SHOWS - 'HEAVEN AND HELL' (THE BAND)

All information on this page was compiled by Robert Dwyer from various sources and contributors. These timelines and the text within is property of Robert Dwyer and sabbathlive.com. If you'd like to use any of this text for non-commercial purposes, please obtain permission first. Commercial utilization of this work in whole or in part is prohibited. [2002-2003, Robert Dwyer - Black Sabbath Live Project]

**SHOWS - 'HEAVEN AND HELL' (THE BAND)**
Date	Venue	City	Country	Showtime	Opening Acts	Review	Comments
3/10/07	REHEARSAL - Pacific Coliseum	Vancouver	Canada			Review
3/11/07	Pacific Coliseum	Vancouver	Canada		Megadeth, Down	Review
3/13/07	Rexall Place	Edmonton	Canada		Megadeth, Down
3/14/07	Saddledome	Calgary	Canada		Megadeth, Down [cancelled due to sickness]
3/16/07	Brandt Centre	Regina	Canada		Megadeth, Down [cancelled due to sickness]
3/18/07	MTS Centre	Winnipeg	Canada		Megadeth, Down
3/20/07	Steelback Centre	Sault St. Marie	Canada		Megadeth, Down		Duane Roy: “H&H played the brand new Steelback Center in Sault Ste. Marie. They are only the fourth band to play the arena since it opened six months ago. I’m not sure, you may have to check with the structural engineers, but I think H&H may have done some permanent damage to the arena. From the intro of “E5150” to the last notes of “Neon Knights”, Sabbath…err.. H&H kicked maximum ass. “What more can I say about the songs? The two new songs were very heavy, “The Devil Cried” and “Shadow of the Wind” are classic numbers that could pretty much fit on any one of the three Dio era albums.” “I never EVER thought I would see the classic Sab line-up with Dio in my lifetime. There were quite a few mouth agape looks in the crowd of three thousand. The thing that struck me as the absolute coolest was the utter heaviness of Tony’s guitar. I mean Down and Megadeth (Oh ya - the other two bands on the bill) both have dual guitars and they didn’t even scratch the heavy sonicness (there’s a word reserved for Iommi) that Tony was sending out. Geezer was a rock, never really veering from his area, but all the while laying down some wicked bass riffs that may have cracked a few slabs of concrete in the Steelback arena. Dio was as always right on, all the time. His voice hasn’t weakened in the least. “Die Young”, “Heaven & Hell”, and “Neon Knights” were right on the money, classic Dio vocals…..awesome. Vinny was also good as usual, with his trademark facial expressions that leaves you wondering if he hit the bathroom pre-show or not. The keyboard player was audible sometimes, but invisible onstage. He was behind the curtains with the roadies and Mustaine with his tongue hanging out.” “The only real negative I can see in the entire show is the obligatory drum solo. I’m sure everyone would simply prefer another song, but I guess Vinny wants his four or five minutes in the spotlight.” “I was very surprised at the overall age of the crowd, lots of young people in their teens and a few younger than that. The majority were my age 35+ with even a few older chaps out there flashing the devil horns.” “I’ve read a lot of reviews where the relationship of Dio and the boys was questioned. Dio stood beside both Geezer and Tony many times during the show. He even kind of slapped Tony on the arse a little. I don’t think anyone has to worry, they’re all having a great time up there. Tony threw a mountain of picks into the crowd at the end of the show; wish I could’ve grabbed one. For the guitar players and fans, Tony also played his new creamy white SG which was cool to see that he gave his old reliable guitar a chance to rest now and then.” “Anyone who doubts that H&H can’t rock or that Ozzy was the voice of Sabbath, go and see H&H. Awesome, awesome show! The last three songs will give you goose bumps, the ohohohoh of Heaven and Hell (the song) still rings in my head. Best $63.00 I ever spent, still flashing the devil horns and repeating the question “Ozzy who?”
3/22/07	Air Canada Centre	Toronto	Canada		Megadeth, Down
3/24/07	John Labatt Centre	London	Canada		Megadeth, Down		Joel Geraghty: “The eerie sounds of "E5150" from “Mob Rules” filled the arena and the crowd erupted as Vinny Appice walked out first and took his place behind the drum kit.” “The doomy opening riffs of Dehumanizer's “After All (The Dead)”, cranked out by guitar god Tony Iommi and bass legend Geezer Butler, provided a unique choice to open the set. I've seen quite a bit of criticism about the decision to play a slower tune first rather than an up-tempo number like "Turn Up The Night", but I think it was a great choice and really worked with some amazing guitar work from Tony and scary vocals from the man himself, Ronnie James Dio. You could even look at it as a nod to their Black Sabbath heritage as the track reminds me of the 1970 Black Sabbath title track, so it makes sense from an evolutionary standpoint to do it first.” “Then again, it was one of my favorite tracks on the album, so I might be biased. Dio was the perfect Master of Ceremonies for the evening between songs as well and has a classy, calm, and collected demeanor (the exact opposite of original Black Sabbath front man Ozzy Osbourne and his crazed party-animal persona), but he emitted an ear-shattering scream as the band launched into the title track of their second album together, "The Mob Rules", and the crowd rocked along. It hits me at this point just how incredible Dio's voice is, especially considering it belongs to a man who will allegedly turn 65 on July 10. Yes, you read that right, and yes, I do believe he is some sort of supernatural creature because there is just no other explanation for the power and dexterity he still possesses within his vocal chords and somewhat diminutive frame, as he hopped up on the speakers at the front of the stage like a dude less than half his age. I'm still blown away as I write this over a week later and this concert made me a huge RJD fan.” “A beautiful rendition of "Children Of The Sea" off the Heaven And Hell album helped enhance that opinion as Ronnie deftly switched tempos from soft and sweet to nasty and growling throughout the song, while still hitting the higher notes and Tony worked his soul-stirring guitar magic with a great solo.” “Dio explained that the next song was about "a really mean, vicious person - of course, it's a woman" and immediately apologized tongue-in-cheek as the band rocked through the appropriately-titled "Lady Evil", which is a lesser-known song off Heaven And Hell that has grown to be one of my favorites so this was a highlight for me since it wasn't played live much in the previous incarnations of this band.” “The band followed with another rocker in the form of "I" from DEHUMANIZER, featuring some sweet solos from Tony and explosive drumming from Vinny as Ronnie even did the Ozzy-like "Nooo nooo nooooo" near the end and added some Gillan-esque rock screams.” “Dio introduced "The Sign Of The Southern Cross" as one of their most-requested songs and they gave us an epic version of the MOB RULES track, highlighted with the almost-psychedelic guitar work of Tony augmented by the hidden keyboards of Scott Warren.” “"Voodoo" off the same album was next and as I mentioned in my MOB RULES review, I really like this song a lot better live (as on LIVE EVIL) with an atmospheric slow part, a classic solo from Tony, and a driving bass line from Geezer giving it a '70s Sabbath vibe. I also dig Ronnie's "Evil lurks in the mind of the beholder" wind-down part at the end that gets criticized. Some people should just stay home and listen to their albums rather than attend a live concert where the songs MIGHT ACTUALLY SOUND DIFFERENT. OH NO!” “There are three new songs included on the BLACK SABBATH: THE DIO YEARS "best-of" disc and one of them is "The Devil Cried", which is a slow doomy number with a riff that is almost blatantly reminiscent of Electric Wizard's "Return Trip". I didn't care much for it upon my first listening of the studio track, but it's another one that's growing on me and comes alive in the live environment as a heavy-ass doom metal masterpiece with (yet again) classic solos by Tony and mournful vocals by Ronnie. This led into Vinny's pounding drum solo, which was much better than I'd anticipated and popped the crowd.” “A voiceover countdown from 5 to 1 took us into "Computer God" with more subdued vocals than the DEHUMANIZER album track and scorching licks from Tony after a beautiful slow part, during which the crowd held up their lighters as they did at other appropriate low-key moments.” “Next up was the rarely-performed "Falling Off The Edge Of The World", which Dio noted was a good description for the state of the world, as the band ripped through this underrated Mob Rules track and followed with "Shadow Of The Wind", another brand-new song available on BLACK SABBATH: THE DIO YEARS that I hadn't heard. It's a cool slower-paced number with a soulful guitar solo, but it might have been a mistake to place it so closely in the set list to "The Devil Cried" since both songs are unfamiliar and bring down the audience a bit, especially with a deep cut like "Falling Off The Edge Of The World" that isn't as well-known in between.” “It doesn't matter though, because a classic Iommi solo led into the "Die Young" riff and Dio wailed like it was 1980 in this classic Heaven And Hell song, which featured the superb slowed-down "Someone stopped the fare" part from the album track that I don't think they usually did live back in the day. Ironically, "Die Young" brought the crowd to life and left us enthusiastic and energetic as we all wailed along when Tony played the iconic "Heaven And Hell" riff while Ronnie crooned his ass off and bled for the dancer. Not literally. Absolutely incredible to hear this thunderous title track performed live with the band hitting on all cylinders as the "Little white shape" slowed-down part in the middle was a thing of beauty with a heavenly white spotlight shining down on Dio before he turned into a growling demon and a hellish red light shone up at him. Seriously, this thing made him look scary. Stunning effect for the band's signature number and they finished off with more of Tony's scorching guitar and the crowd participation bit. Ronnie named off his band mates and thanked us as they left the stage and many people filed out of the arena, but after a couple of minutes the fantastic four returned. Dio said they always had time for one more for us while promising us they would be back in the future. Interesting.” “A blazing rendition of "Neon Knights" was the encore song as Ronnie performed his amazing vocal acrobatics with the audience singing along and the band playing brilliantly in this aptly-titled number in the home of the Ontario Hockey League's London Knights. I don't follow hockey anymore, but they should adopt "Neon Knights" as their theme song and change the team colors to neon green, hot pink, and bright yellow. Anyway, this was the perfect nightcap to a truly unforgettable experience with a legendary band on possibly their last tour together ever.”
3/26/07	Bell Centre	Montreal	Canada		Megadeth, Down
3/27/07	Colisee Pepsi Arena	Quebec City	Canada		Megadeth, Down
3/28/07	Civic Centre	Ottawa	Canada		Megadeth, Down
3/30/07	Radio City Music Hall	NYC	U.S.		(No opening act)		Mark Mihalek: "The Radio City gig was awesome. I've never been to a concert where the sound was so incredible. The only flaw I could tell was Dio missing a verse in "After All". I was surprised to hear that the band didn't like their performance. I was slightly disappointed that they didn't play "Ear In The Wall", but we got "Lonely Is The Word"."
4/22/07	Dodge Theatre	Phoenix	U.S.		Megadeth, Machine Head
4/24/07	HP Pavilion	San Jose	U.S.		Megadeth, Machine Head
