Saxon w/ Fozzy & Halcyon Way Club Red Tempe, AZ 10-01-13

Went to see Saxon Tuesday night (10-01-13) at Club Red in Tempe, AZ. The show was scheduled to start at 7:30 P.M. (it probably started later), but I arrived after 8:30 P.M. because of work. I was still able to get an excellent parking place (couldn't believe it).

Halcyon Way

Halcyon Way was already playing when I arrived. I had never heard of this band, but was quite impressed with their stage presence and really dug their catchy songs. It is rare I recall songs I hadn't heard before after concerts, but I remembered "Desecration Day."

This guy is cute, BTW:



Anyway, does anyone here know the song in this clip? I accidentally had my finger over the speakers, so it sounds muffled. Fortunately, I realized that when Saxon came on:


Unknown song


Last part of final song "Desecration Day"





Fozzy

When this band came on, I was drawn to the lead singer with the cool jacket and shades. He reminded me of the coolness generated by Graham Bonnet, but with bigger biceps, LOL. It was only after the show that I looked him up and saw he is former wrestler Chris Jericho. That didn't surprise me as he is quite the physical specimen.



Fozzy got a big response from the crowd. Several times between songs, the audience started chanting "Fozzy! Fozzy!" Jericho appreciated it and would cross his arms, smile and listen to the chants. Two songs played were "Spider in My Mouth," and "Enemies." I don't know this band, so I didn't know the other songs played.

(The sound opens up--in other words, I took my finger off the speaker--at the 0:42 mark)
"Spider In My Mouth"


Fozzy takes a bow



Saxon

Saxon started their show with "Sacrifice." After the song, Byford thanked someone in the audience who fetched something from the drug store for him. He then said, "It might have been Viagra, though, I've been having a boner all day." Then he bowed his head and started laughing for quite a while. There was another time he started laughing like that. Maybe he was a bit loopy on cough syrup, LOL.  He still sounded great, though. He is one of those singers whose voice never seems to age.



They played a lot of songs; a dozen that I recall plus they returned to do two encores ("Crusader" and "Princess Of The Night"). Some were off their new album, but they played plenty of classics, too. I'm not familiar with their newer material, but the ones I recognized or that I remember Biff introduced were: "Sacrifice," "Power And The Glory," "Hammer Of The Gods," "Rock N' Roll Gypsy," "Wheels Of Steel," "Motorcycle Man," "Dallas 1 P.M.," "The Eagle Has Landed," "Denim And Leather," "Crusader," and "Princess Of The Night." Byford would introduce the guitarist if he was the prominent player in a song (i.e. Paul Quinn on "The Eagle Has Landed" and "Princess Of The Night" and Doug Scarratt on "Dallas 1 P.M.," etc.).

Saxon playing "Wheels Of Steel":



Byford made a big deal to mention (before and after the song) that this was the first time they played "Hammer Of The Gods" here. I'm not sure if he meant in the U.S. or in Tempe (which he often referred to as Phoenix) but, checking Youtube, they played that song in 2011 at that same venue, so he was mistaken. A nice moment was during "Denim And Leather." He looked down at the "book of lies" (the set list) and said "D & L, what's D & L?." People were calling out the song title, of course. He looked at a kid in the front row and said, "It's 'Denim And Leather,' man." He then gave the "book of lies" to the kid and later commented on the wide range of generations at the show. I thought that was a nice touch.

"Denim And Leather"


Near the beginning of the show, Byford mentioned it being quite a good crowd for a Tuesday night and that we should consider it a Friday and take the next day off. I couldn't take the advice as my boss was on vacation so I had a 10 1/2 hour shift the next day (I usually work Saturdays, anyway, so treating it as a Friday wouldn't work anyway, LOL). Another moment I remember from Byford's stage banter was him asking the crowd if they play Saxon on the radio stations here. After hearing lots of "No's," he said "That's OK, we like being the underdog."

They played two encores, the final of which was "Princess Of The Night" captured below. At the 0:39 mark, I got to grab Byford's hand (it didn't get in the video, but it happened). That was cool!



I really enjoyed the show and like all the bands.  

Jericho is actually a "part-time" wrestler. He still wrestles but the WWE lets him coordinate his wrestling schedule with his touring schedule with Fozzy. And they wouldn't do that for most wrestlers. Not only is Jericho a good wrestler in the ring but he also has a charisma and mic skills that makes him a fan favorite. I bet that charisma comes across just as well from the stage during a concert.

Glad you enjoyed the show.

Yes, I was very drawn to Jericho (being female probably contributes to that, LOL). When he first came on stage with the shades and glitzy jacket, it definitely got my attention and I thought, "Who is THAT!"

Did he have the jacket with the lights on it (it looks like it from you pics).    He wears that to the ring.  I like him as a wrestler because he comes up with original catch-phrases and is really good in the ring.  I always wondered what a Fozzy show was like.  Oh, and the female wrestling fans swoon when he's around too

I don't think the jacket had lights. It had shiny studs.

the Halcyon Way track is On Black Wings. It is the first track off of the album IndoctriNation. A fantastic proggy-metal offering. I have been a fan of these guys for quite some time. I am going to see this show on 10-09 in Portland OR.

Thanks! I really liked that song so captured that clip to identify later. Visited Portland last year to see a show (and go to Voodoo Doughnuts). Really liked it. Hope to go back soon.

huh, I have never actually been to Voodoo Donuts. Oh well. I am seriously impressed with both Chris Jericho and Fozzy. He was a truly fun and professional frontman. The band sounded fantastic and the the boys were quite obviously having a ton of fun. I missed part of the set because I wanted to go chat with the Halcyon Way guys, being as I am much more a fan of theirs. They were super cool and fun to talk with. Their live show was very very good and I see big things for these guys on the horizon. Biff thanked the Halcyon Way guys for being on the tour, as Portland was the last U.S. stop and next to last show. He went on to say that with bands like Halcyon Way, the future of metal is in good hands.

Saxon - Fozzy - Halcyon Way for $18.00... Basement clearance prices for a top-shelf show.