Zakk and his band of banshees, better known as Black Label Society, brought their brand of unrepentant metal to Rochester, NY this past Tuesday night. I was disappointed to see such a low turnout for one of rocks more established bands. Zakk lovingly refers to his fans as Bezerkers and the crowd that did show witnessed another solid set by B.L.S.
The band played 3 new songs off their latest album ‘Order of the Black’ which sounded great live; “Crazy Horse,” “Overlord,” and “Parade of the Dead.” The stage set now includes a video screen and long BLS banners hanging from the ceiling. Also adding to the visuals was a wall of Marshall cabinets, the heads of which were lit up by a cool, glowing orange overtone. Zakk, as always, showed his love to the fans, but let the music do the talking on this particular night. Long time bandmates, Nick Cantanese on guitar and bassist J.D. DeServio, were accompanied by new drummer Will Hunt. Will didn’t miss a beat and sounded great throughout the night. Nick always gives the nod of approval to his fans, just as J.D. enjoys being interactive with the crowd as well.
During “In This River,” the video screen depicted two young boys dressed up as Zakk and the late Dimebag Darrell Abbot (who was gunned down back in 2004.) It showed the boys on a journey through the woods, as they walked side- by-side along the river, concluding with Wylde taking an axe to a piano.
Maryland’s own Clutch gave a steady fistful of balls-out rock to the much appreciative crowd. Singer Neil Fallon who occasionally donned a guitar throughout the set, proved his vocals to be the highlight of the bands performance. He sounded crisp as the band went though songs like “The Mob Goes Wild” and “The Regulator.” A rock-solid set was delivered by these guys and they were a great choice for an opener.
No matter the size of the crowd, both B.L.S. and Clutch gave the fans what they deserved, a kick ass night of rock and roll music!
Set Lists:
Black Label Society
The Beginning…At Last
Crazy Horse
What’s in You
The Rose Petalled Garden
Funeral Bell
Overlord
Parade of the Dead
In This River
Fire it Up
Guitar solo
Godspeed Hellbound
The Blessed Hell Ride
Suicide Messiah
Concrete Jungle
Encore:
Stillborn
Clutch
Profits of Doom
The Mob Goes Wild
Big News
Pure Rock Fury
Minotaur
Gravel Road
The Regulator
50K Unstoppable Watts
Electric Worry
Photos by Jay Ritz and Gus Griesinger
We would like to thank the staff at BLS (Mark F.) and Clutch PR Jon Nardachone of Weathermaker Music for allowing BackstageAxxes to review both bands.
