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On stage: Saxon



- W.O.A. - Aug. 1999 - Wacken (D) -
- Metal DayZ - June 2000 - Pratteln (CH) -
- Bang-Your-Head - June 2000 - Balingen (D) -
- Saxon, Circle II Circle & Dionysus - Dec. 2003 - Hardenberg (NL) -
- Doro, Saxon & Circle II Circle - Dec. 2003 - Düsseldorf (D) -
- Saxon, Doro, Circle II Circle & Dionysus - Dec. 2003 - Pratteln (CH) -
- Polo Rock Festival - July 2004 - Düsseldorf (D) -
- Saxon, Rose Tattoo, Circle II Circle & Blaze - July 2004 - Andernach (D) -
- W.O.A. - Aug. 2004 - Wacken (D) -
- Monsters Of Rock - April 2006 - Herne (D) -
- Saxon, Masterplan & Rose Tattoo - Mar. 2007 - Oberhausen (D) -
- Bang-Your-Head - June 2008 - Balingen (D) -
- Saxon & Iced Earth - Feb. 2009 - Cologne (D) -
- RockHard Festival - May 2009 - Gelsenkirchen (D) -
- Saxon, Wolfsbane & Fury UK - April 2011 - Manchester (GB) -


www.saxon747.com









- Saxon, Wolfsbane & Fury UK -
- April 13th 2011 - Manchester (GB), Academy 2 -





Fury UK - live in Manchester

Fury UK - live in Manchester

Wolfsbane - live in Manchester

Wolfsbane - live in Manchester

Saxon - live in Manchester

Saxon - live in Manchester

Saxon - live in Manchester

© Jo Spooner

The show opened up with local heroes Fury UK who had a 30 minute set to warm up the sell-out crowd. Fury UK are, in my opinion, one of the best bands in the UK at the moment and it was with this belief firmly in my mind that I told everyone I knew to make sure they were at the gig in time to see them. The trio opened with I See Red and carried on with Fall From Grace, the opening duo from their latest album, A Way Of Life.

I was again mesmerized by the greatly talented singer / guitarist Chris Appleton who unleashed blistering solo after solo with seeming ease. His brother Luke once more proved himself to be a fantastic bassist with the four-string assault being relentless. On drums Martin McNee tried to shake the very foundations of the venue as he blasted away on the small kit. After Manslaughter McNee produced a short but awesome drum solo while Chris Appleton returned his guitar ready for Call To Arms.

The band got a great reaction from the already large crowd with a lot of horn raising and fist pumping right through the set, including a great little "hey! Hey! Hey!" chant during Call To Arms. The show ended with the magnificent Death By Lightning, without doubt my favorite Fury UK song due to the jaw-dropping solo. I think many of those in attendance would be thinking the same thing after watching Appleton squeeze every ounce of metal energy out of his six-string!

Fury UK played at a level I would normally expect from a headlining band and left the gathered throng hungry for more. Wolfsbane and Saxon would have to produce something special to top them. Can't wait to see them at SOS Fest in July!


After again paying an extortionate amount for beer at the Academy bar we re-entered the hall where Wolfsbane were just starting. Could this match up to the level of the classic live album Massive Noise Injection? Bugger me if they didn't just about manage it!

The quintet launched into several Wolfsbane classics including Black Lagoon and Loco, with the new song We Did It For The Money, from the EP of the same name, getting a great reaction from the crowd.

Blaze himself seemed to slip effortlessly back into Howling Mad Shithead mode as he exhorted the crowd to show greater enthusiasm and commanded us to have fun! It was good to see Blaze acting like this after seeing him with Iron Maiden and the Blaze Bayley band where he was a little nicer and more reserved in his crowd interactions. The Wolfsbane guys really seemed to be enjoying themselves on stage and it was brilliant to hear songs like All Hell's Breaking Loose Down At Little Kathy Wilson's Place live.

The sound of the Academy was very rich and full, except around the edge of the hall where it seemed to get a little distorted. In the center it was perfect and you could feel the energy exuding from the band as the packed crowd headbanged, sang along and laughed at Blaze's humorous speeches.

The set was brought to a close with two of Wolfsbane's best songs. Temple Of Rock and the unforgettably catchy Manhunt are great to sing along too and left everyone with a good feeling and hungry to hear Biff and co! Wolfsbane have a new album earmarked for October and are headlining their own tour in November. Hope they remember to play Protect & Survive and Steel next time!


And so Saxon, the mighty Saxon, took the stage. If I thought I'd seen a good show so far I was soon shown that I had seen nothing yet! Saxon commanded the attention of the masses in the way that you would expect from such a veteran band of hard rocking bastards! It was quite simply fantastic to see them headline a show after only seeing them before at festivals.

