Saxon O2 Academy Oxford 06-02-15
So after a 2 month wait as the original dates were postponed due to Nigel Glockler falling ill ,Get Well soon Nigel , our first gig of 2015 was going to be good one with it being our Northern main man Nigel's 50th birthday and with him being a huge Saxon fan what more could he ask for!Due to birthday commitment's he arrived tastefully late so missed the support so that part is from me.
First up were young 6 piece German band Beyond The Black who were a very pleasant surprise. Heavily influenced by Within Temptation and led by the petit Jennifer Haben who had a superb voice they impressed from the word go.
With songs as good as first single " In The Shadows " all guitar riffs and drums and a great chorus and still melodic a big future awaits.
Also played from their debut cd " Songs Of Love And Death " that is due out next week was the title track,Drowning In Darkness,Running To The Edge and a quite fantastic keyboard led " Love Me Forever " taken from Motorhead's 1916 album. Lemmy would have been proud!!Please come back soon.
Hell were mildly entertaining in a weird way.With all the band made up in make up(and includes acclaimed producer Andy Sneap on guitar) and vocalist David Bower in a crown of thorns and soon stripped to the waist and flogging himself it was very melodramatic.
His King Diamond style vocals really complemented the musical onslaught.With a huge guitar and drum barrage one song seemed to go on for days if I am honest but the 40 minute set went down well with the ever increasing crowd.
I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve seen Saxon over the last 35 years, but they never fail to deliver and tonight was no exception.
The show was one of five rescheduled following the illness
to drummer Nigel Glocker. Tonight his place was taken by Sven Dirkschneider son
of Udo Dirkschneider of Accept and U.D.O. fame, and what a great job he did.
All the classics were played,
Motorcycle Man , Never Surrender, Princess of the Night, Bands Played On and
20,000 Feet to name a few.
We also had 747 (Strangers in the Night) which was missing from the set list when I saw them in Leeds in December.
Alongside some rarely played gems Suzie Hold On,To Hell And Back Again and Forever Free.
We also had 747 (Strangers in the Night) which was missing from the set list when I saw them in Leeds in December.
Alongside some rarely played gems Suzie Hold On,To Hell And Back Again and Forever Free.
The crowd were up for good time and the band responded in
great fashion. The sound was great tonight and Biffs vocals were great and his
banter kept us all entertained throughout the show.
The encores consisted of the title tracks from the “holy
trinity albums” – Wheels of Steel, Strong Arm of the Law and Denim and Leather.
What away to bring to a close nearly two hours of classic British Heavy Metal.
Here’s hoping for another 35 years!
The full set list was
Long Way to the Top (AC/DC Intro)
Motorcycle Man
Sacrifice
Power And The Glory
And The Bands Played On
To Hell and Back Again
I've Got To Rock (To Stay Alive)
Forever Free
Dallas 1pm
Solid Ball Of Rock
20,000 feet
Suzie Hold On
The Eagle Has Landed
Never Surrender
Heavy Metal Thunder
747 Strangers In The Night
Crusader
Princess Of The Night
Encores of Wheels Of Steel
Strong Arm Of The Law
Denim And Leather
ME ; NH
PS Happy Birthday to you both
Sacrifice
Power And The Glory
And The Bands Played On
To Hell and Back Again
I've Got To Rock (To Stay Alive)
Forever Free
Dallas 1pmSolid Ball Of Rock
20,000 feet
Suzie Hold On
The Eagle Has Landed
Never Surrender
Heavy Metal Thunder
747 Strangers In The Night
Crusader
Princess Of The Night
Encores of Wheels Of Steel
Strong Arm Of The Law
Denim And Leather
ME ; NH
PS Happy Birthday to you both
