Heaven and Hell - Charter One Pavilion, Chicago 8/19/09

“It’s on and on. On and on. It’s Heaven and Hell.” So sang the mighty Ronnie James Dio on a hot and muggy evening in Chicago. Let’s get one thing straight, I am a Dio fan from long ago starting with his days fronting Rainbow. So it will come as no shock that I would beg, borrow, or steal my way to any show he is a part of. That being said, I can be critical (as most super-fans usually are) of the show and performance when the need arises. I saw the all the tours Heaven and Hell performed in the Chicagoland area since their return in 2007. I witnessed the first pass along with the second go through and then their performance on the Metal Masters tour with Judas Priest. Having seen them a few times before gave me a good measure of what to expect and what was given. That being said, I walked away satisfied by their performance but still felt there was a little room for change.

Let me set the stage (literally). Two huge gargoyles flanked either side as though they were presiding over this unholy show. What almost looked like cemetery gates covered the Marshal stacks and bass cabinets with Geezer Butler’s covered in crosses and devils peeking through the chains. Vinny Appice’s huge drum set stood high atop a riser and all of this together made up an old school concert production. Opening with the instrumental E5150 and cutting straight away into The Mob Rules was predictable but welcome none the less. Anyone who has seen the previous tours know that they perform the classics and rightful so but what made the show special was the newer songs and the inclusion of an older deep track. The news songs Bible Black, Fear, and Follow the Tears were extremely welcome additions to the set. Even though I love the new album (oops, I mean CD), I felt that live, the songs took on another level of heaviness and the riffs were almost earth shaking. These songs were not played together but sprinkled into the set in-between older classics like Children of the Sea, Time Machine, and Die Young.

The other gem that was performed, albeit partially, was Country Girl from Mob Rules. This track has probably not been performed since that tour and it was great to finally see it make it into the set list. I wish they had played the whole track but hell; I will take what I can get. Now, I seem like a gushing fan so far with this review but the fact of the matter is that they really are great live. Dio’s voice, Iommi’s riffing, Butler’s thundering bass, and Appice’s solid drumming make up one well oiled machine. My biggest compliant and this is minor, is that I wish they would have changed things up a little. Sure, they have to play all the classics (and there are many) but open up the show with something different. First time out in 2007, they opened the show with After All which was not only a great way to open a show but also changed things up from other tours. The new songs really helped out in changing up the show and making this tour stand out from the others. If you have never seen the band live, “What are you waiting for?” go and get a ticket because you won’t be disappointed. If you are like me and have seen them many times, you may not be really surprised by the song selection but the performance alone is worth the price of admission. Heaven and Hell indeed.

 

Greg Olma