Meldrum, Black Label Society 4/29/05 Roseland Theater, Portland, OR
By Robin Steeley
Tonight was a 21 and over show at the Roseland, something I haven’t really seen them do before but Black Label Society pulls an overwhelmingly adult crowd so I don’t think any teen fans were turned away at the door. It was a fairly packed crowd in the upstairs portion of the venue. People were anxiously awaiting the show after the band ran into some trouble the night before where Zakk was nearly arrested and their Idaho show was cancelled.
Meldrum was up next and other then the token male drummer boasts an entirely female line up, and these girls could throw up the metal horns with the best of them. They even covered Pantera’s “Walk” to the delight of the crowd. They played their style of power filled riffs and metal screams and generally got the crowd moving into a pit formation, a great opener for BLS. Meldrum is from Sweden, for more info check out www.meldrum.com.
After the longest set change in history Zakk Wylde and Black Label Society finally took the stage after an hour long problem with feedback sounds in the monitors. People were screaming “Zakk, Zakk” and the crowd roared when his tech brought his guitar onto stage, the guitar that he is most well known for and has come to be his signature style. After playing an intro of the song “Crazy” by Patsy Cline, they came on stage with little fan fare, busting right into their set with “Stoned and Drunk” and their explosive sound turned the night upside down. Zakk is a guitar virtuoso and plays his guitar like it is an extension of his body and the band backs him up perfectly, running through a variety of tunes off of BLS past albums.
One of the highlights of the night was when Zakk said, “This is for the old man” and blasted into Ozzy’s “War Pigs.” The influence of Ozzy is felt all through BLS music, although it is a dirtier, grittier, more thrash influenced sound. The band has a new album out entitled “The Blessed Hellride” and you can get more information at www.blacklabelsociety.net.
Overall, it was an incredible show; I got a chance to check out a new band from Sweden as well as catching up with Zakk again. It was a night well spent.
