Nov 4 2013 – Toronto loves Black Sabbath – plain and simple. How else can you describe a packed Rockpile club for a tribute band playing their first show as Classic Sabbath Live? As the buzz for this band builds they are destined to be a staple in Toronto’s crowded but lively tribute show market. Classic Sabbath Live had the club dripping in a sweaty exuberance of sweet Sabbath music and both Ozzy and Dio were represented in a fantastic show.
Classic Sabbath Live has a unique DNA composition – 3 established musicians and 1 newcomer to the scene. A veteran of the Toronto Sabbath scene Dave Henley has been playing since the 80’s and does a remarkable job of Geezer Butler’s bass stylings. A bandmate of Henley back in 1985 in a band called Mr. Crowley was Mark Konarowski who took over the stage as both Osbourne and Dio. Konarowski did a fantastic job as Ozzy but what he did as Ronnie was mind blowing – this guy has the depth and power that Dio possessed and he did not hold back.
Cheryl-Anne Ward proved to be one of the best female guitarist I have ever seen right up there with Lita Ford and Nancy Wilson. Her Tony Iommi riffs were spot on and impressed the crowd.
Last but not least Elliot Pantich a young lad with major drumming talent and easily 30 years younger than the other three in the band. He was pure energy and a perfect complement to the three veteran musicians.
The 2 hour set blew away all expectations and the crowd was on their feet for most of the heavy hitter songs. As mentioned before this was the band’s first show together but they were tight and energetic. The end result was a fun filled night and Classic Sabbath Live are a welcome addition to T-Mak World’s must see bands. As usual in the Rockpile soundman Jake Disman really was on top of the controls and made the band shine in the best possible aural light possible. Words can only go so far so check out the video of The Mob Rules below
The whole set was incredible and would appeal to hardocre Dio and Sabbath fans as the band got into some deeper cuts that were very well received. We really liked the very strong versions of The Devil Cried, Fairies Wear Boots, Sweet Leaf, Heaven and Hell and Paranoid. Below is the full setlist of the night:
Children Of The Grave
Into The Void
Snowblind
Children Of The Sea
The Warning
Electric Funeral
Fairies Wear Boots
I
Lord Of This World
The Bible Black
The Hand of Doom
Lady Evil
Sweat Leaf
The Devil Cried
War Pigs
Mob Rules
NIB
Ear In The Wall
Black Sabbath
Heaven and Hell
Encore
Paranoid
Country Girl/Neon Knights
Verdict: 4 out of 5 – I can’t imagine how many countless hours of practice and sweat when into the show. Classic Sabbath Live’s inaugural gig was a thing of beauty as the musical talent on stage was top notch but even more impressive was the electrified crowd that thoroughly enjoyed the show. Great work Classic Sabbath Live – now please tell us when is the next show?
We leave you with some more videos from the event.