4/25/07	The Forum	Inglewood (Los Angeles)	U.S.		Megadeth, Machine Head		Leighton Anderson: “Now, 25 years later, new wife, new friends and the same kick-ass Black Sabbath. My wife had never been to a general admission concert filled with headbangers who NEVER sit down and fight for their position in front of the stage, which is where I like to be at. She loved it. She now lists it as her best concert ever. The friends we took were friends of my son's (ages 20 to 23) and I was really worried that Heaven and Hell/Sabbath was going to sound like one of the has-been bands that play the local casino circuit. My son was a hardcore Black Sabbath and Ozzy freak. I suppose that was my fault, heh... and he loved the Dio years, too. I told him many times about the '82 show and that it was what a real concert should be like. Well, his friends weren't disappointed, nor was I.” “Since Sabbath's '82 show had always been my standard on how I base my opinions of shows, I can tell you that the show I saw at The Forum in L.A. on April 25th of this year surpassed that high benchmark and is now the NEW standard on which I will base all my future concert experiences. All of us... the band... me... we were all 25 years younger and nothing had changed. Heaven and Hell/Sabbath (who's kidding who) just plain fucking rocked and was a validation for me of sorts... almost a vindication. I've bragged so hard on these guys over the years... gave out more copies of their albums Heaven and Hell, The Mob Rules and Dehumanizer to my friends -and later to my kids and their friends- than I can count. Two wives had to listen to these albums countless times with me until they couldn't help but know them and like them as well as I. When I saw these same 4 guys this year, I saw my wife and friends have the same experience I had 25 years ago... the same same thing I had felt... only this time it was even better. The magic is still there.” “One last thing - they didn't play any Ozzy era songs this time around like they did on the Mob Rules tour. I liked that. I never thought the two should've been mixed together. I've always considered Ozzy/Sabbath and Dio/Sabbath as two entirely different bands, both EQUALLY great in their own music as far as I was concerned. I've never understood the Ozzy/Dio rift among the fans... why take sides? It's apples and oranges to me and both line-ups gave us some of the greatest music in rock. Some of it is pure genius to me; from both bands. My son's friends and my wife were converted that night... and I was no longer looked upon as an old-burned-out-rocker-trying-to-recapture-my-past every time the subject of Black Sabbath came up. They finally knew what I was always talking about. There was no nostalgia with this show... just kick-ass music. These guys might not be young but, together again their music is stronger than before and that made it, and them, feel new. I was proud of the band that night. The music is still as fresh and relevant today as it was when it was first released. All the Dio era Sabbath songs can stand on their own and rock any show by themselves, as they proved at the show I went to this past April. Not once did I hear anybody in the crowd yell or chant for any Ozzy era songs. I liked that... I liked that a lot.”
4/26/07	Coors Amphitheatre	Chula Vista (El Cajon)	U.S.		Megadeth, Machine Head
4/28/07	Journal Pavilion	Albuquerque	U.S.		Megadeth, Machine Head
4/29/07	Broomfield Events Center	Broomfield (Denver)	U.S.		Megadeth, Machine Head
5/1/07	Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre	San Antonio	U.S.		Megadeth, Machine Head
5/207	Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in the Woodlands	Houston	U.S.		Megadeth, Machine Head		James Blackbourne: “Technically, the actual correct name for the venue is ‘the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in the Woodlands’, but since that is quite long, the name frequently gets abbreviated in various ways. It is an open air venue with covered seating and a general admission lawn section. We were down quite close to the stage on Geezer's side, which was incredible since my son is learning bass.”
5/3/07	Nokia Theater	Grand Prairie (Dallas)	U.S.		Megadeth, Machine Head
5/5/07	All State Arena	Chicago	U.S.		Megadeth, Machine Head
5/6/07	Target Center	Minneapolis	U.S.		Megadeth, Machine Head
5/8/07	U.S. Bank Arena	Cincinnati	U.S.		Megadeth, Machine Head
5/10/07	Wachovia Spectrum	Philadelphia	U.S.		Megadeth, Machine Head
5/11/07	Time Warner Cable Amphitheater At Tower City	Cleveland	U.S.		Megadeth, Machine Head
5/12/07	Cobo Arena	Detroit	U.S.		Megadeth, Machine Head
5/14/07	Times Union Center	Albany	U.S.		Megadeth, Machine Head		Michael Lisi (from BLACK SABBATH ROCKS INTO REINCARNATION - Times Union, Albany, NY 5/16/2007): “It's been 15 years since Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice played as Black Sabbath. The band is back as Heaven and Hell, a moniker taken from the seminal 1980 Black Sabbath album of the same name. If you're a Dio-era Sab fan, Heaven and Hell is a gift from the metal gods; all but two songs of the band's 110-minute set Monday night at the Times Union Center were from "Heaven and Hell," 1981's "The Mob Rules" and 1992's "Dehumanizer." Heaven and Hell delivered almost two hours of meaty, throbbing metal propelled by Dio's still-stellar operatic tenor and Appice's thudding drums. They may be close to retirement age, but these rock dinosaurs can still hold their own -- and then some.” “About 5,000 fans, most of them male baby boomers and more than a few in worn Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Megadeth concert T-shirts, thrust their fists high and matched Dio as he spiked the air with the mano cornuta (devil horns) -- metal's universal symbol first flashed by Dio in the early 1980s.” “The elfish Dio, still menacing after all these years, prowled the stage, waving his hands in the air in theatrical fashion as he wailed through vintage versions of "The Mob Rules," "Lady Evil" and "Die Young." Dio may be in his mid-60s, but he looked, acted and sounded 20 years younger, effortlessly hitting the high notes in "Sign of The Southern Cross" and a thundering rendition of "Falling Off the Edge of the World."” “Iommi, who wrote the book on arena rock riffs, was impressive, reeling off one riff after another, wailing away during "I," "Children of the Sea," the chugging "Voodoo," a new song called "The Devil Cried" and "Die Young." It all came to a climax with an extended rendition of the show-closing "Heaven and Hell," which fans greeted with screams of recognition and lighters hoisted high. There was no doubt about it: Dio and company rocked on Monday night.” “Dave Mustaine and his Megadeth incarnation ripped it up during a 50-minute set of '80s-washed thrash metal, punctuated by a slew of savage guitar leads courtesy of Mustaine and guitarist Glen Drover. Megadeth pounded out several new cuts, including the killer "Washington Is Next!." Mustaine dusted off a few Megadeth gems as well, slamming through "Peace Sells" and left fans screaming for more with the searing, set-ending "Holy Wars -- The Punishment Due."” “Machine Head screeched and thrashed their way through a loud 25-minute set for a small, less-than-enthused crowd that couldn't understand -- let alone identify with -- lead singer Adam Duce's Cookie Monster-style vocals.”
5/15/07	Mohegan Sun Arena	Uncasville	U.S.		Megadeth, Machine Head
5/17/07	Paul E. Tsongas Arena	Lovell	U.S.		Megadeth, Machine Head
5/18/07	Merriweather Pavilion	Baltimore	U.S.		Megadeth, Machine Head
5/19/07	PNC Bank Arts Center	Holmdel	U.S.		Megadeth, Machine Head
6/2/07	SPIRIT OF ROCK festival - Eulachhallen	Winterthur	Switzerland	9:45 PM (H&H)	6/1 (Friday): Motley Crue (HL), Papa Roach, Violent Storm 6/2 (Saturday): Heaven And Hell (HL), Motorhead, Saxon, Udo, China	Info	Thomas Kerzner (Munich, Germany): “The gig was the best I’ve seen and heard for the last few years! Heaven & Hell played after CHINA, U.D.O, SAXON and MOTÖRHEAD as headliner of "Spirit of Rock" festival in Winterthur (a city near Zürich). The festival was not at Eishalle Deutweg but at "Eulachhallen". Heaven & Hell started at 21.45 and played till 23.15.”
6/3/07	GODS OF METAL festival - Idroscalo	Milan	Italy	10:00 AM	6/2 (Saturday): Motley Crue (HL) [21:30-23:30], Velvet Revolver [19:20-20:50], Scorpions [17:30-18:50], Thin Lizzy [16:00-17:00], White Lion [14:45-15:35], Tigertailz [13:30-14:20], Eldritch [12:30-13:05], Glyder [11:35-12:00], Planet Hard [11:00-11:20]. 6/3 (Sunday): Heaven And Hell (HL) [21:30-23:30], Dream Theater [19:20-20:50], Blind Guardian [17:30-18:50], Dimmu Borgir [16:00-17:00], Dark Tranquility [14:45-15:35], Symphony X [13:30-14:20], Anatema [12:30-13:05], DGM [11:30-12:00], Sinestesia [10:30-11:00]	Info
6/6/07	KB Hallen	Copenhagen (Kopenhamn)	Denmark	8:00 PM	Violent Storm [cancelled]		Rasmus Heide: “Just back from tonight's Heaven and Hell show at Copenhagen's KB Hallen. Here's the set list:” -. E5150 1. Mob Rules 2. Children of the Sea 3. I 4. Sign of the Southern Cross 5. Voodoo 6. Computer God 7. Falling off the Edge of the World 8. Shadow of the Wind 9. Die Young 10. Heaven and Hell - - - 11. Neon Knights ”You're right if you think we felt short changed! The band had the venue all to themselves (support Violent Wind were cancelled earlier today) and yet they couldn't see it in their hearts to reward us with more than a 90-minute bare minimum set. Furthermore, the sound was an awful mess throughout - minimally improved after Vinny's solo (after Voodoo) - but not enough to really inject power and enthusiasm into the crowd.” ”The DEHUMANIZER tracks sounded best, together with a mesmerizing “Heaven and Hell”, but considering who was onstage, it was a right bummer. Afterwards Geezer did a runner for the bus and Dio was nowhere to be seen. Vinny and Tony paused to give signatures and pose for photos with a few fans outside. Basically, the atmosphere was of a money grabbing reunion exercise. I'm really sorry to have to give such a bad vibe, but as a long standing Dio and Vinny fan I was mightily disappointed tonight.”
6/7/07	SWEDEN ROCK FESTIVAL	Norje (Sölvesborg)	Sweden	10:00 AM	6/6 (Wed): The Australian Pink Floyd Show, Annihilator, Nocturnal Rites, Wolf, CrashDiet, Black Debbath, Crazy Lixx, Randy Pipers Animal, Vomitory, Baltimoore, Andromeda, Mountain Of Power, Switchblade. 6/7 (Thurs): Heaven & Hell (HL) [23:30-02:00], Meat Loaf, Thin Lizzy, Quiet Riot, Dark Tranquillity, Thunder, Dimmu Borgir, Axel Rudi Pell, Symphony X, Amon Amarth, Point Blank, Bluestone Co, Solid Ground, Sören Berlevs Gas Show, Sturm und Drang, Tokyo Dragons, Eldritch, LIon's Share, Trail Of Tears, Marduk, Zan Clan, Backdraft. 6/8 (Fri): Aerosmith, Skid Row, U.D.O, Gov´t Mule, The Answer, Hardcore Superstar, November, Talisman, Pretty Maids, Kreator, Anekdoten, White Lion, Tiamat, McQueen, Tyr, Memfis, All Ends, Circus Maximus, After Forever, BadDadz & Big Bear. 6/9 (Sat): Scorpions with Uli Jon Roth, REO Speedwagon, Blind Guardian, Motörhead, Iced Earth, Black Oak Arkansas, Trouble, Hinder, Focus, Suzi Quatro, Fastway, Quireboys, Korpiklaani, Hellfueled, Falconer, Bloodbound, Magic Pie, Soul Doctor, Krux, Archer, BC & Heartkeys Goda Grannar. Blind Guardian, Motorhead, Dimmu Borgir, REO Speedwagon, The Australian Pink Floyd Show, Trouble, Kreator, Udo, Suzi Quatro, Annihilator, Gov't Mule, Hardcore Superstar, Black Oak Arkansas, Point Blank, Pretty Maids, Thunder, The Answer, Axel Rudi Pell, Circus Maximus, Randy Piper's Animal, Tokyo Dragons, Eldritch, Lion's Share, Falconer, Memfis	Info	Scott Heller: “I can tell you that Black Sabbath were totally amazing at the Sweden Rock Festival. Set list was exactly as the KB Hallen show in Copenhagen, but there were long jams by Iommi on “Voodoo”, long intro solo at “Die Young”, some cool delay guitars in “Sign of the Southern Cross” and a nice jam in “Heaven and Hell”.” “Sadly, I did not record the show as I thought my friend Alex was (but he was not). I did see a couple of video camera's so, some of the show was for sure shot on video. They did a great job mixing the effects from the back of the screen with the shots of the band members. IF someone shot their video straight on the huge screens, it would look really cool. I was totally blown away. Iommi is the man. It was like a dream to get to see him pay with a band and a singer that allows him so much room to improvise. He was totally jamming. It was amazing.”
