Black Label Society just had their first gig in Czech Republic! Okay - now most of the Zakk Wylde fans just face-palmed but let me explain what I meant. Yes, we had a chance to see Zakk when he was touring with Ozzy Osbourne - and BLS themselves were here in 07 as supporters but all the BLS tours went around our homeland. Until this years Berzekus tour that brought them here!

There was no doubt about the fascination by Zakk Wylde – sold out KC Vltavská that held about 1200 people is a sufficient sign of this. Their supporters Godsized were unable to perform due to some technical difficulties so the gig itself began more then 75 minutes later. Fans started to be excited and the expectance was even more graduating thanks to the sound check that was going on behind a scarlet curtain. One of the security-ladies said „It’s gonna be a wild ride tonight“ – and she was damn right about that.

After a piano intro BLS came on stage as a herd of crazy horses with the song of the same name – and they showed us that this evening would belong to heavy riffs. Fans went nuts and there was something crazy going on in front of the fences. BLS managed to make the blood of their Prague fans boil and fans responded in similar way – by heating the place up from cold Prague spring to the tropical fug. After a while Zakk slowed down a bit and started with the melancholic line of his songs. He devoted the baladic „In This River“  to Dimebag Darell and the emotional piano solo riddled the fans mute while the walls of Marshalls behind the band covered in the curtains with a picture of this tragically murdered guitarist.

Melancholy however didn’t rule the place for much longer – as in life, BLS had to move on with their set and they did very well with the song „Fire It Up“, during which they threw a bunch of beach balls with their logos into the crowd. The balls were flying above the heads for a while and then I came to a heretic thought. Some people may travel to the sea for heat and ball games, some go to a BLS gig.

In about three quarters of the gig the climax came– Zakk’s ten minutes long guitar solo. I have to admit that watching his fingers going up and down in a crazy tempo at the neck of his guitar was fascinating but somehow monotonous after a while. He didn’t perform any of his crazy tricks from Ozzy’s era, as in playing with his teeth or soloing with his guitar behind his head but I was just astonished by this. I just stood there and listened – and when he finished accompanied by wild clapping of the crowd I couldn’t believe that he really was playing for so long. It was just like a short moment. The so-called cherry on the top was „The Blessed Hellride“ played on the famous two-headed guitar.
As for the sound, I can’t really say anything to the sound engineers. It was all just about your positioning in the hall but even at the bar or under the balcony it was okay. And so – those who came have been satisfied. Ninety minutes of an awesome show – what else could a fan want? Oh, maybe just some more visits from BLS.

Playlist: The Beginning... At Last, Crazy Horse, What's in You, The Rose Petalled Garden, Funeral Bell, Overlord, Parade Of The Dead, In This River, Fire It Up, (guitar solo), Godspeed Hellbound, The Blessed Hellride, Suicide Messiah, Concrete Jungle, Stillborn

P.S.: Photos that haven’t made their way to the report can be found here: www.facebook.com