Uriah Heep Rocks Hard in Sioux City

Uriah Heep rocked HARD at the Sioux City Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. I’ve seen the legendary British rock band perform four times in the past decade, and their March 16, 2018 gig was the best yet. Formed in 1969, Uriah Heep is still going strong, and just finished up the first leg of their 2018 North American Tour. The band includes a talented crew of musicians starting with Bernie Shaw, who has been Uriah Heep’s lead vocalist since 1986. His charisma and energy are a huge part of what makes Uriah Heep a great band to see live. Mick Box, legendary guitarist, is the group’s only original member. If you can, plant yourself directly in front of Box, and prepare to be mesmerized. Box’s signature style takes on wizardly qualities. In my mind, he’s a rock and roll Gandalf, but I’m nerdy like that. Keyboardist Phil Lanzon has also been with the band since 1986 and is a delight to watch perform. He not only brings it on the classic Heep songs with the heavy organ sound, but delivers beauty and tenderness to some of the more mellow moments of the show. Newish kids on the block are Russell Gilbrook on drums, who joined the band in 2007, and bassist Davey Rimmer, who joined in 2013 after Trevor Bolder’s passing. This is a solid group of musicians who each bring essential elements to Uriah Heep’s sound and staying power. It’s magnificent to watch each and every one of them perform live, and they all work extremely hard for their fans.

The Show

The show was dominated by the classics: Sunrise, Stealin’, Gypsy, the Wizard, the Magician’s Birthday, Lady in Black, and my personal favorite – July Morning. This song is Heep in all its classic glory. The melodic organ, epic Mick Box guitar solo, and colossal vocal performance by Shaw all give fans an awesome ten minute ride.  Five and a half minutes in, we were treated to the vocal climax. Shaw’s wail may not reach the same heights as a young David Byron, but it will rock your core. July Morning is the perfect ride of softness and intensity. I’ll never get tired of this song.

The set list is peppered with a few tunes from their 2014 release Outsider: The Law and One Minute. The new songs are solid and my pick, One Minute, builds exquisitely, starting with soft Bernie Shaw vocals and Phil Lanzon’s lovely accompaniment on the keyboard. The tempo builds, adding heavy drums, guitar, and bass, as one would expect from a Uriah Heep song. Everyone needs optimistic lyrics at different times in their lives and these definitely speak to me in my hectic, stress-filled 2018 life.

Bernie Shaw is a powerful front man.  His energy filled the venue, and kept the audience charged. Although the Hard Rock’s capacity is only about 560 (when set with theater style seating) the band’s energy makes you feel like you have the best seats in a huge arena. Uriah Heep works hard to put on an excellent show.  I prefer the smaller venues like this. There is really no bad spot in the house, and if you buy tickets early, you can reserve an affordable seat up front. We were in the third row, and right in front of Mick. Being close enough to see every nuance of his playing is mesmerizing and such a treat for fans. We will be talking about this concert for a long time.

We were lucky to be in a section where fans (mostly) stood, danced, head-bobbed, and sang along with the entire show. Although some fans may not be able to stand, this is part of what makes the show fun and adds to the energy and engagement with the band. Stand if you can!

The night concluded with Easy Living as the encore. This is the song that most American fans will recognize even if they aren’t very familiar with the band. Easy Living is not my personal favorite, but it ends the concert on an energetic note, making even the casual fan happy and wanting more. What was the show missing? I would love to hear them play Rainbow Demon or Love in Silence. My husband’s vote would be Circle of Hands.

Why Uriah Heep?

Most people in my generation don’t know much about Uriah Heep, if anything at all. We got lucky, or rather my husband got lucky, and though osmosis, they hooked me too. Marriage can come with a lot of physical baggage, and joining households can mean the merging of stuff. For the unfortunate, it could mean unifying collections of souvenir shot glasses and hideous cherub figurines.  But if you are lucky, that baggage includes obsessions that are encouraged and even embraced by your spouse. Obsessions that grow and flourish over time. My husband’s stuff included A LOT of Uriah Heep cassettes and CDs, a band I knew nothing about. His teenage (and early 20s) summers were spent working with a highway crew where he learned the value of hard work and hard rock. Thanks to the road workers of Norman County, Minnesota, my husband got hooked on Uriah Heep, and eventually I did too.

Through the early years, I didn’t take much notice, but then I started listening too, and further encouraged his enthusiasm by gifting him music or t-shirts I ordered from oversees. We dreamed about seeing them perform in Germany in 2009, but the German gig they tentatively had scheduled never materialized and we didn’t get to see the band during our grand trip through Deutschland. We finally got to see Uriah Heep live in 2010 in Kansas City, Missouri. It was the live show that really hooked me. By the next concert the following year, I was one weaseling to the front to try to get some photos of the band at an outdoor concert in Rochester, Minnesota.  A few years later, we took a long weekend and traveled to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for another gig.  We’ve been blessed to have been able to travel to see them, and combining music with traveling to a new place has been a lot of fun.  What’s next? We are still buzzing about last week’s concert, which we both agree was the best one yet. In my spare time, I’ve been analyzing the tour dates for the second leg of the tour, casually checking flight prices to different cites, and looking over my calendar to see if there’s just one more day I could play hooky from work.  It’s tempting.  The last year has been personally very tough for me. For the last couple of months, looking forward to the concert was my pot of gold at the end of the demon’s rainbow.

Music has the power to invigorate, provide escape, energize. Music can be very individual and personal, but there’s also great satisfaction in sharing it with another person or a group. When the band is on fire and the crowd is engaged, it’s magical. The collective joy and excitement is intoxicating and almost palpable. It was just what I needed.

It now occurs to me that this experience brings things full circle, and more. What initially drew my attention to the music of Uriah Heep was delighting in another human’s passion. I was an outsider. But then it creeped into my personal playlist, becoming both individual and shared affection. Experiencing live music collectively with other fans magnifies that personal and empathetic joy exponentially. No longer an outsider, that collective energy and joy has embraced me too.

What About You?

What about you? I’d love hearing from other fans about Uriah Heep. How did you find their music? Have you seen them live? Are you excited for the new album that will be released this fall? Comment below and share your story!