6/9/07	SAUNA OPEN AIR FESTIVAL	Tampere	Finland	4:30 PM	6/7 (Thurs): Megadeth (HL), Stam1na, Timo Rautianen, Pain Confessor, Los Bastardos Finlandeses 6/8 (Fri): Type O Negative (HL), Poisonblack, Dimmu Borgir, Kotipelto, Kotiteollisuus, Thunderstone, Entwine 6/9 (Sat): Heaven And Hell (HL) [20:00], Sabaton, Dark Tranquility, Swallow The Sun, Sonata Arctica, Ari Koivunen, Violent Storm, Leverage	Info
6/10/07	Jaahallissa (Helsinki Ice Hall)	Helsinki	Finland	7:00 PM	Machine Men
6/16/07	FIELDS OF ROCK festival	Biddinghuizen	Netherlands	8:00 PM	6/16 (Saturday) Mean Stage: Iron Maiden (HL) [21:15-22:45], Slayer [19:05-20:15], Heaven And Hell [17:10-18:25], Machine Head [15:15-16:15], Papa Roach [13:30-14:30], Lauren Harris [12:30-13:10]. Temple Of Rock: Dragonforce, Pain Of Salvation, Aiden, After Forever, In This Moment, Panic Cell Rage Stage: Kamelot, Mastodon, Dublin Death Patrol, Fastway, Bloodsimple, The Spyderz 6/17 (Sunday) Mean Stage: Ozzy Osbourne, Velvet Revolver, Korn, Motorhead, Megadeth, Black Label Society Temple Of Rock: Dream Theater, Type O Negative, Hinder, Ill Nino, Amon Amarth, Delain Rage Stage: Hatebreed, Suicidal Tendencies, Life Of Agony, Devildriver, Walls Of Jericho		Armijn Hemel: “Totally awesome. Completely. Utterly. Heavenly. Helly.” “Seriously, very tight, heavy, and melodic. The surprise for me was their rendition of 'I', which was just so much better than on the album. Blew me away. Personal highlight: "Die Young". Very very hard to beat that. No new songs BTW.” Philip de Vroe: “Went to see Heaven and Hell last Saturday at the Fields of Rock festival. Awesome show, exceeded my expectations. Very heavy, very “doomy”. I knew these guys were great together, as I saw them play live 15 years ago on the DEHUMANIZER tour, but they amazed me with the intensity and passion of the performance. Heaven and Hell as a whole is definitely greater than the sum of the parts (individual players). “ “The band played between 5 and 6 PM on the outdoor main stage. I think the audience was very impressed and they got a good response. Steve Harris (Iron Maiden bass player) was watching them from the side of the stage, and Bruce Dickinson highlighted Heaven and Hell during an interlude between songs in the Iron Maiden performance. He actually said “What a great festival day, what a great show by my friends Iommi, Butler, Dio and Appice. Why don’t they just call themselves Black Sabbath and get on with it?”” “Looking forward to having more shows announced. Can’t wait to see them again! Maybe this fall, with full set list indoor shows in Europe? Why don’t you bring Megadeth as support!”
6/17/07	Stadthalle	Offenbach	Germany	8:00 PM
6/19/07	Torwar	Warszawa	Poland	8:00 PM
6/20/07	Spodek Hall	Katowice	Poland	8:00 PM
6/22/07	BANG YOUR HEAD festival - Messegelände	Balingen	Germany	10:00 AM	Edguy, Amon Amarth, Brainstorm, Evergrey, Finntroll, Girlschool, Mercenary, Mystic Prophecy, Nazareth, Powermad, Praying Mantis, Steelheart, Thunder	Info
6/23/07	GRASPOP METAL MEETING	Dessel	Belgium	8:00 PM	June 22 (Friday): Aerosmith (HL), Chris Cornell, Within Temptation, Type O Negative, Blind Guardian, Papa Roach, Therion, Joe Satriani, Celtic Frost, Thin Lizzy, Pain Of Salvation, Sabaton, Epica, Grave Digger, Vader, Amorphis, 1349, Static X, Fastway, Volbeat, Belphegor, Textures, Crimson Falls June 23 (Saturday): Iron Maiden (HL), Korn, Heaven And Hell, Life Of Agony, Stone Sour, Dimmu Borgir, Cannibal Corpse, Tiamat, Atheist, Legion Of The Damned, Me First & The Gimme Gimmes, Lamb Of God, Less Than Jake, Spiralarms, Sirenia, Brutal Truth, Drowning Pool, Rose Hill Drive, Lauren Harris, Bloodsimple [cancelled – replaced by Devildriver], Scarve, Thurisaz, Suhrim, Spoiler NYC June 24 (Sunday): Ozzy Osbourne (HL), Slayer, Children Of Bodom, Black Label Society, Hammerfall, Amon Amarth, Finntroll, Mastodon, Moonsorrow, Cynic, Mercenary, Chimaira, Devildriver, Korpiklaani, As I Lay Dying, In This Moment, Turisas, Eluveitie, Unearth, Stormrider, Spoil Engine, Asrai, Welkin, El Guapo Stuntteam, Oceans Of Sadness		Armijn Hemel: “First of all, Bloodsimple cancelled and Devildriver stepped in (so they are playing twice).” ”Short list, from the top of my head:” * Intro * Mob Rules * Children Of The Sea * I * Falling Off The Edge Of The World * Voodoo * Die Young * Heaven And Hell * Neon knights ”No drum solo, no “Sign Of The Southern Cross” (as on Fields of Rock, but there we didn't get "FOTEOTW"). I'm not entirely sure of the order they were played in, sorry. It was tight though. Good stuff. By the way, are Geezer's fingers made of rubber or so? 'kin awesome!”
6/25/07	T-Mobile Arena	Prague	Czech Republic	8:00 PM
6/26/07	Kosice Steel Arena	Kosice	Slovakia	8:00 PM
6/28/07	KALIAKRA ROCK FEST 2007 - Kaliakra Stadium	Kavarna	Bulgaria	8:00 PM	June 28: Heaven And Hell June 29: Motorhead June 30: Manowar	Info
7/1/07	Rockwave Festival	Athens	Greece	8:00 PM	Dream Theater, Iced Earth, Anathema, Kinetic
7/4/07	Petofi Hall	Budapest	Hungary	8:00 PM
7/5/07	Rotunden Platz	Vienna	Austria	8:00 PM	Metallica, Bullet For My Valentine
7/7/07	41st Montreux Jazz Festival - Auditorium Stravinski	Montreux	Switzerland	8:00 PM	Motorhead (8 PM)	Info	Lionel Bouvet (Annecy, France): “Yesterday, I came to see Heaven & Hell in Montreux. It was a sold out evening and 3,500 people where there. This concert was shorter than the others of the tour because two bands were playing this evening : Mötorhead (8 PM), and after Heaven & Hell (10.30 PM). Heaven & Hell played for one hour and thirty. It was a rather good concert.” Set list : E5150 – Mob Rules – Children Of The Sea – I – Sign Of The Southern Cross – Voodoo – Vinny Appice Solo – Computer God – Falling Off The Edge Of The World – Shadow Of The Wind – Die Young – Heaven & Hell. Encore: Neon Knights. The set list was good. A nice balance between fast songs and more heavy titles. My regrets were that this was a short concert and also not hearing “Lady Evil”, “After All (The Dead)” or “The Devil Cries”. The highlights of the concert for me were “Mob Rules”, “Children Of The Sea” (a very powerful beginning), “Computer God” (Absolutely perfect! I thought I was listening DEHUMANIZER) and “Die Young” (Really strong). As an encore, “Neon Knights” worked very well too.” “Everybody was in good form. Ronnie struggled a little at the beginning, but after “Voodoo”, his voice became really good. He is really a nice front man, and he talked a lot with the crowd. For me, the star of the show was Tony. He really seemed to enjoy the venue and played extremely well. His solos on Computer god were killers.” “The only low note for me personally was the extended version of “Heaven & Hell”. It was really too long, and it broke the rhythm of the concert. The same problem appeared with “Voodoo” (the end of the song with Ronnie singing). I don’t know how many times he sang “we are all Voodoo” and it wasn’t really too interesting.” “With the exception of my last remark, it was a nice evening (Mötorhead played really well before the Sabs) and a real chance to see Iommi, Butler, Dio & Appice in such a prestigious venue.”
8/2/07	Challenge Arena	Perth	Australia	8:00 PM	Down
8/5/07	Thebarton Theatre	Adelaide	Australia	8:00 PM	Down
8/7/07	WIN Entertainment Centre	Wollongong	Australia	8:00 PM	Down		Review by Ron Schroer – titled THE SEAT NAZIS OF WOLLONGONG In 1980, Black Sabbath (as they were called then) cancelled several dates of their Australian tour due to Geezer Butler’s injured hand. He’d punched a wall in Japan – as you do – and a doctor’s warning that he might permanently lose the use of one of his fingers had meant a sudden end to the Aussie tour. Making the announcement on TV music show Sounds Unlimited, Ronnie, Geezer and Vinny assured fans that Sabbath would be back ‘next year’… 27 years later, and – frankly – we’re all looking a little older and a little greyer. Heaven and Hell represents the first time since 1980 that any line-up of the Sabbs has made it Down Under. Never Say Die? Bloody lucky that we didn’t all die of old age, really. (I’d lost patience a few years ago, and had flown from Canberra to Birmingham to witness the 1997 reunion shows. Before then, in 1990, I’d been lucky enough to see the Tyr line-up perform in Cambridge. All great shows, but something had been missing – until now.) It was Sounds Unlimited that turned me on to Sabbath and introduced me to the voice of Ronnie James Dio. The first Sabbs song I ever heard was Die Young, followed by Neon Knights, and I was instantly hooked. Too young to see the Sabbs in 1980, it’s taken almost three decades and a name-change for this chance to see the only other line-up of Black Sabbath that could honestly be described as classic. Wollongong is a city on Australia’s eastern coast, and site of the Port Kembla steelworks. Newcastle and Sydney are close by, and my hometown Canberra is about a two-hour drive away. So on a perfect winter’s day, I travelled with three friends to the ‘Gong to finally experience Dio-era Sabbath. The venue was the WIN Entertainment Centre, part of a modern complex built close to Wollongong’s main beach. One of the best features of the complex is the Five Islands Brewery, a combined restaurant, bar, and beer brewery literally next door to the concert hall. Once we’d booked into our hotel, we whiled away several hours sampling boutique beers, watching the ocean, and listening to the muffled racket of the sound checks next door. We half-expected Down and the Sabbs to wander in for a drink, but sadly we saw no sign of them. The Brewery slowly filled with Sabbath fans as the afternoon wore on, and new friendships were forged over many fine ales. It was all rather surreal, relaxing in this coastal steel town on a sunny Tuesday afternoon and getting ourselves ready for a Sabbath concert! We learned that about 2,200 tickets had sold, making for a respectable crowd but a relatively small show for the Sabbs. There was merchandise, of course, and it was expensive (of course). Heaven and Hell and Live Evil shirts looked to be the most popular. I can’t say I saw anyone buying a pair of the Heaven and Hell g-strings! Given that my hometown Canberra can be a miserably cold place in winter, I bought a stylish beanie for those chilly mornings. Support act Down (featuring Phil Anselmo) had some young fans there, and they were all crammed down the front where our front row seats were supposed to be. I believe that all the Australian shows were seated – maybe there was an assumption that Sabbath fans are generally too old to stand these days – so we’d gone to a lot of trouble and expense getting good tickets ($180 each), and we were quietly pissed that the hall’s prime real estate had been taken over by fans whose own seats were probably several rows back. Down laid down their big riffs and attitude from 7:30 to 8:30. Long before the end, we’d grown tired of Anselmo’s dumbass posturing, and there was something weirdly homoerotic about the way he and his brothers-in-rock showed off their flabby beer bellies and hugged each other as the last song ground on and on… Later, a friend compared Anselmo with Dio, pointing out that Anselmo’s attitude seemed to be, ‘Look at me,’ whereas Dio was more about playing to the audience. It was a fair comment. We’d used Down’s set to position ourselves as close to the front as we could manage, but we needn’t have bothered. The Seat Nazis of Wollongong were suddenly among us, demanding to see tickets and sending people back to where they belonged before the main event. Doubtless some people were pissed off, but we loved those fascist bully boys! By the time the lights went out and E5I50 began to play, we were right at the front, right where we’d paid to be! (And we didn’t sit for long.) Tony Iommi – Lord of the Riff – was the first to appear, grinding out the riff to The Mob Rules, and suddenly they were all there, playing in Australia again after 27 years. It didn’t matter that the band had been comprehensively ignored by the mainstream Australian media – the fans knew that this was a special night, and that it might