The set was comprised mostly of classic Saxon including I've Got To Rock (To Stay Alive) and Solid Ball Of Rock. The crowd were in high spirits by this point and each song ended with an accompanying roar from the packed Academy. Biff Byford spoke to the crowd like we were old friends and got a huge cheer when he attached and England flag to the drum riser. You just couldn't help but enjoy yourself! Crusader was a fantastic addition to the setlist and was accompanied by lights in the shape of crucifixes which added to the atmosphere of the song. The highlights for me were And The Band Played On and the unforgettable Denim And Leather which of course we had to sing (or shout) along to! With this show Saxon proved why they are still one of England's greatest metal bands with a show that will stay long in my alcohol-tinged memory!

Ending with Princess Of The Night and the Saxon signature song Wheels Of Steel the gig drew to a close. No one I spoke to was disappointed.

I think this was as close to a perfect gig as you can get. No sound or technical issues and three generations of extremely talented bands that complimented each other superbly. Fury UK started the gig at a level of pure excellence and the subsequent bands raising the bar even higher. Saxon themselves have instantly found a place in my list of the best bands I've seen live and I really hope to get the chance to see them again soon!




Mike Thompson

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- Saxon & Iced Earth -
- February, 26th 2009 - Cologne (D), Live Music Hall -





Iced Earth: Matt Barlow

Iced Earth: Jon Schaffer

Saxon: Biff Byford

Saxon: Doug Scarratt

© Claudia Ehrhardt


More photos?
Click here!

After seeing Iced Earth at RockHard festival I was happy when I heard that they come back to tour Europe with Saxon. The concert was first announced for Feb. 4th in Cologne at Essigfabrik, but then got re-schedule for Feb. 26th at Live Music Hall.
Fans were waiting in front of the venue for doors open and then impatiently for Iced Earth to enter the stage. With Matt Barlow back in the band Iced Earth is going full force again. They kicked off with the intro In Sacred Flames and Behold Of The Wicked Child off their latest album The Crucible Of Man. Its good to see - and hear - Matt Barlow again! The fivesome didn't waste time and stormed off with Invasion, Motivation Of Man and Sethian Massacre - a trio of Framing Armageddon. Bassist Freddie Vidales was always in action while delivering together with drummer Brent Smedley the rhythmic playground for Jon Schaffer and Troy Seele on guitars. With Burning Times they offered their first classic, after Declaration Day they presented some more good ol' tunes... Vengeance Is Mine and Violate! Time for Matt to address the audience "You sound fucking good tonight! Something for you from Night Of The Stormrider CD... It's Pure Evil!" After this fast rocker it was time to slow down again... Time for the touching balladesque Watching Over Me! The fans of Iced Earth were loudly singing along. Then they sped up again for Ten Thousand Strong and then they played the only Horror Show tune of their set - Dracula. Towards their end they played two of their classics - Melancholy (Holy Martyr) and My Own Saviour. Jon Schaffer and his mates were running out of time and so they returned for one more... For Iced Earth! Too soon it was over...
After a lengthy change over it was time for the NWoBHM legend Saxon! The Brits opened up with Battalions Of Steel. The oldsters showed a very routined set and surprised early in the set with Heavy Metal Thunder, Witchfinder General and 747 (Strangers In The Night). Time for something new - Hellcat! Biff Byford addressed the fans and gave them the chance to choose the next track. He offered: Dogs Of War, Demon Sweeny Todd, Eagle Has Landed and Strong Arm Of The Law. The fans wanted Strong Arm Of The Law and so this one was next in line. Then my ball pen wasn't working any more and I only remember that they played Wheels Of Steel, Crusader and Princess Of The Night. Saxon have enough songs to choose from, but as usual there are songs the fans want to hear. And after more then 3 decades they know what the fans expect - and that they offer. Sure, the show is getting a bit more static every year, but they still rock the house! Guitarists Doug Scarratt and Paul Quinn were up front firing riffs and entertaining the people. Even if the guys in the band are doing an excellent job, without mainman Biff Byford Saxon wouldn't be the legend they are. And it's good to know that they aren't thinking about retiring!
The Live Music Hall wasn't sold out, but packed and it seemed that everybody enjoyed the evening. Saxon are touring quite frequently and so I saw them several times, now I wait for Iced Earth to return! Wish I could have seen them more then once on this tour...




