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

Tue May 1 17:47:32 EDT 2018

Thanks Bob.  No customs on the ferry, we just lost track of time.  The day
flew by.

Shaun R

On Tue, May 1, 2018, 1:49 PM Bob Winward <uriahheep at comcast.net> wrote:

> 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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> >
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> > http://www.uriah-heep.com
>
>
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