Review: Legendary guitarist kicks off tour in epic fashion at Bay Area show

Zakk Wylde was a powerhouse for the better part of two hours.

The famed guitarist, who is best known for backing Ozzy Osbourne as well as leading his own Black Label Society band, seemed to be soloing for 99 percent of the time he was onstage on Sunday night (Dec. 1) at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco.

And it wasn’t casual soloing either. Instead, notes flew like raindrops in a heavy and windy storm, smacking you in the face, zigzagging here and there, with no sign of a break on the horizon. Wylde played the guitar across his waist, above his head and, for an amazing amount of time, behind his neck. It was simply awesome to behold, underscoring for the umpteenth time that this New Jersey native belongs on the very short list of greatest heavy metal guitarists of all time.

What a way to kick off a tour, as Wylde’s wonderfully named Black Sabbath tribute act — Zakk Sabbath — headlined Night 1 of the 30-city King of the Monstours. It was a show built from top to bottom for fans of hard-rock cover songs, also featuring supporting acts Zoso (Led Zeppelin tribute) and the Iron Maidens (who we are guessing you can figure out the name of the act they cover).

Kicking off its headlining set right around 9 p.m. with a thunderous version of “Supernaut,” Zakk Sabbath delivered a 14-song set that was an absolute head-banging joy for the full house of metal fans. The setlist was almost entirely built from the incredibly sturdy material from Black Sabbath’s first four albums, with the sole exception being the inclusion of the highly influential “Symptom of the Universe” from the band’s sixth studio full-length, “Sabotage,” from 1975.

And, yes, that means all of the tunes were Ozzy songs. (Although, we’d actually love to hear this band do a tour focused on material from Ronnie James Dio’s time with Sabbath. But won’t hold our breath, given Wylde’s history and allegiance to Osbourne.)

A mighty one-two punch of “Snowblind” and “Symptom of the Universe” had the crowd in a frenzy early on and Wylde just continued to build upon that momentum as he led the trio — which currently consists of bassist John “JD” DeServio and Jeff Fabb, both from Black Label Society — through the “Vol. 4” cut “Tomorrow’s Dream” and “Wicked World” from Black Sabbath’s eponymous debut.

In all, the group performed five of the eight songs featured on its latest Black Sabbath tribute — appropriately dubbed “Greatest Riffs” — a digital collection that draws from early efforts (which, reportedly, were only available in physical formats).

Wylde, of course, sounded amazing on his axe — which features a purple and black design that alludes to the cover of Black Sabbath’s “Masters of Reality” — blowing our minds with a pretty much nonstop fretboard fireworks show. His vocals couldn’t match the guitar work — and really nobody expected them to. Yet, a stronger focus on the vocals in the overall sound mix would surely benefit these lyrics originally penned by Black Sabbath’s mighty Geezer Butler.

The song of the night was a punishing take on “Children of the Grave,” which really highlighted the rhythm work of DeServio and Fabb and provided a platform for more world-class guitar work for Wylde (who was last seen in NorCal playing guitar with Pantera at Sacramento’s Aftershock Festival in October).

While he honors the originator of these legendary riffs — the great Tony Iommi — with everything he plays in this tribute act, Wylde certainly doesn’t mimick the master in any real sense. Wylde does Sabbath much faster and busier, with far less emphasis on mood and feel, and the result is something that feels more his own.

That was certainly the case as Zakk Sabbath closed the show with an epic version of “War Pigs,” which brought the guitarist down from the stage and out into the audience, where he was surrounded by fans as he continued to solo on.

He’d stay out there so long that one might assume he had actually ordered a drink and was waiting for it to be delivered. Yet, he was just continuing a flurry of pick work, being a generous as ever with the notes. When he began his return trip back to the stage, Wylde was playing his guitar behind his head and he held it there — without missing a riff — all the way until he got back to his bandmates so they could finish up “War Pigs” in exhilarating fashion.

Now, that’s metal. And that is one of the many reasons why Black Sabbath fans should really check Wylde’s trio out in concert.

Setlist:1. “Supernaut”2. “Snowblind”3. “Symptom of the Universe”4. “Under the Sun/Every Day Comes and Goes”5. “Tomorrow’s Dream”6. “Wicked World”7. “Fairies Wear Boots”8. “Into the Void”9. “Children of the Grave”10. “Lord of This World”11. “Hand of Doom”12. “Behind the Wall of Sleep”13. “N.I.B.”14. “War Pigs”