Black Label Society/Black Stone Cherry

I (Todd) had this date circled on my calendar for a long time and I was not disappointed! Opening band Black Stone Cherry was an eye

opener as these guys from Kentucky had enough energy to keep the Starland Ballroom lit during a blackout. From their current hit “Lonely Train” to a memphis blues jam, they rocked the house and gained a slew of new fans. At this rate it looks like they will be a rising popular face in the metal scene for years to come. I look forward to their future.

What do you get when you put a guitar virtuoso and 350+ fans in a club together? Total mayhem!!

Ozzy Osborne's long time axeman Zakk always was the face of hard working, beer guzzling, biker riding, blue collar America, and the vests both band and fans wear are a clear indication of that. Those vests, and the term “chapters” for the geography of Black Label's fans, are what bridges the gap most commonly found between the artist and his/hers audience.

From the first note of Black Label Society's opening number [a piano intro] to the last [ Zakk Wylde's now staple exit reverb screaming from his axe as he and the band exit the stage] the crowd was riot like. As I (Todd) experienced up front I can only compare the experience to being in the middle of a hurricane, with the fans pushing shoving and even crowd surfing to get closer to this N.J. metal man from Jackson . The crowd [with encouraging from Zakk ] grew loader and loader as he played their favorites like “Stillborn” to new hit “Concrete Jungle” and as Zakk himself says "will always be in his set list till the day he dies" “In This River”, which was written and dedicated to long time friend and first BLS chapter member the late Dimebag Darrell of Pantera .

As this and every Black Label Society show is all about Zakk's shredding, a change of songs would have been nice to hear like something off his early Pride and Glory and “Book of Shadows” albums. Over all Zakk Wylde showed why he is easily one of music's best and hardest working guitarist out there today and his fans loved every note of it.

Setlist :
Spoke in the Wheel
Bleed for Me
Stillborn
Fire it Up
Suicide Messiah
Forever Down
Been a Long Time
Concrete Jungle
Black Mass Reverend
In this River
Suffering Overdue
Funeral Bell
The Blessed Hellride
All for You
Blackend Water
Blood is Thicker than Water