North American Tour Reports 

August 2nd - Seattle, Washington

Ballards Fire House

Blown away!

That describes it all.  The suprise show (to me) in Seattle on 8/2 is one that I will never forget.  When I first heard a Japanese band in Okinawa back in 1972 playing their music I new they would be one of my all time favorites.  The show Thursday night at the Ballard Firehouse proved
that my instincts were right.  I waited 29 years to see them and I'd wait another 29 years to do it again.  When one goes to see an "old" rock band you're hoping to hear all your old favorites.  I wasn't disappointed.  You also hope that their voices aren't entirely shot.  

Quite the opposite!  The vocals were superb!  The highs were high and harmony fantastic!  The new materail was as good as the old.  Sure I'm a fan but the show was ten times
better then I expected.  I just want to thank the Heep for stopping in
Seattle.  

Boy was I surprised!

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Photo's by Jay (Deepheep) Pearson

Hi y’all!!

My ears are still ringing and I can barely talk, but I can now die a happy & satisfied man!!!!  :-)  

Last nite’s show was the fulfillment of a life-long dream and I experienced while standing only 3 feet from Mick Box!!  My hands were literally resting on his monitor when I wasn’t clapping or pumping my fists.

Shelly & I arrived at the Ballard Firehouse about 3 hours early and found out that the band had only arrived a few minutes before us!  We barely got in the door in time before security closed it, thanks to our Gold Subscriber passes from the AD show. :-)  I immediately ran into the Mercho Madman himself, Dave Owen - what a great guy!!  I enjoyed talking with him as much as the band members, but I’ll let him share his band stories when he gets back to the UK in a couple of weeks - he’s got some great ones!  He provided Shelly & me with VIP passes and Shelly snagged one of the promo posters for me.

I talked with all the guys, of course, got a nice hug from Mick (my wife was quite pleasantly surprised when he gave her a kiss, I think that made her a fan of Mick’s for life! :-)  Trevor said that they’re indeed thinking of doing It Ain’t Easy (as well as Dream On) for TMBP, although none of the others would admit that they’ve even thought about what to do.  Phil, I think, likes the idea of doing Mr. Majestic, which I suggested to him.

 

The soundcheck did not go real well, there was quite a bit of feedback and the monitors weren’t hooked up properly, but I was so jazzed standing in the middle of the floor hearing Heep live for the first time in 17 years, I didn’t care!!!  However, Mick played some of the most blazing runs I’ve ever heard, and Lee and Mick jammed on a blues tune, with Lee making up words as he went.  Man, can he sing!!!  I asked him afterwards if he will ever sing lead on a Heep album again (not since the Rock & Roll Medley has he sung lead, and I think that’s the only one), and it’s obvious he’d like to, but he said only if it’s a blues number.  He did remember the exact number of songs he sang lead on the second Gods album, even after 30+ years! (3, btw)

The concert wasn’t promoted until the day of the show by KISW, but it was still packed.  All the tables & chairs had been removed to allow maximum standing room, and the stage was about double the size that it had been for Kansas, so the guys had some room to move.  Apparently, the owner was paying the band’s fee and hoping to make up the costs in drinks sold.  This meant two warm-up bands and a whole slew of drunks, and I spent the time helping Dave sell merchandise.  That was really fun because it allowed me plenty of time to educate the masses as to the glories of Future Echoes, AD and ED, as well as the accompanying DVDs. 

 

  We sold a ton of CDs and T-shirts, and some great new friends (Dan & Gary Bow and Sean Frank) recruited hundreds of new eheep members (Dan’s stack at the end must’ve been an inch thick!!)