be many more years before the Sabbs came this way again. The band sounded fresh and tight (despite the jet-lag), and played like a well-oiled Heavy Metal machine. Most importantly, they looked like they were enjoying themselves. Geezer, with each passing year, is looking more and more like a comfortable old teddy bear. He’s not one for making eye contact or smiling at the crowd – he only allows himself a smile and a wave at the end of the show. With him, it’s all about the hands, especially the one that Kerrang! once described as a ‘flapping rubber glove’. Although he had a pocketful of picks, he didn’t use one all night – just his fingers, sometimes moving so fast they were a blur. It was amazing to watch. He’s one of the world’s great bass players. As for Ronnie James Dio, I can only hope I’m in as good a shape when I’m 65 or thereabouts. Californian sunshine agrees with him – he looked healthy and tanned, and he bounced around the stage like, well, an elf! (And Thank God he does, because Tony and Geezer aren’t much for moving. Ronnie once said that being onstage with them was ‘like playing with two pillars of salt,’ and it has to be said he’s right.) Most importantly, Ronnie’s voice had us rapt – it was still powerful, and it could still soar, after so many years. He really is the focal point of the band, and unlike dear old Ozzy, he can sing all night. The first thing I noticed about the stage set was the lack of video screens. Given the price of tickets, it would have been nice to experience the full stage show as opposed to a stripped-back version. We wondered if perhaps the full show was reserved for larger venues, and if we’d see the screens in Sydney. (We didn’t.) We also wondered if we’d get more songs at a bigger show. Again, no such luck. The Sabbs are nothing if not consistent. Here’s the set-list, and as best I can tell every show on the Australian tour got the same songs: E5I50 (Intro) The Mob Rules Children of the Sea I The Sign of the Southern Cross Voodoo (extended) Drum solo (mercifully brief) Computer God Falling Off the Edge of the World Shadow of the Wind Die Young Heaven and Hell Neon Knights (encore) The set-list was, for me, a well-balanced one, and included all the classics I’d most wanted to hear. Computer God and Falling off the Edge of the World were highlights, and doomy newie Shadow of the Wind sounded like it belonged. Nevertheless, eleven songs for a concert ain’t much! I’d have preferred another song to the over-extended version of Voodoo – why not throw in TV Crimes or Time Machine – and in 2007 do we really need a bloody drum solo? Lonely Is the Word would have been so much better. At show’s end I saluted Ronnie, and he saluted right back with a smile on his face. I couldn’t help thinking of a religious ritual as Tony and Geezer walked along the front of the stage and tossed out guitar picks to the screaming faithful. It was a great diversion – while the crowd searched desperately for little bits of black plastic, the band slipped quietly off. Clever! Afterwards, we spent a couple of hours standing by a security fence at the back of the hall with about twenty other fans, hoping to meet the band. (One woman couldn’t wait, and squeezed herself under the fence. When last we saw her, she was being put in the back of a police car. Those efficient local fascists at work again.) The band, however, wasn’t at all interested – Tony managed a limp-wristed wave as he and Geezer were driven away, and a while later Ronnie and Vinny were quickly smuggled out. We understood that the band was travelling straight to Newcastle, the next stop of the tour, but we were still disappointed. There was nothing left to do but look for something to eat, and on Tuesday night in Wollongong that was quite a challenge. The next morning, everyone was wearing a Sabbath shirt and a smile. It was Heaven and Hell, Mob Rules, and Dehumanizer all the way back to Canberra. After all those years of watching Black Sabbath (whatever the line-up) touring everywhere else except Australia, this concert was literally a dream come true for us. They came, we saw, they conquered!
8/8/07	Entertainment Centre	Newcastle	Australia	8:00 PM	Down
8/10/07	Rod Laver Arena	Melbourne	Australia	8:00 PM	Down		Lyndon Roberts: “I have been a Black Sabbath Fan for over 20 years and finally got to see the Gods of Metal at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on the 10 August 2007 and I was not disappointed. This has to be the best live concert I have ever seen. They were amazing. From the first number to the encore these guys were perfect. Tony Iommi's playing was impeccable, Dio's vocals were scorching and Geezer & Vinny were just incredible. I didn't think it possible but some of the numbers were better than the original recordings. The song "I" blew me away - so powerful. “Children Of The Sea" was awesome. Geezer's bass on "Sign of the Southern Cross” was just brilliant. And of course "Heaven and Hell" had the whole stadium singing along. Tony's solo on "Die Young" was so powerful. Every song they played was performed brilliantly. Unfortunately one show just wasn't enough. I'm glad there's a DVD to remember it by!!! Please come back to Australia I can guarantee it will be a sell out concert again, Thank you Sabbath.”
8/11/07	Entertainment Centre	Sydney	Australia	8:00 PM	Down
8/14/07	Entertainment Centre	Brisbane	Australia	8:00 PM	Down
8/16/07	Logan Campbell Centre	Auckland	New Zealand	8:00 PM	Down
8/30/07	Auditorio Nacional	Chapultepec (Mexico City)	Mexico	8:00 PM
8/31/07	Calle 2	Guadalajara	Mexico	8:00 PM
9/1/07	Arena Monterrey	Monterrey	Mexico	9:00 PM
9/5/07	Broome County Arena	Binghamton	U.S.	8:00 PM	Alice Cooper, Queensryche
9/7/07	Mohegan Sun Arena	Uncasville	U.S.	8:00 PM	Alice Cooper, Queensryche
9/8/07	Jones Beach Amphitheatre	Wantagh	U.S.	8:00 PM	Alice Cooper, Queensryche
9/9/07	Tweeter Center	Mansfield	U.S.	8:00 PM	Alice Cooper, Queensryche
9/11/07	Sovereign Center	Reading	U.S.	8:00 PM	Alice Cooper, Queensryche
9/14/07	St. Petersburg Times Forum	Tampa	U.S.	8:00 PM	Alice Cooper, Queensryche
9/15/07	Bank Atlantic Center	Sunrise	U.S.	8:00 PM	Alice Cooper, Queensryche
9/16/07	Amway Arena	Orlando	U.S.	8:00 PM	Alice Cooper, Queensryche
9/19/07	Darien Lake Performing Arts Center	Darien Lake	U.S.	8:00 PM	Alice Cooper, Queensryche
9/20/07	Copps Coliseum	Hamilton	Canada	6:30 PM	Alice Cooper, Queensryche		Robert L. “Saw the Sept 20 Hamilton Canada show and thought I would mention a couple things. Feel free to use on any area of your excellent and informative site!” “Strange energy at this show. After the opening tune "The Mob Rules", Ronnie mentioned a noticeable buzzing sound onstage. The band took a few moments just standing around waiting for techs to correct the problem, which they did not. So Ronnie said, "Well, we'll be Heaven And Hell with noise...".” “At one point later on in the show, a fan on the floors threw something at Ronnie. It sailed past him to the base of Vinny's drums. Ronnie picked it up and then tossed it aside. From where I was sitting it looked like a golden coloured tube, perhaps 3 inches long. A few minutes later another one was sent towards the stage. Noticed Ronnie saying something angrily off mic towards the person and even doing a Three Stooges move towards the guy (i.e.: His hand on the top of his head finger pointed outwards, not sure if that describes it!).” “The back of the arena was very empty although the fans that were present seemed to love the performance.”
9/21/07	DTE Music Theater	Clarkston (Detroit)	U.S.	8:00 PM	Alice Cooper, Queensryche
9/22/07	Sears Center	Hoffman Estates (Chicago)	U.S.	8:00 PM	Alice Cooper, Queensryche
9/23/07	Family Arena	St. Louis	U.S.	8:00 PM	Alice Cooper, Queensryche
9/25/07	Coors Amphitheatre	Denver	U.S.	8:00 PM	Alice Cooper, Queensryche
9/28/07	Reno Events Center	Reno	U.S.	8:00 PM	Alice Cooper, Queensryche
9/29/07	Konocti Harbor	Kelseyville	U.S.	8:00 PM	Alice Cooper, Queensryche
9/30/07	Sleep Train Amphitheatre	Concord	U.S.	8:00 PM	Alice Cooper, Queensryche
10/2/07	Selland Arena	Fresno	U.S.	8:00 PM	Alice Cooper, Queensryche
10/4/07	Anselmo Valencia Amphitheatre	Tucson	U.S.	8:00 PM	Alice Cooper, Queensryche
10/5/07	The Pearl Concert Theater At The Palms Casino	Las Vegas	U.S.	8:00 PM	Queensryche
10/6/07	Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre	Irvine	U.S.	8:00 PM	Alice Cooper, Queensryche
10/20/07	LOUD PARK 07 Festival - Saitama Super Arena	Saitama	Japan	8:45 PM	Marilyn Manson, Blind Guardian, Saxon, Trivium, Wig Wam, Therion, Anthem, Machine Head, As I Lay Dying, Laguna Coil and Amorphis.
10/22/07	Tokyo International Forum	Tokyo	Japan	8:00 PM	Trivium
10/23/07	LOUD PARK Festival - Osaka Castle Hall (a.k.a. Osaka-jo Hall)	Osaka	Japan	8:45 PM	22nd: Arch Enemy, Saxon, Andre Mattos, GNz-WORD, Nile 23rd: Matsumoto Kazuyuki (from Janne Da Arc), Marilyn Manson and Heaven & Hell		Romulo Ehalt: "The set list was really short this time, no idea why they played so little!" E5150 The Mob Rules Children Of The Sea I Voodoo Drum Solo Falling Off The Edge Of The World Die Young Heaven & Hell "No encore at all! I was really disapointed, travelled so long for so little! Actually I'd like to know if there's any mail address I can write to directly to complain with their management. BTW, don't know if it's the same for the rest of the tour but at least here they are playing Sinatra's "That's Life" as an outro."
10/25/07	Nagoya City Civic Auditorium (a.k.a. Nagoya-shi Koukaidou)	Nagoya	Japan	8:00 PM	Trivium
10/27/07	Fort Canning Park	Singapore	Singapore
11/4/07	Metro Arena	Newcastle	England	8:00 PM	Lamb Of God, Iced Earth		Mike Hardy: “Heaven and Hell were supported by Iced Earth and Lamb of God. Iced Earth I enjoyed. You could really feel the 6 or 8 string bass vibrate through the whole venue. Lamb of God I think were a bit extreme (loud !!) for many people, although I quite enjoyed their set.” “Anyway, time for the main act and as the curtains came back, a set of gothic arches are revealed with Live Evil images projected in them, as the backdrop to the band. As “E5150” played, Vinny crept onto the darkened stage. Then the opening chords of Mob Rules can be heard and Tony, Geezer and Ronnie come on stage to great applause. They looked to be in fantastic shape and from the first song it’s clear that the band are tight and enjoying the night as much as the crowd.” “Highlights of the show for me were "I"(never an album favourite track for me, but works really well live), "Falling Off The Edge Of The World" (always enjoyed the song and it really works live) "Die Young" (enjoyed the sing along and Tony’s ad lib intro), and "Heaven and Hell" (excellent extended version).” “The musicianship was complimented by the really excellent sound quality and very good light show and made for a fantastic night. Ronnie’s vocals were on top form - really excellent. Geezer's Bass playing was note perfect. Vinny’s drumming was spot on. I'll even forgive the drum solo! And Tony, well the man is a god on an SG.” “Only disappointment was that we didn't get the full USA set list. I would love them to have played “Lonely Is The Word” - still one of my favourite Iommi solos. I was fortunate (and old) enough to have seen the original Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules tours and I can honestly say that last night’s concert was at least as good if not better.” Set list: E5150 (intro tape), The Mob Rules, Children of the Sea, I, The Sign of the Southern Cross, Voodoo, Drum solo, Computer God, Falling Off the Edge of the World, Shadow of the Wind, Die Young, Heaven and Hell, Neon Knights
11/6/07	SECC Hall 4	Glasgow	Scotland	8:00 PM	Lamb Of God, Iced Earth
11/7/07	Hallam FM Arena	Sheffield	England	8:00 PM	Lamb Of God, Iced Earth
11/9/07	Evening News Arena	Manchester	England	8:00 PM	Lamb Of God, Iced Earth
11/10/07	Wembley Arena	London	England	8:00 PM	Lamb Of God, Iced Earth
11/11/07	Brighton Centre	Brighton	England	8:00 PM	Lamb Of God, Iced Earth
11/13/07	NEC	Birmingham	England	8:00 PM	Lamb Of God, Iced Earth
11/14/07	Cardiff International Arena	Cardiff	England	8:00 PM	Lamb Of God, Iced Ea

