new material will be forthcoming from Red Wine in the near future; the band will soon be entering the studio to record their second album. I expect that Red Wine's popularity will increase after this tour with Saxon. They are a solid band who deserve the recognition.
After Red Wine left, SAXON took the stage in blaze, it was obvious that the band still have the fire they had back in the early eighties. Particularly impressive were Byford's vocals. He continues to impress with his undying charisma, leaving every young vocalist green with envy. He looks virtually the same after +20 years of touring and is still one of the most distinctive singers in Heavy Metal. He urges the crowd on to singalong with him and still appears to thoroughly enjoy himself on stage. The band opened with the intro of the new album and followed it up with "Killing Ground" from their latest release of the same name. A lot of the stuff they played were classic Saxon tunes, but the band was also bold enough to play quite a few songs from their newest album, including "Coming Home", "Dragon's Lair" and the anthem "Rock Is Our Life". The band was flawless on every song, with highlights being a "saxonized" rendition of the classic King Crimson song "The Court Of The Crimson King" and amazing versions of "Never Surrender", "The Eagle Has Landed" and "Wheels Of Steel", fan favorites that ruled the eighties.
Without a doubt, though, for me the two most amazing parts of the show were "Denim And Leather" and "Princess Of The Night" from their 1981 release "Denim and Leather". "Denim And Leather" is just a perfect live song, and "Princess Of The Night" has always been a personal favorite of mine (if you can resist that song, you must be dead!!), and everything just fell into place for both, and made them really special. By the time the regular show was over, the audience screamed for more, the band came out again four (!) times to play encores, before it was really over. This part of the show features all their killer ones! 
"Denim And Leather", "Wheels Of Steel", "Crusader" and "Princess Of The Night". When they left the stage a third time, they returned and Biff announced: "We're gonna do one more, this one's called... Motorcycle Man!", driving the crowd crazy once again. Overall, a killer show, too bad the stage set was reduced to fit the venue, no pyros or else, but who the fuck cares??!! 
Words cannot describe how amazing these guys were! They had the crowd in the palm of their hand from the first note, to when the lights dimmed. The audience included people whose ages ranged from 16 years to 50 years old. There were times when the band was drowned out by the noise of the crowd. Everything sounded great, from Byford's vocals, to Doug & Paul's guitars, to Nibbs' bass. Nibbs Carter was the beast on stage, jumping, moving all the time and banging his head. And goddamn is Fritz Randow a thunderous drummer! He's a total monster behind the kit. I actually loved his drum solo before "Heavy Metal Thunder". These guys are doing it right, and I can't imagine a better line-up for Saxon than the one they're out on the road with right now. I had the pleasure of talking with Biff and Doug for a few minutes after the show when they came out to hang with 5 or 6 fans who were still hanging around. They were very cordial. Do yourself a favor and see their shows! This is a concert definitely worth checking out if you're into Metal at all: not just to see one of the pillars of the Heavy Metal foundation, but also a hell of a live band!!! They might be old, but still rock!!! -Review & photos by Marina-
| SAXON SET-LIST |
Killing Ground,
747 Strangers In The Night, Dogs Of War, Dallas 1 P.M, Court Of The Crimson King,
Backs To The Wall, Never Surrender, Coming Home, Conquistador, HM Thunder,
The Eagle Has Landed, The Thin Red Line, Dragon's Lair, Strong Arm Of The Law,
Solid Ball Of Rock, Rock Is Our Life, Denim & Leather, And The Bands Played On,
Wheels Of Steel, Crusader, Princess Of The Night & Motorcycle Man.
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