[Heeplist] Vogue Theatre, Vancouver 4/28/2018

Tue May 1 16:48:30 EDT 2018

Did you have to go through customs on a ferry ride? What a great review!!

Bob Winward
All Heep is Good Heep!

> On May 1, 2018, at 4:12 PM, Shaun Roberge <frank.das.cat at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Apologies for the delay.  It's still just setting in that I've finally seen
> the all mighty Heep.  Aside from nearly missing the ferry the day went off
> just as planned.  Don and I arrived in Vancouver around 2pm on a rainy,
> grey day.  After checking into the hotel we went and had a look at the
> theatre, as neither of us had been there before.  Sadly, there didn't
> appear to be much advertising for the show and tickets were still
> available.  After drying off a bit and killing a couple hours we arrived
> back at the theatre an hour early and people had already started lining
> up.  Any doubts about a small crowd were shattered as the line was
> eventually down the street, around a corner and up an alley.  Luckily, the
> rain eased up and I was able to display my Uriah Heep Live t-shirt, Don had
> his '94 Wizard tour shirt.  There was a good array of different shirts from
> many years ago.  I'm not really sure what happened but an older fan that
> was ahead of us in line ended up on the ground and first responders were
> called.  After checking his pulse, blood pressure and other vitals they
> confirmed he was okay, but asked if he wanted them to send an ambulance.
> He just kept repeating no.  I don't think there was anything that would
> prevent him from seeing the concert; and I thought I was excited.  When the
> doors finally opened at 7pm, we quickly ran up to take balcony seats on
> Mick's side of the stage.  The seating was general admission so we didn't
> want to doddle.  When we got to the front row of the balcony we noticed
> signs reserving a section of seats for the Shaw family.  A woman was there
> informing people so we talked to her and she was one of Bernie's cousins.
> We took our seats in the second row, right amid 20-30 of Bernie's family
> and friends, most of which were Vancouver Islanders like ourselves and
> extremely friendly.  After conversing a bit with the cousin, I went and
> bought my 2018 North American tour shirt.  It will be a prized item in my
> tour shirt collection.  At 8pm the opening band started their set.  They
> were a local band called Uncle Sid, a quartet with bass, drums, one guitar
> and a female singer.  The sound mix was way off so I couldn't hear a single
> word she was shrieking into the microphone.  The guitarist was decent and
> the band had good energy but overall not my style, not enough space between
> the music.  Glad we brought ear plugs.  Their set ended around 8:30 so it
> was only 30 minutes till Heep.  Looking around I noticed the balcony had
> really filled up and the floor was packed.  As soon as the clock struck 9
> the lights went out and the magic was about to begin.  When Lanzon coolly
> strolled on stage and hit those first "Gypsy" notes I was floored.  That
> rhythm section of Gilbrook and Rimmer had me mesmerized. It almost seemed
> as if Mick floated to the stage, propelled by magic and power.  Absolutely
> the perfect way the start your first Heep show! Bernie's appearance was met
> with thunderous applause from his family.  His vocals were clear and crisp
> and he had the look of a western outlaw.  The setlist was the same as the
> other shows so I knew we were in for something special.  "Look at Yourself"
> got people grooved up and feeling good, while "Shadows of Grief" left them
> speechless.  When it came to "Stealin'", everyone was back to singing along
> and going nuts.  I liked the inclusion of "The Law", a newer song that
> reminds people they're still putting out great music.  "Sunrise" had
> excellent vibes with a big yellow spotlight highlighting Bernie and a
> powerful performance.  Before they played "The Magician's Birthday", Bernie
> said that he knew for a fact that someone in the audience named Tina had a
> birthday today, dedicating the song to her.  Tina was quickly pointed out
> by his family.  Seeing the legendary Mick Box with those dark glasses and
> big grin playing that song is one thing I will never forget and always be
> thankful for.  I loved how during "The Wizard", Bernie put his arm around
> Mick and sang it about him, very fitting considering the spell he had just
> cast upon the audience.  "One Minute" is one of my favourite songs from
> Outsider, especially when they punch it after the soft opening verse.  The
> introduction for "Between Two Worlds" was also about trying it out during
> the sound check so that's definitely part of the show.  "July Morning" was
> done exquisitely and was the perfect lead-up for the crowd pleasing "Lady
> in Black".  Heep stuck to the plan and left the stage after LIB with a
> standing ovation from the audience and monastic chanting of Heep, Heep,
> Heep; encouraging them back for another song.  How could they leave us
> without a little "Easy Livin'"?  The mighty Heep then handed out some
> souvenirs and shook hands with their beloved fans before parting the stage
> with the grace and class of kings.  Having been to many concerts, I can say
> without a doubt they are one of the most polished bands I've ever seen,
> purely professional.  Although I never got to see any of Heep's previous
> great bass players perform live, I feel that Davey and his bong-rattling
> bass is a good fit for the band, nicely feeding off Russel's contagious
> energy.  I liked his style and his stage presence, especially the LED
> lights on the neck of his guitar.  All in all it was a fantastic night of
> timeless music performed by one of the world’s greatest live bands.  I
> considered trying to sweet talk our way backstage with the family but given
> the amount of people and the expense of their trip it wouldn't have been
> right to impose.  I'm happy just to have seen them live and am confident
> they will be back soon.  The night ended with being woken up by drunks in
> the hotel room next door.  Just as I got up to do something about the noise
> they started singing "Easy Livin'".  I went back to bed knowing they had to
> be good people, regardless of the noise.  ALL HEEP IS GOOD HEEP!
> 
> Apologies again for the delay.
> 
> Shaun R
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