SHOWS - 'HEAVEN AND HELL' (THE BAND)

Date

Venue

City

Country

Showtime

Opening Acts

Review

Comments

3/10/07

REHEARSAL - Pacific Coliseum

Vancouver

Canada

Review

3/11/07

Pacific Coliseum

Vancouver

Canada

Megadeth, Down

Review

3/13/07

Rexall Place

Edmonton

Canada

Megadeth, Down

3/14/07

Saddledome

Calgary

Canada

Megadeth, Down [cancelled due to sickness]

3/16/07

Brandt Centre

Regina

Canada

Megadeth, Down [cancelled due to sickness]

3/18/07

MTS Centre

Winnipeg

Canada

Megadeth, Down

3/20/07

Steelback Centre

Sault St. Marie

Canada

Megadeth, Down

Duane Roy: “H&H played the brand new Steelback Center in Sault Ste. Marie. They are only the fourth band to play the arena since it opened six months ago. I’m not sure, you may have to check with the structural engineers, but I think H&H may have done some permanent damage to the arena. From the intro of “E5150” to the last notes of “Neon Knights”, Sabbath…err.. H&H kicked maximum ass.

“What more can I say about the songs? The two new songs were very heavy, “The Devil Cried” and “Shadow of the Wind” are classic numbers that could pretty much fit on any one of the three Dio era albums.”

“I never EVER thought I would see the classic Sab line-up with Dio in my lifetime. There were quite a few mouth agape looks in the crowd of three thousand. The thing that struck me as the absolute coolest was the utter heaviness of Tony’s guitar. I mean Down and Megadeth (Oh ya - the other two bands on the bill) both have dual guitars and they didn’t even scratch the heavy sonicness (there’s a word reserved for Iommi) that Tony was sending out. Geezer was a rock, never really veering from his area, but all the while laying down some wicked bass riffs that may have cracked a few slabs of concrete in the Steelback arena. Dio was as always right on, all the time. His voice hasn’t weakened in the least. “Die Young”, “Heaven & Hell”, and “Neon Knights” were right on the money, classic Dio vocals…..awesome. Vinny was also good as usual, with his trademark facial expressions that leaves you wondering if he hit the bathroom pre-show or not. The keyboard player was audible sometimes, but invisible onstage. He was behind the curtains with the roadies and Mustaine with his tongue hanging out.”

“The only real negative I can see in the entire show is the obligatory drum solo. I’m sure everyone would simply prefer another song, but I guess Vinny wants his four or five minutes in the spotlight.”

“I was very surprised at the overall age of the crowd, lots of young people in their teens and a few younger than that. The majority were my age 35+ with even a few older chaps out there flashing the devil horns.”

“I’ve read a lot of reviews where the relationship of Dio and the boys was questioned. Dio stood beside both Geezer and Tony many times during the show. He even kind of slapped Tony on the arse a little. I don’t think anyone has to worry, they’re all having a great time up there. Tony threw a mountain of picks into the crowd at the end of the show; wish I could’ve grabbed one. For the guitar players and fans, Tony also played his new creamy white SG which was cool to see that he gave his old reliable guitar a chance to rest now and then.”

“Anyone who doubts that H&H can’t rock or that Ozzy was the voice of Sabbath, go and see H&H. Awesome, awesome show! The last three songs will give you goose bumps, the ohohohoh of Heaven and Hell (the song) still rings in my head. Best $63.00 I ever spent, still flashing the devil horns and repeating the question “Ozzy who?”

3/22/07

Air Canada Centre

Toronto

Canada

Megadeth, Down

3/24/07

John Labatt Centre

London

Canada

Megadeth, Down

Joel Geraghty: “The eerie sounds of "E5150" from “Mob Rules” filled the arena and the crowd erupted as Vinny Appice walked out first and took his place behind the drum kit.”

“The doomy opening riffs of Dehumanizer's “After All (The Dead)”, cranked out by guitar god Tony Iommi and bass legend Geezer Butler, provided a unique choice to open the set. I've seen quite a bit of criticism about the decision to play a slower tune first rather than an up-tempo number like "Turn Up The Night", but I think it was a great choice and really worked with some amazing guitar work from Tony and scary vocals from the man himself, Ronnie James Dio. You could even look at it as a nod to their Black Sabbath heritage as the track reminds me of the 1970 Black Sabbath title track, so it makes sense from an evolutionary standpoint to do it first.”

“Then again, it was one of my favorite tracks on the album, so I might be biased. Dio was the perfect Master of Ceremonies for the evening between songs as well and has a classy, calm, and collected demeanor (the exact opposite of original Black Sabbath front man Ozzy Osbourne and his crazed party-animal persona), but he emitted an ear-shattering scream as the band launched into the title track of their second album together, "The Mob Rules", and the crowd rocked along. It hits me at this point just how incredible Dio's voice is, especially considering it belongs to a man who will allegedly turn 65 on July 10. Yes, you read that right, and yes, I do believe he is some sort of supernatural creature because there is just no other explanation for the power and dexterity he still possesses within his vocal chords and somewhat diminutive frame, as he hopped up on the speakers at the front of the stage like a dude less than half his age. I'm still blown away as I write this over a week later and this concert made me a huge RJD fan.”

“A beautiful rendition of "Children Of The Sea" off the Heaven And Hell album helped enhance that opinion as Ronnie deftly switched tempos from soft and sweet to nasty and growling throughout the song, while still hitting the higher notes and Tony worked his soul-stirring guitar magic with a great solo.”

“Dio explained that the next song was about "a really mean, vicious person - of course, it's a woman" and immediately apologized tongue-in-cheek as the band rocked through the appropriately-titled "Lady Evil", which is a lesser-known song off Heaven And Hell that has grown to be one of my favorites so this was a highlight for me since it wasn't played live much in the previous incarnations of this band.”

“The band followed with another rocker in the form of "I" from DEHUMANIZER, featuring some sweet solos from Tony and explosive drumming from Vinny as Ronnie even did the Ozzy-like "Nooo nooo nooooo" near the end and added some Gillan-esque rock screams.”

“Dio introduced "The Sign Of The Southern Cross" as one of their most-requested songs and they gave us an epic version of the MOB RULES track, highlighted with the almost-psychedelic guitar work of Tony augmented by the hidden keyboards of Scott Warren.”

“"Voodoo" off the same album was next and as I mentioned in my MOB RULES review, I really like this song a lot better live (as on LIVE EVIL) with an atmospheric slow part, a classic solo from Tony, and a driving bass line from Geezer giving it a '70s Sabbath vibe. I also dig Ronnie's "Evil lurks in the mind of the beholder" wind-down part at the end that gets criticized. Some people should just stay home and listen to their albums rather than attend a live concert where the songs MIGHT ACTUALLY SOUND DIFFERENT. OH NO!”

“There are three new songs included on the BLACK SABBATH: THE DIO YEARS "best-of" disc and one of them is "The Devil Cried", which is a slow doomy number with a riff that is almost blatantly reminiscent of Electric Wizard's "Return Trip". I didn't care much for it upon my first listening of the studio track, but it's another one that's growing on me and comes alive in the live environment as a heavy-ass doom metal masterpiece with (yet again) classic solos by Tony and mournful vocals by Ronnie. This led into Vinny's pounding drum solo, which was much better than I'd anticipated and popped the crowd.”

“A voiceover countdown from 5 to 1 took us into "Computer God" with more subdued vocals than the DEHUMANIZER album track and scorching licks from Tony after a beautiful slow part, during which the crowd held up their lighters as they did at other appropriate low-key moments.”

“Next up was the rarely-performed "Falling Off The Edge Of The World", which Dio noted was a good description for the state of the world, as the band ripped through this underrated Mob Rules track and followed with "Shadow Of The Wind", another brand-new song available on BLACK SABBATH: THE DIO YEARS that I hadn't heard. It's a cool slower-paced number with a soulful guitar solo, but it might have been a mistake to place it so closely in the set list to "The Devil Cried" since both songs are unfamiliar and bring down the audience a bit, especially with a deep cut like "Falling Off The Edge Of The World" that isn't as well-known in between.”

“It doesn't matter though, because a classic Iommi solo led into the "Die Young" riff and Dio wailed like it was 1980 in this classic Heaven And Hell song, which featured the superb slowed-down "Someone stopped the fare" part from the album track that I don't think they usually did live back in the day. Ironically, "Die Young" brought the crowd to life and left us enthusiastic and energetic as we all wailed along when Tony played the iconic "Heaven And Hell" riff while Ronnie crooned his ass off and bled for the dancer. Not literally. Absolutely incredible to hear this thunderous title track performed live with the band hitting on all cylinders as the "Little white shape" slowed-down part in the middle was a thing of beauty with a heavenly white spotlight shining down on Dio before he turned into a growling demon and a hellish red light shone up at him. Seriously, this thing made him look scary. Stunning effect for the band's signature number and they finished off with more of Tony's scorching guitar and the crowd participation bit. Ronnie named off his band mates and thanked us as they left the stage and many people filed out of the arena, but after a couple of minutes the fantastic four returned. Dio said they always had time for one more for us while promising us they would be back in the future. Interesting.”

“A blazing rendition of "Neon Knights" was the encore song as Ronnie performed his amazing vocal acrobatics with the audience singing along and the band playing brilliantly in this aptly-titled number in the home of the Ontario Hockey League's London Knights. I don't follow hockey anymore, but they should adopt "Neon Knights" as their theme song and change the team colors to neon green, hot pink, and bright yellow. Anyway, this was the perfect nightcap to a truly unforgettable experience with a legendary band on possibly their last tour together ever.”

3/26/07

Bell Centre

Montreal

Canada

Megadeth, Down

3/27/07

Colisee Pepsi Arena

Quebec City

Canada

Megadeth, Down

3/28/07

Civic Centre

Ottawa

Canada

Megadeth, Down

3/30/07

Radio City Music Hall

NYC

U.S.

(No opening act)

Mark Mihalek: "The Radio City gig was awesome. I've never been to a concert where the sound was so incredible. The only flaw I could tell was Dio missing a verse in "After All". I was surprised to hear that the band didn't like their performance. I was slightly disappointed that they didn't play "Ear In The Wall", but we got "Lonely Is The Word"."

4/22/07

Dodge Theatre

Phoenix

U.S.

Megadeth, Machine Head

4/24/07

HP Pavilion

San Jose

U.S.

Megadeth, Machine Head

4/25/07

The Forum

Inglewood (Los Angeles)

U.S.

Megadeth, Machine Head

Leighton Anderson: “Now, 25 years later, new wife, new friends and the same kick-ass Black Sabbath. My wife had never been to a general admission concert filled with headbangers who NEVER sit down and fight for their position in front of the stage, which is where I like to be at. She loved it. She now lists it as her best concert ever. The friends we took were friends of my son's (ages 20 to 23) and I was really worried that Heaven and Hell/Sabbath was going to sound like one of the has-been bands that play the local casino circuit. My son was a hardcore Black Sabbath and Ozzy freak. I suppose that was my fault, heh... and he loved the Dio years, too. I told him many times about the '82 show and that it was what a real concert should be like. Well, his friends weren't disappointed, nor was I.”

“Since Sabbath's '82 show had always been my standard on how I base my opinions of shows, I can tell you that the show I saw at The Forum in L.A. on April 25th of this year surpassed that high benchmark and is now the NEW standard on which I will base all my future concert experiences. All of us... the band... me... we were all 25 years younger and nothing had changed. Heaven and Hell/Sabbath (who's kidding who) just plain fucking rocked and was a validation for me of sorts... almost a vindication. I've bragged so hard on these guys over the years... gave out more copies of their albums Heaven and Hell, The Mob Rules and Dehumanizer to my friends -and later to my kids and their friends- than I can count. Two wives had to listen to these albums countless times with me until they couldn't help but know them and like them as well as I. When I saw these same 4 guys this year, I saw my wife and friends have the same experience I had 25 years ago... the same same thing I had felt... only this time it was even better. The magic is still there.”