Claudia Ehrhardt

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Saxon, Masterplan & Rose Tattoo
- 14th March 2007 - Oberhausen (D), Turbinenhalle -




Actually Saxon and Masterplan should have been on tour for a few weeks, but they had to postpone the U.K. shows and so this was the 4th stop on this tour. Like in Cologne Aussie rockers Rose Tattoo been added to the tour party.
Unfortunately the tattooed rockers had to enter the stage early - and many fans partly missed them. And it seems that many thought that Masterplan would open up and Rose Tattoo would be on stage after them. Well, singer Angry Anderson and his mates made the best out of it and showed the fans how rock from Australia sounds. But as others I missed part of their show, but as they play a headliner club show in April in Essen I still have the chance to see them.
I was most curious to see the new Masterplan line-up, coz with drummer Mike Terrana and ex-Riot singer Mike DiMeo they hired some fantastic musicians. They opened up with Spirit Never Dies, but it was much too loud which didn't do any good to the sound quality. Partly it was hard to recognize the songs. They played a few new tracks like the single Lost And Gone and Keeps Me Burning off MKII. Keeps Me Burning was one of the highlights of the set, but during their short set they also played songs like Back For My Life, Enlighten Me, Soulburn and Kind Hearted Light. Mike DiMeo did a good job, but the fast tracks didn't worked out that well. But I think it's too early to judge about the new line-up, coz they need time to grow together and the circumstances at the show have been far from perfect. I hope I get the chance to see them again and that the sound quality is better, so that they can really shine.
After a break it was time for the NWoBHM heroes Saxon. The British entered the stage and kicked off with some new song, unfortunately I don't know their latest album and can't tell you much about these songs. I think that some of the new songs are called Ashes To Ashes and Attila The Hun... But most fans came to see them play the old classics and they did play a lot of them! Beside some newer songs like Lionheart the played tracks like Princess Of The Night, 747, And The Bands Played On (as a medley), Dallas 1PM and Crusader .. Bassist Nibbs was always in motion and while guitarist Doug and Paul focused on their playing. Biff standing up-front, one foot on the monitor speaker leaning on his knee - that's how Saxon fans know him. And even if the set list had no really surprises the fans love it. As always a more then decent show, but a few changes in the set list would make it more interesting... but well, the fans love them and so they left satisfied after an evening of rock. But due to the extremely loud sound the sound quality wasn't very good.... That's life!



Claudia Ehrhardt

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Monsters Of Rock:
Saxon, Doro, Sonata Arctica, Jon Oliva's Pain & Victory
- April 15th 2006 - Herne (D), Gysenberghalle -




