Pix by Squirty
After months of anticipation, the Metal Gods Tour – featuring Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens and Simon Wright – hit Australia last night for the first show of the tour at Brisbane’s Mansfield Tavern.
The crowd was massive before opener Motorized hit the stage and kept growing from there, and it was great to see a big crowd turn up to what is, in my opinion, one of the best live music venues in Australia.
While I didn’t see much of Motorizer, I heard pretty much everything from backstage, and they were everything you would want from a Motorhead tribute band. Of course, there will only ever be one Lemmy, but when you pay the man and his band this level of respect by faithfully honouring his material, then you are a winner in my books.
It’s fitting at this moment to introduce the mastermind of this tour, Mr. James Morley. The whole thing has been his baby from the start, and what better way for the bass-playing legend to warm up for the big dance than by playing guitar in the main support band, Bon But Not Forgotten?
These guys are one of the best AC/DC tribute bands going around, and with Greg Aldridge holding down anchor on the kit and Skenie from The Poor handling vocal duties, what could go wrong?
As it turns out, nothing.
The band ripped through a full set of AC/DC classics, including Riff Raff, Dirty Deeds, Sin City, Down Payment Blues and Whole Lotta Rosie, nailing every one with a style and precision that belied the fact that their time together to practice has been minimal to say the least.
I was a bit disappointed Gone Shootin’ got cut from the setlist but… What happened there, Skenie?
A hush of anticipation filled the room as the crowd waited patiently for a glimpse of Judas Priest’s legendary frontman, and they weren’t disappointed as the band – which included Morley back on bass and guitarists Joel McDonald (Rose Tattoo, Frankies World Famous House Band) and Eddy Santacreu launched straight in Metal Gods by Judas Priest.
Owens was on fire from the outset, hitting notes most vocalists can only dream of with consummate ease and timing.
Wright started in typical engine room fashion, laying a steady beat and preferring to take somewhat of a back seat while the front man bathed in the accolades of the fans.
Morley was just Morley on bass – which is to say he didn’t put a foot wrong – and provided the backbone for the two guitarists, who were both electrifying and mesmerizing all at once.
Did I mention this was all in only the first song?
The crowd sang along pretty much from the first note and there were people dancing in the aisles, at their tables and on the dance floor, just like good pub rock/metal goers should!
The fun continued with Breaking The Law, which saw McDonald and Santacreu come together in a dualling solo for the first time, but definitely not the last.
By the time Black Sabbath’s Mob Rules reverberated through the speakers, it appeared that Wright was just starting to get his metal on, with some wicked drum rolls and general smashing of the skins. When Dio’s Rainbow In The Dark followed, it became clearer why Wright timed his run to this point, as the first track from the band he played in roared to life.
When Owens asked “Are you ready to sing with me” the answer was an emphatic yes and when he started fist pumping during the song the assembled masses dutifully followed.
It was a scintillating rendition and the first real proof that Owens has the vocal chops to pull off everything in the band’s repertoire. Which was the question on a few people’s lips in the lead-up to the first show. We all know he can nail Judas Priest, but pulling off Dio, Rainbow and Black Sabbath is another beast altogether.
It’s got me fucked what we were all worried about because he not only nailed it, but Owens also made the song his bitch in the ultimate tribute to Ronnie James Dio.
Speaking of Ronnie James, when Owens posed the question “Do you know who I think is the greatest singer ever?” the crowd pretty much to a man yelled back at him “Ronnie James Dio”, and they were right.
Owens paid the late vocalist the ultimate compliment by dedicating the music to the great man, and not only did he pay his respects by speech, but he also paid them even more by bringing to life some of Dio and Rainbow’s classic tunes.
Priest’s Hell Bent For Leather received the biggest cheer of the night, but it was the first set closing double of Dio’s Last In Line and Rainbow’s Kill The King that sent the crowd into raptures.
The only blemish for me on that first set is the decision made by the lighting guy to pull out the blinders for the very last song, causing most of the crowd to wince in pain as they tried to watch the on stage performance.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, when was the last time you heard ANYONE say “can we please have more blinders in the lights?”
The band exited the stage to catch their breath, but didn’t stay off for long, returning less than fifteen minutes later with Dio’s Holy Diver. Once more, the crowd sang along front to back and the stench of old-school metal hung thick in the air.
The band raced through the songs, including Priest’s You Got Another Thing Coming and as great as the music was, every new song meant one step closer to the inevitable end of the set.
Stand Up And Shout by Dio caught the crowd off guard a little, but when the first notes of Man On A Silver Mountain rung through the air, the crowd responded by yelling the words back at Owens – before he had even sung them!
This was definitely the stand-out track of the night for me and was so good even the band clapped afterwards. To the crowd of course, not themselves…
One of the best guitar solos these eyes and ears have witnessed led in Priest’s classic Grinder, with McDonald kicking things off before Santacreu took over until McDonald stepped back to the plate and the pair finished off the intro together in a blistering display of guitar wizardry that still has me shaking my head.
The Priest reunion continued with Living After Midnight before Owens demanded that “everybody put your horns up” and everyone did. Even the bar staff.
The band then launched into closer Heaven & Hell by Black Sabbath and absolutely nailed it, and then it was all over. But not before the band assembled on stage for a group hug and bow to the appreciative audience, who had just witnessed something truly special.
The show has the perfect name in Metal Gods because these five guys not only pay respect to the gods of Metal, but they have also carved their names right up there alongside the greats with a performance like this.
If you haven’t got yourself a ticket to your local show yet, do it now. You won’t see anything like this again for a long time.
If ever.
Friday October 14, 2022: Mansfield Tavern – BRISBANE, QLD
Saturday October 15, 2022: Bridgeway Live – ADELAIDE, SA
Sunday October 16, 2022: The Corner Hotel – MELBOURNE, VIC
Friday October 21, 2022: Manning Bar – SYDNEY, NSW
Saturday October 22, 2022: Badlands – PERTH, WA
Tickets on sale from www.oztix.com.au.