“One last thing - they didn't play any Ozzy era songs this time around like they did on the Mob Rules tour. I liked that. I never thought the two should've been mixed together. I've always considered Ozzy/Sabbath and Dio/Sabbath as two entirely different bands, both EQUALLY great in their own music as far as I was concerned. I've never understood the Ozzy/Dio rift among the fans... why take sides? It's apples and oranges to me and both line-ups gave us some of the greatest music in rock. Some of it is pure genius to me; from both bands. My son's friends and my wife were converted that night... and I was no longer looked upon as an old-burned-out-rocker-trying-to-recapture-my-past every time the subject of Black Sabbath came up. They finally knew what I was always talking about. There was no nostalgia with this show... just kick-ass music. These guys might not be young but, together again their music is stronger than before and that made it, and them, feel new. I was proud of the band that night. The music is still as fresh and relevant today as it was when it was first released. All the Dio era Sabbath songs can stand on their own and rock any show by themselves, as they proved at the show I went to this past April. Not once did I hear anybody in the crowd yell or chant for any Ozzy era songs. I liked that... I liked that a lot.”

4/26/07

Coors Amphitheatre

Chula Vista (El Cajon)

U.S.

Megadeth, Machine Head

4/28/07

Journal Pavilion

Albuquerque

U.S.

Megadeth, Machine Head

4/29/07

Broomfield Events Center

Broomfield (Denver)

U.S.

Megadeth, Machine Head

5/1/07

Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

San Antonio

U.S.

Megadeth, Machine Head

5/207

Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in the Woodlands

Houston

U.S.

Megadeth, Machine Head

James Blackbourne: “Technically, the actual correct name for the venue is ‘the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in the Woodlands’, but since that is quite long, the name frequently gets abbreviated in various ways. It is an open air venue with covered seating and a general admission lawn section. We were down quite close to the stage on Geezer's side, which was incredible since my son is learning bass.”

5/3/07

Nokia Theater

Grand Prairie (Dallas)

U.S.

Megadeth, Machine Head

5/5/07

All State Arena

Chicago

U.S.

Megadeth, Machine Head

5/6/07

Target Center

Minneapolis

U.S.

Megadeth, Machine Head

5/8/07

U.S. Bank Arena

Cincinnati

U.S.

Megadeth, Machine Head

5/10/07

Wachovia Spectrum

Philadelphia

U.S.

Megadeth, Machine Head

5/11/07

Time Warner Cable Amphitheater At Tower City

Cleveland

U.S.

Megadeth, Machine Head

5/12/07

Cobo Arena

Detroit

U.S.

Megadeth, Machine Head

5/14/07

Times Union Center

Albany

U.S.

Megadeth, Machine Head

Michael Lisi (from BLACK SABBATH ROCKS INTO REINCARNATION - Times Union, Albany, NY 5/16/2007): “It's been 15 years since Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice played as Black Sabbath. The band is back as Heaven and Hell, a moniker taken from the seminal 1980 Black Sabbath album of the same name. If you're a Dio-era Sab fan, Heaven and Hell is a gift from the metal gods; all but two songs of the band's 110-minute set Monday night at the Times Union Center were from "Heaven and Hell," 1981's "The Mob Rules" and 1992's "Dehumanizer."
Heaven and Hell delivered almost two hours of meaty, throbbing metal propelled by Dio's still-stellar operatic tenor and Appice's thudding drums. They may be close to retirement age, but these rock dinosaurs can still hold their own -- and then some.”
“About 5,000 fans, most of them male baby boomers and more than a few in worn Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Megadeth concert T-shirts, thrust their fists high and matched Dio as he spiked the air with the mano cornuta (devil horns) -- metal's universal symbol first flashed by Dio in the early 1980s.”
“The elfish Dio, still menacing after all these years, prowled the stage, waving his hands in the air in theatrical fashion as he wailed through vintage versions of "The Mob Rules," "Lady Evil" and "Die Young." Dio may be in his mid-60s, but he looked, acted and sounded 20 years younger, effortlessly hitting the high notes in "Sign of The Southern Cross" and a thundering rendition of "Falling Off the Edge of the World."”
“Iommi, who wrote the book on arena rock riffs, was impressive, reeling off one riff after another, wailing away during "I," "Children of the Sea," the chugging "Voodoo," a new song called "The Devil Cried" and "Die Young." It all came to a climax with an extended rendition of the show-closing "Heaven and Hell," which fans greeted with screams of recognition and lighters hoisted high. There was no doubt about it: Dio and company rocked on Monday night.”
“Dave Mustaine and his Megadeth incarnation ripped it up during a 50-minute set of '80s-washed thrash metal, punctuated by a slew of savage guitar leads courtesy of Mustaine and guitarist Glen Drover. Megadeth pounded out several new cuts, including the killer "Washington Is Next!." Mustaine dusted off a few Megadeth gems as well, slamming through "Peace Sells" and left fans screaming for more with the searing, set-ending "Holy Wars -- The Punishment Due."”
“Machine Head screeched and thrashed their way through a loud 25-minute set for a small, less-than-enthused crowd that couldn't understand -- let alone identify with -- lead singer Adam Duce's Cookie Monster-style vocals.”

5/15/07

Mohegan Sun Arena

Uncasville

U.S.

Megadeth, Machine Head

5/17/07

Paul E. Tsongas Arena

Lovell

U.S.

Megadeth, Machine Head

5/18/07

Merriweather Pavilion

Baltimore

U.S.

Megadeth, Machine Head

5/19/07

PNC Bank Arts Center

Holmdel

U.S.

Megadeth, Machine Head

6/2/07

SPIRIT OF ROCK festival - Eulachhallen

Winterthur

Switzerland

9:45 PM (H&H)

6/1 (Friday): Motley Crue (HL), Papa Roach, Violent Storm

6/2 (Saturday): Heaven And Hell (HL), Motorhead, Saxon, Udo, China

Info

Thomas Kerzner (Munich, Germany): “The gig was the best I’ve seen and heard for the last few years! Heaven & Hell played after CHINA, U.D.O, SAXON and MOTÖRHEAD as headliner of "Spirit of Rock" festival in Winterthur (a city near
Zürich). The festival was not at Eishalle Deutweg but at "Eulachhallen". Heaven & Hell started at 21.45 and played till 23.15.”

6/3/07

GODS OF METAL festival - Idroscalo

Milan

Italy

10:00 AM

6/2 (Saturday): Motley Crue (HL) [21:30-23:30], Velvet Revolver [19:20-20:50], Scorpions [17:30-18:50], Thin Lizzy [16:00-17:00], White Lion [14:45-15:35], Tigertailz [13:30-14:20], Eldritch [12:30-13:05], Glyder [11:35-12:00], Planet Hard [11:00-11:20].

6/3 (Sunday): Heaven And Hell (HL) [21:30-23:30], Dream Theater [19:20-20:50], Blind Guardian [17:30-18:50], Dimmu Borgir [16:00-17:00], Dark Tranquility [14:45-15:35], Symphony X [13:30-14:20], Anatema [12:30-13:05], DGM [11:30-12:00], Sinestesia [10:30-11:00]

Info

6/6/07

KB Hallen

Copenhagen (Kopenhamn)

Denmark

8:00 PM

Violent Storm [cancelled]

Rasmus Heide: “Just back from tonight's Heaven and Hell show at Copenhagen's KB Hallen. Here's the set list:”

-. E5150
1. Mob Rules
2. Children of the Sea
3. I
4. Sign of the Southern Cross
5. Voodoo
6. Computer God
7. Falling off the Edge of the World
8. Shadow of the Wind
9. Die Young
10. Heaven and Hell
- - -
11. Neon Knights

”You're right if you think we felt short changed! The band had the venue all to themselves (support Violent Wind were cancelled earlier today) and yet they couldn't see it in their hearts to reward us with more than a 90-minute bare minimum set. Furthermore, the sound was an awful mess throughout - minimally improved after Vinny's solo (after Voodoo) - but not enough to really inject power and enthusiasm into the crowd.”

”The DEHUMANIZER tracks sounded best, together with a mesmerizing “Heaven
and Hell”, but considering who was onstage, it was a right bummer. Afterwards Geezer did a runner for the bus and Dio was nowhere to be seen. Vinny and Tony paused to give signatures and pose for photos with a few fans outside. Basically, the atmosphere was of a money grabbing reunion exercise. I'm really sorry to have to give such a bad vibe, but as a long standing Dio and Vinny fan I was mightily disappointed tonight.”

6/7/07

SWEDEN ROCK FESTIVAL

Norje (Sölvesborg)

Sweden

10:00 AM

6/6 (Wed): The Australian Pink Floyd Show, Annihilator, Nocturnal Rites, Wolf, CrashDiet, Black Debbath, Crazy Lixx, Randy Pipers Animal, Vomitory, Baltimoore, Andromeda, Mountain Of Power, Switchblade.

6/7 (Thurs): Heaven & Hell (HL) [23:30-02:00], Meat Loaf, Thin Lizzy, Quiet Riot, Dark Tranquillity, Thunder, Dimmu Borgir, Axel Rudi Pell, Symphony X, Amon Amarth, Point Blank, Bluestone Co, Solid Ground, Sören Berlevs Gas Show, Sturm und Drang, Tokyo Dragons, Eldritch, LIon's Share, Trail Of Tears, Marduk, Zan Clan, Backdraft.

6/8 (Fri): Aerosmith, Skid Row, U.D.O, Gov´t Mule, The Answer, Hardcore Superstar, November, Talisman, Pretty Maids, Kreator, Anekdoten, White Lion, Tiamat, McQueen, Tyr, Memfis, All Ends, Circus Maximus, After Forever, BadDadz & Big Bear.

6/9 (Sat): Scorpions with Uli Jon Roth, REO Speedwagon, Blind Guardian, Motörhead, Iced Earth, Black Oak Arkansas, Trouble, Hinder, Focus, Suzi Quatro, Fastway, Quireboys, Korpiklaani, Hellfueled, Falconer, Bloodbound, Magic Pie, Soul Doctor, Krux, Archer, BC & Heartkeys Goda Grannar.

Blind Guardian, Motorhead, Dimmu Borgir, REO Speedwagon, The Australian Pink Floyd Show, Trouble, Kreator, Udo, Suzi Quatro, Annihilator, Gov't Mule, Hardcore Superstar, Black Oak Arkansas, Point Blank, Pretty Maids, Thunder, The Answer, Axel Rudi Pell, Circus Maximus, Randy Piper's Animal, Tokyo Dragons, Eldritch, Lion's Share, Falconer, Memfis

Info

Scott Heller: “I can tell you that Black Sabbath were totally amazing at the Sweden Rock Festival. Set list was exactly as the KB Hallen show in Copenhagen, but there were long jams by Iommi on “Voodoo”, long intro solo at “Die Young”, some cool delay guitars in “Sign of the Southern Cross” and a nice jam in “Heaven and Hell”.”

“Sadly, I did not record the show as I thought my friend Alex was (but he was not). I did see a couple of video camera's so, some of the show was for sure shot on video. They did a great job mixing the effects from the back of the screen with the shots of the band members. IF someone shot their video straight on the huge screens, it would look really cool. I was totally blown away. Iommi is the man. It was like a dream to get to see him pay with a band and a singer that allows him so much room to improvise. He was totally jamming. It was amazing.”

6/9/07

SAUNA OPEN AIR FESTIVAL

Tampere

Finland

4:30 PM

6/7 (Thurs): Megadeth (HL), Stam1na, Timo Rautianen, Pain Confessor, Los Bastardos Finlandeses

6/8 (Fri): Type O Negative (HL), Poisonblack, Dimmu Borgir, Kotipelto, Kotiteollisuus, Thunderstone, Entwine

6/9 (Sat): Heaven And Hell (HL) [20:00], Sabaton, Dark Tranquility, Swallow The Sun, Sonata Arctica, Ari Koivunen, Violent Storm, Leverage

Info

6/10/07

Jaahallissa (Helsinki Ice Hall)

Helsinki

Finland

7:00 PM

Machine Men

6/16/07

FIELDS OF ROCK festival

Biddinghuizen

Netherlands

8:00 PM

6/16 (Saturday)

Mean Stage: Iron Maiden (HL) [21:15-22:45], Slayer [19:05-20:15], Heaven And Hell [17:10-18:25], Machine Head [15:15-16:15], Papa Roach [13:30-14:30], Lauren Harris [12:30-13:10].