The legendary Monsters Of Rock festivals took place until 1988, later there been some similar festivals called SuperRock and now there is a indoor-festival called Monsters Of Rock. The kick-off was scheduled for April 15th in Herne. Due to some problems we came in just before Victory got on stage.
About a decade ago Victory were part of Germany's premier hard rock league. Now they are back with some new faces - singer Jioti Parcharidis and drummer Achim Keller. In reviews I read that Jioti can easily keep up with his predecessors Charlie Huhn and Fernando Garica. Well, he is a great singer, but in my opinion not suitable for this hard rock act. The youngster tried to entertain the fans, but has to work on his stage performance which was a bit stiff. The band of guitarist Tommy Newton and four-stringer Fargopedda played a kind of best-of-set including songs like On The Loose, Temples Of Gold and Don't Tell No Lies. It was great to hear this tracks again, but the more power metal-based vocals of Jioti didn't let me enjoy the show. Perhaps he's better when he's doing songs written for him... Next time he probably can convince me...
Next in line Jon Oliva's Pain. Savatage haven't been active for awhile, there last tour took place in 2002 and since then Savatage guitarist Chris Caffery and mastermind Jon Oliva presented solo albums. No surprise that Jon Oliva played with his Pain old Savatage tunes from the days he was Savatage's singer and a few new ones, too. On this big stage they had enough space to do some stage acting which mainly new guitarist Shane French and bassist Kevin Rothney took over. Jon Oliva partly sat at his keyboards and sang, partly entered center stage and concentrated on the vocals. The master was in a good mood and made some jokes. A real entertainer. Unfortunately the band isn't able to produce the magic Savatage always had. Between songs like Gutter Ballet, Agony And Ecstacy and Hounds they played from their current album Tage Mahal the tracks The Dark and People Say Give Me Some Hell which fit well into the set. When they played at the end of the set Hall Of The Mountain King and Sirens the people went crazy. This was the kick-off of Jon Oliva's Pain's tour and so there are some headliner shows ahead where they can play a few more songs. Watch out!
The Finnish Sonata Arctica are on tour with Doro and out to promote their CD / DVD For The Sake Of Revenge. And so they presented a kind of best-of-set - it was the night of the best-of-sets, it seems - including old and new songs like Misplaced, FullMoon, Black Sheep and last, but not least Vodka which is their version of the traditional Jewish Hana Magila. A good show, even if they had some technical problems - like almost everybody today.
During the change over the crew tried to eliminate the technical problems. Unfortunately it took a bit longer and so Doro had to cut down her set. Germany's metal queen started off with 2 new songs - Haunted Heart and You're My Family. A nice change after years of kicking off with I Rule The Ruins, but they played this one later in the set. It was obvious that her fans knew the latest release and so they appreciated it. The quintet played several new tracks off Warrior Soul, but some classics were still in the set list and that were the songs where all metal fans sang along. Another professional show with a great light show. In Germany Doro will headline the tour and so they have more stage time. A good reason to go to another show.
Time for the British to show that they still deserve the headliner spot - and Saxon were fantastic! The heroes of NWoBHM played mainly old songs and that was what the fans wanted to hear. Singer Biff Byford seems to get better every time I see Saxon. The band is very tight and make the songs sound fresh, even if they are 20 years old. They have to play songs like Wheels Of Steel, Strong Arm Of The Law, Crusader and Dogs Of War. The oldsters rocked the house! It's amazing to see how Biff is controlling the audience. It seemed that everybody sang with him the refrains. As usual the band mainly stayed in the background and gave Mr. Byford the spot-light. Too soon the show was over, but they had a curfew, so no chance to play more. If you know Saxon, you know that if they are in the mood then play more then 2 hrs.! They were in that mood, but couldn't. Thanks for another great show!
At the end something in general... It's a good idea to revive the legendary Monsters Of Rock, even if compared with the original this was just a little monster. If they want to continue they have to bring bigger names next time and should look for a better location in this area. It's almost impossible to get a good sound in this arena and it was chilly, so that many kept their jackets and it didn't really heat up til the very end. Fans who have a car will find the location okay, but for younger fans it means that they have to leave earlier to get back home. If Monsters Of Rock shall come back as an indoor event then they should bring big names and present it at Dortmund's Westfalenhalle instead of Gysenberghalle.



Claudia Ehrhardt

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Saxon, Doro & Circle II Circle - Dec., 17th 2003 - Pratteln (CH), Z7 -




We arrived in Pratteln at the Z7 about an hour before doors open and soon met someone from the opening act Dionysus. At the nightliner - which they shared with Circle II Circle - we had a little chit-chat and found out that the Swedish-German quintet won't play tonight. What a pity, but singer Olaf Hayer caught a cold. They hoped that Olaf would be able to sing the show in Italy, but who knows... We wish them luck for the next ones.
And so Circle II Circle had to open up again. In August the new band of ex-Savatage singer Zak Stevens played in Pratteln at the Metal Dayz. Now he's back, but with a different band. Sometime after their show at the BYH Revisited in September, the ways of Zak Stevens and his companions parted. The new line-up has a heavier sound and so songs like Lies, Sea Of White, Face To Face and the title track Watching In Silence sound more aggressive. The guitar sound of Joe and Mark is closer to Savatage. Ex-Doctor Butcher / Metalium drummer John Osbourn is reminding me of 'Animal' from the Muppets Show when he's hitting hard. Bassist 'Tiny' - actually he's the opposite - delivered the pounding bass lines. In real life 'Tiny' is a fire fighter in Florida. The new line-up lacks a keyboarder which is necessary for some tracks and so Doro's keyboarder Olli jumped in. One of the highlights was Into The Wind and surely the Savatage classics Edge Of Thorns and Taunting Cobras. I guess that many metal fans would have like to hear more Savatage tracks, but this is Circle II Circle! Surely Zak will never forget his past and will present Savatage tracks in future as well.
After a short break it was time for Doro and her band. The metal queen kicked off the set with I Rule The Ruins. With Always Live To Win the quintet offered a new song before they traveled back in time with Metal Racer. Songs which they partly played for the first time with this line-up. Even if bassist Nick Douglas, guitarist Joey Taylor and drummer Johnny Dee are part of the band for years. Doro thanked her fans for their support during her 20 year long career. More old tunes followed. It was great to hear songs like Hellraiser, Out Of Control and Earthshaker Rock again. Also Love Me In Black made it onto the set list. While Für immer, All We Are and Burning The Witches are standards. Tonight the title track of Fight was the last song in their set. It was obvious that the band enjoyed playing the old tunes - a travel back in time where Doro was fronting Warlock - as well as the new ones. Too soon it was over and again Doro proofed why she's the leading lady in metal! Hopefully more years of metal are ahead of us! And perhaps one day they will play Evil again.... And You Hurt My Soul.... Okay, that's something just long-time fans might miss...
Due to some chat with Zak Stevens I missed part of Saxon's set. Biff Byford and his companions came to conquer the Z7 with new ones and classics like Crusader, Motorcycle Man, The Eagle Has Landed, Wheels Of Steel, 747 (Strangers In The Night), Rock The Nations, Strong Arm Of The Law, Conquistador and newer ones - I remember that they played Heavy Metal Thunder (show opener). Drummer Fritz Randow hitting the skins hard - drum solo during Conquistador - and made some youngsters look quite old in comparison. Bassist Nibbs Carter was always in action while pulling the four-strings. Guitarist Doug Scarrat and counter-part Paul Quinn presented sharp guitar riffing and melodic solos. The quintet also presented a cover version of King Crimson classic Court Of The Crimson King. Legendary singer Biff Byford controlled the fans from the first notes. The tall charismatic singer makes Saxon special. He's not just the trademark for their sound, he's also the show-piece. Without Byford Saxon won't be the NWoBHM legend they are. During their set everybody had the chance to show his talents, no ego-trips, always supporting the song. The flag-ship of NWoBHM is still alive and kicking. It's amazing how this old guys rock the house. One of the best shows I've seen of Saxon during the last years and so I forgot to make notes about the set... Forgive me. And next time go to see them yourself! No excuse!



