Black Sabbath offers time-traveling performance in NJ
HOLMDEL, N.J. — Three of the four original members of Black Sabbath tore into the iconic metal band’s back catalog with fury and brimstone at a recent gig at the PNC Bank Arts Center in New Jersey. Ozzy Osbourne, the legendary frontman, rallied the sold-out crowd to clap their hands, wave their arms and jump around, almost like this were the 1970s. Guitarist Tommy Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler kept the rhythm thumping throughout the two-hour spectacle. Rage Against the Machine’s Brad Wilk provided impressive drumming, although memories of Bill Ward lingered.
It was easy to believe that Black Sabbath was still in its 1970s heyday. The roads leading to the PNC Bank Arts Center were packed. Parking was swamped. Eager fans awaiting the rebirth tailgated, many of them sporting black T-shirts with images of Sabbath’s past emblazoned on the front. This was no Taylor Swift concert.
After an opening DJ set from Andrew W.K. (better than expected), Sabbath took the stage with the requisite lighting effects and screams from Osbourne to have the audience enjoy itself. The opener was a doozy: “War Pigs,” an anthem that seems readymade for calls-and-responses with the crowd. Osbourne was in fine form, feeling the energy of the audience and when not happy, blatantly asking for more fury. A few ultimatums were issued on the PNC Bank Arts Center’s stage. If we didn’t clap our hands, it didn’t appear that Osbourne would continue with the show. Luckily, for him and us, it didn’t take much to follow along.
Some of the setlist highlights included “Into the Void,” “Fairies Wear Boots” and “Methademic,” a new track off Black Sabbath’s latest record, 13. Osbourne, who commanded the microphone the entire night, offered many thanks to the audience for making 13 the band’s only number one record throughout its illustrious four decades.
Fan favorites like “Iron Man” and a “Paranoid” encore kept the night enjoyable, while songs like “Snowblind” and “Children of the Grave” kept the night memorable.
Butler and Iommi were painstakingly precise, never crossing into self-indulgence. They kept Osbourne on track, providing the riffs that Sabbath fans have come to adore over the years. Butler, in particular, has a way of infusing the metal music with much-needed blues, somehow personalizing the anthemic rock songs.
Enough cannot be said about Osbourne. The pop culture icon has seen his image take perhaps the weirdest roller-coaster ride of any musician in the business. But at the heart of his work is his excellence at the forefront of Black Sabbath. His vocals are identifiably familiar, an attractive squeal that somehow catapults itself over the thumping of the electric guitars. It’s an odd amalgamation: Cats may whine at its shrill sound, but it softens for the human ear. When singing about all things dark, it seems like a perfect voice, born to bellow about all things Halloween.
If Black Sabbath’s performance in New Jersey is any indication of their future aspirations, fans have entered a creatively satisfying time to fall in love all over again with the original metal band.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
