Live Reviews : Black Sabbath & Rival Sons @ Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney 23/04/2016

The End, US Leg; Photo Credit – Ross Halfin

It’s been a long time in the making, but it was finally Sydney’s turn for ‘The End’. As a sign from above (or below), this late April day has been both cold, rainy, and miserable. The spirit inside Qudos Bank Arena is a lot warmer and heartier than the weather outside, with beer flowing and an excitement that very few bands in the world can conjure.

Kicking off the evening are California’s Rival Sons. I can’t really say that I knew too much about the band before tonight, despite having heard the name many times in the past. Now, let’s just make it clear that supporting a legendary band such as Sabbath can’t be an easy task in any way, but Rival Sons are the ultimate professionals and their set is flawlessly executed. I can totally see why they have been chosen to tag along on this tour, but I don’t necessarily think they are the ideal choice for the job. While I really enjoy the music, it doesn’t do a very good job of warming up the audience, which I think would have been needed tonight. Throughout the set the Sydney crowd is very flat, and I think it’s a shame that there wasn’t a more high-energy band added to the bill after Five Finger Death Punch’s cancellation. I think a band such as Airbourne would have worked wonders on the overall atmosphere. At the end of Rival Sons’ set the floor is quickly filling up. There are still many empty seats and twenty minutes left before Black Sabbath are set to take the stage. I’m not sure if it’s even close to a sold out show. However, as the light goes out and the video intro belonging to the main act of the evening is projected onto the massive screens people start swarming into the arena. I can’t imagine that there were many tickets left at the box office by this point.

The crowd erupts into a massive roar as Ozzy, Tony and Geezer take the stage. “How you doing?” asks the legendary frontman as they, backed by powerhouse drummer Tommy Clufetos, rip into “Black Sabbath”. I saw Ozzy Osbourne perform at Sweden Rock Festival in 2011 and there’s no doubt that he is in much better shape in 2016. Sure, he might miss a note every now and then, but he’s completely committed to the how. I get the feeling that he really is enjoying himself on that stage. That goes for the rest of the band too, by the way. I was worried that a tour that is marketed as ‘The End’ might just have been constructed as an easy money grab, but it’s anything but that.

One thing that took me by surprise tonight was the tempo of Sabbath’s set. “Let’s go crazy!” yells Osbourne as the band rapidly follows up with “Fairies Wear Boots”. From this point until the end of the show, he rules the first twenty rows on the floor with an iron fist. It’s a shame that the rest of the audience doesn’t follow suit. There are some glimpses of the energy that I had expected tonight, considering it is a farewell tour after all, but it doesn’t quite get there. All is not lost however, as everything else is pretty much perfect.

If there ever is a time for a show with stripped-down production, this is it. There are three big screens displaying the four people on stage, and other than a truly amazing light display, that’s about it. It’s all about the legends that are standing in front of us, and it feels so right. I have been to plenty of arena concerts despite my fairly young age, and I can honestly say that I don’t think I have ever experienced better sound than I did tonight. The crowd is fittingly treated to a set with classics, but also some hidden gems like “Dirty Women”. “Into The Void” is one of the absolute highlights; it is one of the few times where the entire floor is completely animated – singing, clapping and screaming at the top of their lungs. I have never been a fan of drum solos at concerts, and I felt that “Rat Salad” with an incorporated solo by Clufetos was a bit overkill. That was one of very few negatives, though.

At one point Osbourne plays the classic “Melbourne versus Sydney” game, which might be a cheap trick, but it works. The Sydney crowd is almost deafening and is rewarded with the Ozzy seal of approval: “Fucking fabulous!” He could have used these words to describe the band’s performance in general as well. It is an absolute privilege to watch Tony and Geezer perform, and judging by the standing ovation they receive as Ozzy presents the band, I’m not the only one who feels this way tonight. The feeling I keep coming back to is that the whole show feels very honest. I know that ‘The End’ tour is taking place in the entire world, for almost an entire year, but the vibe I get from the band tonight almost makes me believe that it is their last show together ever. I think it is a testament to Ozzy, Tony and Geezer both as musicians and as human beings that after so long, they can still produce such a high quality show.

“Paranoid” signals the end of an absolutely massive evening. It is time for Sydney to say goodbye to Sabbath, and I can’t imagine what life-long fans of the band are feeling, but given what we have just witnessed I do believe that it’s a memory that they will treasure for a long time to come.

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