Temple Of Rock: Dragonforce, Pain Of Salvation, Aiden, After Forever, In This Moment, Panic Cell

Rage Stage: Kamelot, Mastodon, Dublin Death Patrol, Fastway, Bloodsimple, The Spyderz

6/17 (Sunday)

Mean Stage: Ozzy Osbourne, Velvet Revolver, Korn, Motorhead, Megadeth, Black Label Society

Temple Of Rock: Dream Theater, Type O Negative, Hinder, Ill Nino, Amon Amarth, Delain

Rage Stage: Hatebreed, Suicidal Tendencies, Life Of Agony, Devildriver, Walls Of Jericho

Armijn Hemel: “Totally awesome. Completely. Utterly. Heavenly. Helly.”
“Seriously, very tight, heavy, and melodic. The surprise for me was their rendition of 'I', which was just so much better than on the album. Blew me away. Personal highlight: "Die Young". Very very hard to beat that. No new songs BTW.”

Philip de Vroe: “Went to see Heaven and Hell last Saturday at the Fields of Rock festival. Awesome show, exceeded my expectations. Very heavy, very “doomy”. I knew these guys were great together, as I saw them play live 15 years ago on the DEHUMANIZER tour, but they amazed me with the intensity and passion of the performance. Heaven and Hell as a whole is definitely greater than the sum of the parts (individual players). “

“The band played between 5 and 6 PM on the outdoor main stage. I think the audience was very impressed and they got a good response. Steve Harris (Iron Maiden bass player) was watching them from the side of the stage, and Bruce Dickinson highlighted Heaven and Hell during an interlude between songs in the Iron Maiden performance. He actually said “What a great festival day, what a great show by my friends Iommi, Butler, Dio and Appice. Why don’t they just call themselves Black Sabbath and get on with it?””

“Looking forward to having more shows announced. Can’t wait to see them again! Maybe this fall, with full set list indoor shows in Europe? Why don’t you bring Megadeth as support!”

6/17/07

Stadthalle

Offenbach

Germany

8:00 PM

6/19/07

Torwar

Warszawa

Poland

8:00 PM

6/20/07

Spodek Hall

Katowice

Poland

8:00 PM

6/22/07

BANG YOUR HEAD festival - Messegelände

Balingen

Germany

10:00 AM

Edguy, Amon Amarth, Brainstorm, Evergrey, Finntroll, Girlschool, Mercenary, Mystic Prophecy, Nazareth, Powermad, Praying Mantis, Steelheart, Thunder

Info

6/23/07

GRASPOP METAL MEETING

Dessel

Belgium

8:00 PM

June 22 (Friday): Aerosmith (HL), Chris Cornell, Within Temptation, Type O Negative, Blind Guardian, Papa Roach, Therion, Joe Satriani, Celtic Frost, Thin Lizzy, Pain Of Salvation, Sabaton, Epica, Grave Digger, Vader, Amorphis, 1349, Static X, Fastway, Volbeat, Belphegor, Textures, Crimson Falls

June 23 (Saturday): Iron Maiden (HL), Korn, Heaven And Hell, Life Of Agony, Stone Sour, Dimmu Borgir, Cannibal Corpse, Tiamat, Atheist, Legion Of The Damned, Me First & The Gimme Gimmes, Lamb Of God, Less Than Jake, Spiralarms, Sirenia, Brutal Truth, Drowning Pool, Rose Hill Drive, Lauren Harris, Bloodsimple [cancelled – replaced by Devildriver], Scarve, Thurisaz, Suhrim, Spoiler NYC

June 24 (Sunday): Ozzy Osbourne (HL), Slayer, Children Of Bodom, Black Label Society, Hammerfall, Amon Amarth, Finntroll, Mastodon, Moonsorrow, Cynic, Mercenary, Chimaira, Devildriver, Korpiklaani, As I Lay Dying, In This Moment, Turisas, Eluveitie, Unearth, Stormrider, Spoil Engine, Asrai, Welkin, El Guapo Stuntteam, Oceans Of Sadness

Armijn Hemel: “First of all, Bloodsimple cancelled and Devildriver stepped in (so they are playing twice).”

”Short list, from the top of my head:”

* Intro
* Mob Rules
* Children Of The Sea
* I
* Falling Off The Edge Of The World
* Voodoo
* Die Young
* Heaven And Hell
* Neon knights

”No drum solo, no “Sign Of The Southern Cross” (as on Fields of Rock, but
there we didn't get "FOTEOTW"). I'm not entirely sure of the order they
were played in, sorry. It was tight though. Good stuff. By the way, are Geezer's fingers made of rubber or so? 'kin awesome!”

6/25/07

T-Mobile Arena

Prague

Czech Republic

8:00 PM

6/26/07

Kosice Steel Arena

Kosice

Slovakia

8:00 PM

6/28/07

KALIAKRA ROCK FEST 2007 - Kaliakra Stadium

Kavarna

Bulgaria

8:00 PM

June 28: Heaven And Hell June 29: Motorhead June 30: Manowar

Info

7/1/07

Rockwave Festival

Athens

Greece

8:00 PM

Dream Theater, Iced Earth, Anathema, Kinetic

7/4/07

Petofi Hall

Budapest

Hungary

8:00 PM

7/5/07

Rotunden Platz

Vienna

Austria

8:00 PM

Metallica, Bullet For My Valentine

7/7/07

41st Montreux Jazz Festival - Auditorium Stravinski

Montreux

Switzerland

8:00 PM

Motorhead (8 PM)

Info

Lionel Bouvet (Annecy, France): “Yesterday, I came to see Heaven & Hell in Montreux. It was a sold out evening and 3,500 people where there. This concert was shorter than the others of the tour because two bands were playing this evening : Mötorhead (8 PM), and after Heaven & Hell (10.30 PM). Heaven & Hell played for one hour and thirty. It was a rather good concert.”

Set list :

E5150 – Mob Rules – Children Of The Sea – I – Sign Of The Southern Cross – Voodoo – Vinny Appice Solo – Computer God – Falling Off The Edge Of The World – Shadow Of The Wind – Die Young – Heaven & Hell. Encore: Neon Knights.

The set list was good. A nice balance between fast songs and more heavy titles. My regrets were that this was a short concert and also not hearing “Lady Evil”, “After All (The Dead)” or “The Devil Cries”. The highlights of the concert for me were “Mob Rules”, “Children Of The Sea” (a very powerful beginning), “Computer God” (Absolutely perfect! I thought I was listening DEHUMANIZER) and “Die Young” (Really strong). As an encore, “Neon Knights” worked very well too.”

“Everybody was in good form. Ronnie struggled a little at the beginning, but after “Voodoo”, his voice became really good. He is really a nice front man, and he talked a lot with the crowd. For me, the star of the show was Tony. He really seemed to enjoy the venue and played extremely well. His solos on Computer god were killers.”

“The only low note for me personally was the extended version of “Heaven & Hell”. It was really too long, and it broke the rhythm of the concert. The same problem appeared with “Voodoo” (the end of the song with Ronnie singing). I don’t know how many times he sang “we are all Voodoo” and it wasn’t really too interesting.”

“With the exception of my last remark, it was a nice evening (Mötorhead played really well before the Sabs) and a real chance to see Iommi, Butler, Dio & Appice in such a prestigious venue.”

8/2/07

Challenge Arena

Perth

Australia

8:00 PM

Down

8/5/07

Thebarton Theatre

Adelaide

Australia

8:00 PM

Down

8/7/07

WIN Entertainment Centre

Wollongong

Australia

8:00 PM

Down

Review by Ron Schroer – titled THE SEAT NAZIS OF WOLLONGONG

In 1980, Black Sabbath (as they were called then) cancelled several dates of their Australian tour due to Geezer Butler’s injured hand. He’d punched a wall in Japan – as you do – and a doctor’s warning that he might permanently lose the use of one of his fingers had meant a sudden end to the Aussie tour. Making the announcement on TV music show Sounds Unlimited, Ronnie, Geezer and Vinny assured fans that Sabbath would be back ‘next year’…

27 years later, and – frankly – we’re all looking a little older and a little greyer. Heaven and Hell represents the first time since 1980 that any line-up of the Sabbs has made it Down Under. Never Say Die? Bloody lucky that we didn’t all die of old age, really.

(I’d lost patience a few years ago, and had flown from Canberra to Birmingham to witness the 1997 reunion shows. Before then, in 1990, I’d been lucky enough to see the Tyr line-up perform in Cambridge. All great shows, but something had been missing – until now.)

It was Sounds Unlimited that turned me on to Sabbath and introduced me to the voice of Ronnie James Dio. The first Sabbs song I ever heard was Die Young, followed by Neon Knights, and I was instantly hooked. Too young to see the Sabbs in 1980, it’s taken almost three decades and a name-change for this chance to see the only other line-up of Black Sabbath that could honestly be described as classic.

Wollongong is a city on Australia’s eastern coast, and site of the Port Kembla steelworks. Newcastle and Sydney are close by, and my hometown Canberra is about a two-hour drive away. So on a perfect winter’s day, I travelled with three friends to the ‘Gong to finally experience Dio-era Sabbath.

The venue was the WIN Entertainment Centre, part of a modern complex built close to Wollongong’s main beach. One of the best features of the complex is the Five Islands Brewery, a combined restaurant, bar, and beer brewery literally next door to the concert hall. Once we’d booked into our hotel, we whiled away several hours sampling boutique beers, watching the ocean, and listening to the muffled racket of the sound checks next door. We half-expected Down and the Sabbs to wander in for a drink, but sadly we saw no sign of them.

The Brewery slowly filled with Sabbath fans as the afternoon wore on, and new friendships were forged over many fine ales. It was all rather surreal, relaxing in this coastal steel town on a sunny Tuesday afternoon and getting ourselves ready for a Sabbath concert! We learned that about 2,200 tickets had sold, making for a respectable crowd but a relatively small show for the Sabbs.

There was merchandise, of course, and it was expensive (of course). Heaven and Hell and Live Evil shirts looked to be the most popular. I can’t say I saw anyone buying a pair of the Heaven and Hell g-strings! Given that my hometown Canberra can be a miserably cold place in winter, I bought a stylish beanie for those chilly mornings.

Support act Down (featuring Phil Anselmo) had some young fans there, and they were all crammed down the front where our front row seats were supposed to be. I believe that all the Australian shows were seated – maybe there was an assumption that Sabbath fans are generally too old to stand these days – so we’d gone to a lot of trouble and expense getting good tickets ($180 each), and we were quietly pissed that the hall’s prime real estate had been taken over by fans whose own seats were probably several rows back.

Down laid down their big riffs and attitude from 7:30 to 8:30. Long before the end, we’d grown tired of Anselmo’s dumbass posturing, and there was something weirdly homoerotic about the way he and his brothers-in-rock showed off their flabby beer bellies and hugged each other as the last song ground on and on… Later, a friend compared Anselmo with Dio, pointing out that Anselmo’s attitude seemed to be, ‘Look at me,’ whereas Dio was more about playing to the audience. It was a fair comment.

We’d used Down’s set to position ourselves as close to the front as we could manage, but we needn’t have bothered. The Seat Nazis of Wollongong were suddenly among us, demanding to see tickets and sending people back to where they belonged before the main event. Doubtless some people were pissed off, but we loved those fascist bully boys! By the time the lights went out and E5I50 began to play, we were right at the front, right where we’d paid to be! (And we didn’t sit for long.)

Tony Iommi – Lord of the Riff – was the first to appear, grinding out the riff to The Mob Rules, and suddenly they were all there, playing in Australia again after 27 years. It didn’t matter that the band had been comprehensively ignored by the mainstream Australian media – the fans knew that this was a special night, and that it might be many more years before the Sabbs came this way again. The band sounded fresh and tight (despite the jet-lag), and played like a well-oiled Heavy Metal machine. Most importantly, they looked like they were enjoying themselves.

Geezer, with each passing year, is looking more and more like a comfortable old teddy bear. He’s not one for making eye contact or smiling at the crowd – he only allows himself a smile and a wave at the end of the show. With him, it’s all about the hands, especially the one that Kerrang! once described as a ‘flapping rubber glove’. Although he had a pocketful of picks, he didn’t use one all night – just his fingers, sometimes moving so fast they were a blur. It was amazing to watch. He’s one of the world’s great bass players.

