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

[Pete Wharton]

Briliant review, really captured the atmosphere and fun and adventure of a Heep gig :-) 

Pete

-----Original Message-----
From: Heeplist [mailto:heeplist-bounces at travellersintime.com] On Behalf Of Shaun Roberge
Sent: 01 May 2018 21:13
To: Heeplist <heeplist at travellersintime.com>
Subject: [Heeplist] Vogue Theatre, Vancouver 4/28/2018

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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