My wife spent quite a bit of time talking with Bernie, Lee & Trevor before the show.  She’s very into Pacific Northwest Indian culture, and so she had a long chat with Bernie about his tattoo, which is the first tattoo she’s ever liked.  FYI, it is a totem from the Haida tribe (which is located near Bernie’s hometown of Vancouver) and is a sun in the center surrounded by a double-headed sea serpent (I think!!!).  So now y’all know. :-)

The first warm-up band was called Shades of Deep Purple, and they did a decent job with some classic Mk2 numbers.  The second band was a covers band not worth mentioning.  Finally, at 11 pm, Heep came on one member at a time to a jam-packed, frenzied audience of about 500.  I was quite fortunate to be standing directly in front of Mick with Dan & Gary, and as we pumped our fists in the air, Lee thundered out the new opening lick for Return to Fantasy.  I was in instant ecstasy, having reached my musical nirvana after 17 often despairing years!!

I had never realized how good Mick is technically, but being close enough to reach out and touch his guitar (I never did, tho I was sorely tempted!!), I was amazed at his ability!!  I also received the first pick that Mick passed out after Only the Young - BIG smiles from me (of course, I was all smiles the entire show, how could I not be???)

Although David Byron was the reason for many of us becoming Heepsters, I am now thoroughly and utterly convinced that Bernie Shaw is the greatest Heep singer ever (as Petey predicted would happen!).  Amazing control, every note spot on, the high notes were all there, bloody amazing!  I was also quite impressed with Phil.  His playing on his soundcheck showed off his technical skills quite well, which I had never really heard before.  And watching him wail on the Hammond on Gypsy, he’s far beyond his playing skill on the Moscow & 20^th Anniv videos. 

  There is no longer doubt in my mind about what an accomplished keyboardist he is.

The highlight for me, however, was watching the interaction of the band members with each other and with the crowd.  Mick and Bernie continually are meeting the eyes of everyone near the stage, Mick doing his “magic note” hand thingy for dozens of individuals - very cool.  And all the humor on stage was a blast.

Some of the songs were quite extended, particularly Stealin’.  The crowd went absolutely bonkers when they played Stealin’, and I’ve never heard any live performance of it last so long, not even on the boot I’ve heard from an earlier US show.  It was nearly 8 ½ minutes long with a long extended jam at the end.  Lee also got a nice long solo at the end of Gypsy, and Mick had very long solos on both Gypsy and especially Look at Yourself. 

The set list was very strong (I got Lee’s copy after the show), especially ending with July Morning - absolutely perfect choice, and then of course the encore ending with Easy Livin’ and the crowd singing the entire song at the top of their lungs.  :-)  Gary & Dan & I must’ve high-5’d a dozen times thru the show and had our arms around each other several times singing the songs.

It was almost 1 am before the band finished, a nearly 2-hour show!  Lee gave me a big birthday hug from the stage after July Morning (my wife told him that this was my best 40^th birthday present, and she was right!!!) and fans were literally climbing over my back for a chance to slap hands with the guys after Easy Livin’ (no complaints, I know how they feel!!!).  I stayed to help Dave with sales for a while longer before my wife dragged me off to the car (I did hafta work today, so no time to hang out with the band afterwards).  Finally got to bed around 2:30 am, one of the most magical nights of my life!!!  Pictures are forthcoming, and since there was no ticket stub to be had, I’ll try to get the promo poster & setlist scanned.  Below is the set list:

Return to Fantasy
Universal Wheels
Only the Young (this rocked surprisingly hard!!  In fact, the new songs were decidedly heavier than the old, a very good thing, led to lots of converts)
Stealin’
Love in Silence (didn’t realize that Mick plays acoustic throughout!)
Between 2 Worlds (the band’s spelling)
I Hear Voices
The Wizard (Come Away Melinda & Heartless Land where both here originally, but were blacked out and “Wizard” in its place)
Sunrise (couldn’t believe these 2 songs were back-to-back - Nirvana!!!!!)
Traveller in Time (this version kicked absolute ass on the original!!!)
Gypsy
Look at Yourself
July Morning

Encore----------

Bird of Prey
Easy Livin’ (Lady in Black was listed last, but was crossed out)

  And again, thanks to the band, Dave Owen, my new Heep friends, and especially my wife Shelly for making this such a memorable night!!!!!  :-)

Jay Pearson

Jay's new son "JJ" yelling....HEEP !!!!!