As for Ronnie James Dio, I can only hope I’m in as good a shape when I’m 65 or thereabouts. Californian sunshine agrees with him – he looked healthy and tanned, and he bounced around the stage like, well, an elf! (And Thank God he does, because Tony and Geezer aren’t much for moving. Ronnie once said that being onstage with them was ‘like playing with two pillars of salt,’ and it has to be said he’s right.) Most importantly, Ronnie’s voice had us rapt – it was still powerful, and it could still soar, after so many years. He really is the focal point of the band, and unlike dear old Ozzy, he can sing all night.

The first thing I noticed about the stage set was the lack of video screens. Given the price of tickets, it would have been nice to experience the full stage show as opposed to a stripped-back version. We wondered if perhaps the full show was reserved for larger venues, and if we’d see the screens in Sydney. (We didn’t.) We also wondered if we’d get more songs at a bigger show. Again, no such luck. The Sabbs are nothing if not consistent.

Here’s the set-list, and as best I can tell every show on the Australian tour got the same songs:

E5I50 (Intro)
The Mob Rules
Children of the Sea
I
The Sign of the Southern Cross
Voodoo (extended)
Drum solo (mercifully brief)
Computer God
Falling Off the Edge of the World
Shadow of the Wind
Die Young
Heaven and Hell
Neon Knights (encore)

The set-list was, for me, a well-balanced one, and included all the classics I’d most wanted to hear. Computer God and Falling off the Edge of the World were highlights, and doomy newie Shadow of the Wind sounded like it belonged. Nevertheless, eleven songs for a concert ain’t much! I’d have preferred another song to the over-extended version of Voodoo – why not throw in TV Crimes or Time Machine – and in 2007 do we really need a bloody drum solo? Lonely Is the Word would have been so much better.

At show’s end I saluted Ronnie, and he saluted right back with a smile on his face. I couldn’t help thinking of a religious ritual as Tony and Geezer walked along the front of the stage and tossed out guitar picks to the screaming faithful. It was a great diversion – while the crowd searched desperately for little bits of black plastic, the band slipped quietly off. Clever!

Afterwards, we spent a couple of hours standing by a security fence at the back of the hall with about twenty other fans, hoping to meet the band. (One woman couldn’t wait, and squeezed herself under the fence. When last we saw her, she was being put in the back of a police car. Those efficient local fascists at work again.) The band, however, wasn’t at all interested – Tony managed a limp-wristed wave as he and Geezer were driven away, and a while later Ronnie and Vinny were quickly smuggled out. We understood that the band was travelling straight to Newcastle, the next stop of the tour, but we were still disappointed. There was nothing left to do but look for something to eat, and on Tuesday night in Wollongong that was quite a challenge.

The next morning, everyone was wearing a Sabbath shirt and a smile. It was Heaven and Hell, Mob Rules, and Dehumanizer all the way back to Canberra. After all those years of watching Black Sabbath (whatever the line-up) touring everywhere else except Australia, this concert was literally a dream come true for us. They came, we saw, they conquered!

8/8/07

Entertainment Centre

Newcastle

Australia

8:00 PM

Down

8/10/07

Rod Laver Arena

Melbourne

Australia

8:00 PM

Down

Lyndon Roberts: “I have been a Black Sabbath Fan for over 20 years and finally got to see the Gods of Metal at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on the 10 August 2007 and I was not disappointed. This has to be the best live concert I have ever seen. They were amazing. From the first number to the encore these guys were perfect. Tony Iommi's playing was impeccable, Dio's vocals were scorching and Geezer & Vinny were just incredible. I didn't think it possible but some of the numbers were better than the original recordings. The song "I" blew me away - so powerful. “Children Of The Sea" was awesome. Geezer's bass on "Sign of the Southern Cross” was just brilliant. And of course "Heaven and Hell" had the whole stadium singing along. Tony's solo on "Die Young" was so powerful. Every song they played was performed brilliantly. Unfortunately one show just wasn't enough. I'm glad there's a DVD to remember it by!!! Please come back to Australia I can guarantee it will be a sell out concert again, Thank you Sabbath.”

8/11/07

Entertainment Centre

Sydney

Australia

8:00 PM

Down

8/14/07

Entertainment Centre

Brisbane

Australia

8:00 PM

Down

8/16/07

Logan Campbell Centre

Auckland

New Zealand

8:00 PM

Down

8/30/07

Auditorio Nacional

Chapultepec (Mexico City)

Mexico

8:00 PM

8/31/07

Calle 2

Guadalajara

Mexico

8:00 PM

9/1/07

Arena Monterrey

Monterrey

Mexico

9:00 PM

9/5/07

Broome County Arena

Binghamton

U.S.

8:00 PM

Alice Cooper, Queensryche

9/7/07

Mohegan Sun Arena

Uncasville

U.S.

8:00 PM

Alice Cooper, Queensryche

9/8/07

Jones Beach Amphitheatre

Wantagh

U.S.

8:00 PM

Alice Cooper, Queensryche

9/9/07

Tweeter Center

Mansfield

U.S.

8:00 PM

Alice Cooper, Queensryche

9/11/07

Sovereign Center

Reading

U.S.

8:00 PM

Alice Cooper, Queensryche

9/14/07

St. Petersburg Times Forum

Tampa

U.S.

8:00 PM

Alice Cooper, Queensryche

9/15/07

Bank Atlantic Center

Sunrise

U.S.

8:00 PM

Alice Cooper, Queensryche

9/16/07

Amway Arena

Orlando

U.S.

8:00 PM

Alice Cooper, Queensryche

9/19/07

Darien Lake Performing Arts Center

Darien Lake

U.S.

8:00 PM

Alice Cooper, Queensryche

9/20/07

Copps Coliseum

Hamilton

Canada

6:30 PM

Alice Cooper, Queensryche

Robert L. “Saw the Sept 20 Hamilton Canada show and thought I would mention a couple things.
Feel free to use on any area of your excellent and informative site!”

“Strange energy at this show. After the opening tune "The Mob Rules", Ronnie mentioned a noticeable buzzing sound onstage. The band took a few moments just standing around waiting for techs to correct the problem, which they did not. So Ronnie said, "Well, we'll be Heaven And Hell with noise...".”

“At one point later on in the show, a fan on the floors threw something at Ronnie. It sailed past him to the base of Vinny's drums. Ronnie picked it up and then tossed it aside. From where I was sitting it looked like a golden coloured tube, perhaps 3 inches long. A few minutes later another one was sent towards the stage. Noticed Ronnie saying something angrily off mic towards the person and even doing a Three Stooges move towards the guy (i.e.: His hand on the top of his head finger pointed outwards, not sure if that describes it!).”

“The back of the arena was very empty although the fans that were present seemed to love the performance.”

9/21/07

DTE Music Theater

Clarkston (Detroit)

U.S.

8:00 PM

Alice Cooper, Queensryche

9/22/07

Sears Center

Hoffman Estates (Chicago)

U.S.

8:00 PM

Alice Cooper, Queensryche

9/23/07

Family Arena

St. Louis

U.S.

8:00 PM

Alice Cooper, Queensryche

9/25/07

Coors Amphitheatre

Denver

U.S.

8:00 PM

Alice Cooper, Queensryche

9/28/07

Reno Events Center

Reno

U.S.

8:00 PM

Alice Cooper, Queensryche

9/29/07

Konocti Harbor

Kelseyville

U.S.

8:00 PM

Alice Cooper, Queensryche

9/30/07

Sleep Train Amphitheatre

Concord

U.S.

8:00 PM

Alice Cooper, Queensryche

10/2/07

Selland Arena

Fresno

U.S.

8:00 PM

Alice Cooper, Queensryche

10/4/07

Anselmo Valencia Amphitheatre

Tucson

U.S.

8:00 PM

Alice Cooper, Queensryche

10/5/07

The Pearl Concert Theater At The Palms Casino

Las Vegas

U.S.

8:00 PM

Queensryche

10/6/07

Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

Irvine

U.S.

8:00 PM

Alice Cooper, Queensryche

10/20/07

LOUD PARK 07 Festival - Saitama Super Arena

Saitama

Japan

8:45 PM

Marilyn Manson, Blind Guardian, Saxon, Trivium, Wig Wam, Therion, Anthem, Machine Head, As I Lay Dying, Laguna Coil and Amorphis.

10/22/07

Tokyo International Forum

Tokyo

Japan

8:00 PM

Trivium

10/23/07

LOUD PARK Festival - Osaka Castle Hall (a.k.a. Osaka-jo Hall)

Osaka

Japan

8:45 PM

22nd: Arch Enemy, Saxon, Andre Mattos, GNz-WORD, Nile
23rd: Matsumoto Kazuyuki (from Janne Da Arc), Marilyn Manson and Heaven & Hell

Romulo Ehalt: "The set list was really short this time, no idea why they played so little!"

E5150
The Mob Rules
Children Of The Sea
I
Voodoo
Drum Solo
Falling Off The Edge Of The World
Die Young
Heaven & Hell

"No encore at all! I was really disapointed, travelled so long for so little! Actually I'd like to know if there's any mail address I can write to directly to complain with their management. BTW, don't know if it's the same for the rest of the tour but at least here they are playing Sinatra's "That's Life" as an outro."

10/25/07

Nagoya City Civic Auditorium (a.k.a. Nagoya-shi Koukaidou)

Nagoya

Japan

8:00 PM

Trivium

10/27/07

Fort Canning Park

Singapore

11/4/07

Metro Arena

Newcastle

England

8:00 PM

Lamb Of God, Iced Earth

Mike Hardy: “Heaven and Hell were supported by Iced Earth and Lamb of God. Iced Earth I enjoyed. You could really feel the 6 or 8 string bass vibrate through the whole venue. Lamb of God I think were a bit extreme (loud !!) for many people, although I quite enjoyed their set.”

“Anyway, time for the main act and as the curtains came back, a set of gothic arches are revealed with Live Evil images projected in them, as the backdrop to the band. As “E5150” played, Vinny crept onto the darkened stage. Then the opening chords of Mob Rules can be heard and Tony, Geezer and Ronnie come on stage to great applause. They looked to be in fantastic shape and from the first song it’s clear that the band are tight and enjoying the night as much as the crowd.”

“Highlights of the show for me were "I"(never an album favourite track for me, but works really well live), "Falling Off The Edge Of The World" (always enjoyed the song and it really works live) "Die Young" (enjoyed the sing along and Tony’s ad lib intro), and "Heaven and Hell" (excellent extended version).”

“The musicianship was complimented by the really excellent sound quality and very good light show and made for a fantastic night. Ronnie’s vocals were on top form - really excellent. Geezer's Bass playing was note perfect. Vinny’s drumming was spot on. I'll even forgive the drum solo! And Tony, well the man is a god on an SG.”

“Only disappointment was that we didn't get the full USA set list. I would love them to have played “Lonely Is The Word” - still one of my favourite Iommi solos. I was fortunate (and old) enough to have seen the original Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules tours and I can honestly say that last night’s concert was at least as good if not better.”

Set list: E5150 (intro tape), The Mob Rules, Children of the Sea, I, The Sign of the Southern Cross, Voodoo, Drum solo, Computer God, Falling Off the Edge of the World, Shadow of the Wind, Die Young, Heaven and Hell, Neon Knights

11/6/07

SECC Hall 4

Glasgow

Scotland

8:00 PM

Lamb Of God, Iced Earth

11/7/07

Hallam FM Arena

Sheffield

England

8:00 PM

Lamb Of God, Iced Earth

11/9/07

Evening News Arena

Manchester

England

8:00 PM

Lamb Of God, Iced Earth

11/10/07

Wembley Arena

London

England

8:00 PM

Lamb Of God, Iced Earth

11/11/07

Brighton Centre

Brighton

England

8:00 PM

Lamb Of God, Iced Earth

11/13/07

NEC

Birmingham

England

8:00 PM

Lamb Of God, Iced Earth

11/14/07

Cardiff International Arena

Cardiff

England

8:00 PM

Lamb Of God, Iced Ea