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Saxon, Hammerfall - Sheffield, England, 19th December 2011


Event: Saxon: UK Tour
Written by: Baz Anderson
Published: 21.12.2011

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Saxon, Hammerfall - Sheffield, England, 19th December 2011 by Baz Anderson (39)


An impressive queue had formed outside the moderately sized O2 Academy for what would be Saxon's home-county show in Yorkshire, and the second to last date of their extensive worldwide tour.





Local lads Crimes Of Passion opened the night with a solid but ultimately quite forgettable set of heavy metal. A few modern influences crept into the sound of this capable band, but even in their home city, the opening slot probably didn't do them any justice.


Crimes Of Passion


Following on with a quick changeover, the heavy metal Swedes received a warmer reception, although still not exactly wild. HammerFall delivered a real workman type set with a cut down 45-minute set of edited highlights. Despite the still seemingly reluctant audience at large, Cans did a great job in waking up with his sing-along sections.


Hammerfall


Setlist: Any Means Necessary / Heeding The Call / Renegade / Bang Your Head / Blood Bound / Last Man Standing / Let The Hammer Fall / One More Time / Hearts On Fire


Hammerfall


A headlining Saxon show is like a marathon; these guys together might have an average age approaching 60, but they can still rock the stage each night for just shy of two hours. The Yorkshire lads took the stage for a bit of an up and down first portion of the show. Alternating an old song with a new one, the band worked the audience up and then took the foot off the accelerator with a new one. Songs from the band's latest album Call To Arms, which is their best selling album for many years featured heavily in this section, unfortunate as it's much superior predecessor Into The Labyrinth was left completely out of this set.


Saxon


As the set progressed, the Sheffield audience finally warmed for a few songs that rarely see the light of day. "Dogs Of War" might not be completely unheard of, but "Rock The Nations" and "Broken Heroes" from the less known 80's albums sure made the set a little more interesting. The last portion of the show was littered with the classics the audience had paid their money to see; "Power And The Glory" might not be a setlist staple either, but even the routine "Wheels Of Steel" sounded fresh tonight. With so many albums and so many great songs it would be impossible for the band to create a perfect setlist for each individual, but the band certainly make the biggest of efforts each night, each year for their loyal fans. The band genuinely happy to be playing in their home county did what they do best, what they have been doing for so many years; playing it loud, proud, and late into the night.


Saxon


Setlist: Heavy Metal Thunder / Hammer Of The Gods / Never Surrender / When Doomsday Comes (Hybrid Theory) / Chasing The Bullet / Motorcycle Man / Back In '79 / Dogs Of War / To Hell And Back Again / Call To Arms / Rock The Nations / Broken Heroes / Mists Of Avalon / Power And The Glory / Denim And Leather / Wheels Of Steel / Crusader / And The Bands Played On / 747 (Strangers In The Night) / Princess Of The Night


Saxon


Thanks to Sharon for the accreditation.
Written by Barry Anderson.
Photos by Barry Anderson.







Written on 21.12.2011 by Member of Staff since 2006


Comments

Comments: 7   Visited by: 48 users
21.12.2011 - 23:38
Bizzaremifo

Very good show...thanx Saxon
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22.12.2011 - 00:42
Iron Nostarion
Maiden Whore
This sounds awesome (good article as well). But it's weird they did not play "Strong Arm of the Law".
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To their tombs the people are immured,
There is their gold, treasure and wealth,
The only condition is to ignore them,
Those who feed on corruption and weave death
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22.12.2011 - 01:27
LordFezzington
Lost To Apathy
Good article Baz, though I actually thought they carried the new songs pretty well in London. The show was really good last night - even more so for the tickets being free (courtesy of Metal Storm!).

Here's the setlist from last night's show:

Hammer Of The Gods / Heavy Metal Thunder / When Doomsday Comes / Chasing The Bullet / Motorcycle Man / Back In 79 / Solid Ball Of Rock / Never Surrender / Fire In The Sky / Midnight Rider / And The Bands Played On / To Hell And Back Again / Call To Arms / Rock The Nations / Mists Of Avalon / Broken Heroes / Play It Loud / Rough And Ready / Out Of Control / Denim And Leather / Princess Of The Night / Crusader / Power And The Glory / 747 / Strong Arm Of The Law / Wheels Of Steel

Some of the 'Denim And Leather' songs were combined a bit - but still a beasty set!
----
"Pay no heed to anyone and do what seems right to yourself." - Franz Kafka, The Trial
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22.12.2011 - 01:32
Baz Anderson

Glad you enjoyed it! Looks like London got the rest of the band's efforts, as it was the last date of the tour.
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22.12.2011 - 01:37
LordFezzington
Lost To Apathy
Written by Baz Anderson on 22.12.2011 at 01:32

Glad you enjoyed it! Looks like London got the rest of the band's efforts, as it was the last date of the tour.


Certainly appears we got a bigger set. I'd have enjoyed it even more if I hadn't got back to my car to find the rear window smashed and my work bag nicked! Still, you win some, you lose some...
----
"Pay no heed to anyone and do what seems right to yourself." - Franz Kafka, The Trial
2022 List: https://metalstorm.net/users/list.php?list_id=7001
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22.12.2011 - 01:41
Baz Anderson

Written by LordFezzington on 22.12.2011 at 01:37

Certainly appears we got a bigger set. I'd have enjoyed it even more if I hadn't got back to my car to find the rear window smashed and my work bag nicked! Still, you win some, you lose some...

Wow! Sorry about that... funny how things work.
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22.12.2011 - 15:28
Kingface

Great review Baz.

I thought it was a brilliant show. Saxon were amazing and I enjoyed Hammerfall too, certainly much more than I did when they headlined Corporation last year.
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