Black Label Society @ UEA
..one of the most insane, intense, impressive guitar solos that it has ever been my pleasure to witness.
‘Rock god’ is a term not to be thrown around lightly. It’s a moniker normally reserved for the crème de la crème of musical royalty. People like Jimi, Zeppelin or Sabbath. However, given as tonight I have just seen Zakk Wylde take to the UEA stage with his band Black Label Society, I think I’m going to have to make a little more space on my own, personal Mount Rock-Olympus.
For those not in the know, let me give you a bit of background on Wylde. This is the guy that in 1987, sent Ozzy Osbourne a demo tape of his guitar playing, and despite being relatively unknown at the time, was immediately hired. This started a relationship with one of heavy metal’s original architects that has lasted 20 years. Black Label Society, or BLS as they are commonly referred to by their army of fans, have been about in one form or another since 1998. Nine studio albums, two live albums, two compilation albums, one EP, and three video albums later, here they are, ready to rock the faces off a packed crowd at the LCR.
Loud does not begin to describe it, but I’ve got to start somewhere. The monolithic stacks of amps that towered either side of the drummer, valves-a-glowing, should’ve been a clue, but Christ almighty. As soon as Wylde hit the first chord on his trademark bullseye guitar, I felt like I was being punched in the soul. But, y’know, in a good way. There was no fucking about, he knew what the crowd wanted and that was what they got. No nonsense, no delays, no talking - just solid, loud, awesome rock and roll.
The band sounded great as they blistered through a polished set that included Suicide Messiah, Funeral Bell and The Blessed Hellride. They even found a space to turn off the flashing lights and hit the disco ball, as Wylde moved from six-string to piano for In This River, his tribute to fallen friend (and fellow guitar hero) Dimebag Darrell. For me, however, the stand out moment was when the rest of the band exited the stage, momentarily leaving Wylde to his own devices - those devices being his two hands and his (in)famous custom Les Paul – for one of the most insane, intense, impressive guitar solos that it has ever been my pleasure to witness.
It was a great gig, and one that will stay in my memory for a long time. The band seemed to love it as much as the crowd, and Wylde seemed surprisingly humble in the face of such adoration. It was good to see the UEA play host again to a band of such high stature, and I hope that they can keep them coming, because whether or not you agree with me on my assessment of Zakk Wylde as a ‘rock god’, no-one present could argue that they just witnessed a true living legend.