Claudia Ehrhardt

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Saxon, Circle II Circle & Dionysus
- December, 12th 2003 - Hardenberg (NL), Podium -




The Saxons are on tour again. Tonight they play at Hardenberg's Podium together with Circle II Circle from Florida and the Swedish-German quintet Dionysus. Most fans didn't knew that there was a third band on the billing and so been a little puzzled when Dionysus entered the stage.
The quintet took the chance to play live. Their debut album is out for about a year. AFM Records presented the melodic metallers with Sign Of Truth. Actually their new album should be out soon. Meanwhile the Helloween-influenced band offered about 30 minutes of their debut and some tracks from the coming album Anima Mundi incl. Divine, the new title track, Bringer Of War, Heart Is Crying and March Of Freedom. The voice of Olaf Hayer might sound familiar to some - he sang on Luca Turilli's solo album. But also the others aren't newbies... The band sounded good, even it there is live experience as a band missing. They did a decent show and with more live experience they will be able to impress more fans. Perhaps their coming album Anima Mundi will be the next step...
A few weeks before the tour got kicked off the news that Zak Stevens will tour with a complete new band! Former Savatage singer Zak Stevens just introduced his band last June at the RockHard Festival to the fans. Now everybody was curious who are the new guys in the band. Drummer John Osbourn is known for his work with Doctor Butcher and Metalium. The other guys are nobodies. A hard task to come over with a new band and that also means that they had just a handful of songs prepared. Mainly from the CIIC debut album Watching In Silence, but also some old Savatage tunes. Songs like Lies, Sea Of White, Face To Face and the title track sounded much heavier. The guitars of Joe and Mark are much heavier and more aggressive. Especially the Savatage tunes Taunting Cobras and Edge Of Thorns sounded more like Savatage compared with the previous line-up. Partly because Circle II Circle came without a keyboarder. Some songs need keyboards and so tonight Dionysus keyboarder Kaspar Dahlquist helped out for a few songs. Zak Stevens and his new band did a good job. They are heavier. They did good, but if they had more time to prepare for this tour, they could have done better. If they continue with this line-up, they will convince - at least with the next album - every Savatage fan around the world...
After a break it was time for the NWoBHM heroes Saxon. When­ever Biff Byford and his pales headline a show the fans can expect a 2 hrs. long show and sometimes they play even longer. German drummer Fritz Randow is in the band for a few years now and beside delivering the beat he also get the chance to play a drum solo. Bassist Nibbs Carter and the guitarists Paul Quinn and Doug Scarrat complete the sound for a heavy metal thunder. Singer Biff Byford is a living legend in the metal community and their set list is a kind of best-of. Starting their firework with Heavy Metal Thunder and during the show presented Saxon classics which included songs like Crusader, Strong Arm Of The Law, The Eagle Has Landed, Denim And Leather, Power & Glory, Princess Of The Night, Solid Ball Of Rock and many more. It's impressing how these oldsters rock the house. It took just a few songs and everybody was singing along. The light show was great and created an atmosphere which supported the music of the Saxons. What more to say? Everybody who ever saw them live will agree, they can rock the house!



Claudia Ehrhardt

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