BAND: URIAH HEEP
DATE: 08 MAR 06
VENUE: PALACE GROUNDS,
BANGALORE
MEMBERS:
VOCALS- BERNIE SHAW
LEADS- MICK BOX
BASS- TREVOR BOLDER
KEYBOARDS- PHIL LANZON
DRUMS- LEE KERSLAKE
I confess I wasn’t even in my diapers when Uriah Heep started off. Neither am I a ‘Heepster’ by choice. The very thought of a band named after a morbid Dickensian novel of the Victorian times seemed exciting. [I bought ‘The very best of Heep’ some months back. I still am under the impression that the CD showcases a totally different band than the LP’s & cassettes.]
It was after much trepidation that I chose to attend the concert at Bangalore. The show however kick started bang on time ( I was late by a good deal, a grand revelation that even rock shows could start on time hit me like a supercharged thunderbolt) with fast numbers like ’ Sunrise’, ‘Free Me’, ‘Gypsy’. I remember the last two songs particularly for the drummer was arthritically out of sync, rhythm. The bandwagon rolled on with numbers like ‘Rain’, ’Sweet Lorraine’& ended earlier than expected with the keyboards reminding of Jon Lord(very DEEPLY PURPLISH indeed). Two hours packed closer than sardines don’t do any justice to these ‘Also Grampas of Brit Rock’ (the original ones being the ubiquitous ‘Rolling Stones’) who have been playing over the past three decades or so; just goes on to tell you how the audience had to beg and plead for ‘Easy Livin’-one of their more popular songs.
The thing about Bangalore was that the ppl were too well behaved. Maybe it was because the majority was elderly couples who have been faithful to their band over the years or coz of the new rule that banned everything except Pepsi & its toxic rivals. I left the show with the great sounds of Mick Box & Trevor Bolder ringing in my ear with faint echoes of ‘Thank you very very much indeed’ which was the signature of Bernie Shaw.
Like most rock bands the foundation of Heep is solely on the skills of the lead guitarist and the bassist. The lyrics take a comfortably cushioned back seat to accommodate the two talents, regardless of the fact that the other three members have been changed more frequently than my diapers. The very idea of leather, long hair, booze, drugs, tattoos and lyrics with ‘Ooooh’s’ and more ‘Aaaaah’s’ filling empty spaces and used more freely than punctuation marks sound quite revolting. The local dog pound and the church choir seem to have played a major role in the transformation of a rock band to a pseudo rock metal gospel crooning one.
DATE: 08 MAR 06
VENUE: PALACE GROUNDS,
BANGALORE
MEMBERS:
VOCALS- BERNIE SHAW
LEADS- MICK BOX
BASS- TREVOR BOLDER
KEYBOARDS- PHIL LANZON
DRUMS- LEE KERSLAKE
I confess I wasn’t even in my diapers when Uriah Heep started off. Neither am I a ‘Heepster’ by choice. The very thought of a band named after a morbid Dickensian novel of the Victorian times seemed exciting. [I bought ‘The very best of Heep’ some months back. I still am under the impression that the CD showcases a totally different band than the LP’s & cassettes.]
It was after much trepidation that I chose to attend the concert at Bangalore. The show however kick started bang on time ( I was late by a good deal, a grand revelation that even rock shows could start on time hit me like a supercharged thunderbolt) with fast numbers like ’ Sunrise’, ‘Free Me’, ‘Gypsy’. I remember the last two songs particularly for the drummer was arthritically out of sync, rhythm. The bandwagon rolled on with numbers like ‘Rain’, ’Sweet Lorraine’& ended earlier than expected with the keyboards reminding of Jon Lord(very DEEPLY PURPLISH indeed). Two hours packed closer than sardines don’t do any justice to these ‘Also Grampas of Brit Rock’ (the original ones being the ubiquitous ‘Rolling Stones’) who have been playing over the past three decades or so; just goes on to tell you how the audience had to beg and plead for ‘Easy Livin’-one of their more popular songs.
The thing about Bangalore was that the ppl were too well behaved. Maybe it was because the majority was elderly couples who have been faithful to their band over the years or coz of the new rule that banned everything except Pepsi & its toxic rivals. I left the show with the great sounds of Mick Box & Trevor Bolder ringing in my ear with faint echoes of ‘Thank you very very much indeed’ which was the signature of Bernie Shaw.
Like most rock bands the foundation of Heep is solely on the skills of the lead guitarist and the bassist. The lyrics take a comfortably cushioned back seat to accommodate the two talents, regardless of the fact that the other three members have been changed more frequently than my diapers. The very idea of leather, long hair, booze, drugs, tattoos and lyrics with ‘Ooooh’s’ and more ‘Aaaaah’s’ filling empty spaces and used more freely than punctuation marks sound quite revolting. The local dog pound and the church choir seem to have played a major role in the transformation of a rock band to a pseudo rock metal gospel crooning one.
