Zakk Wylde
July 16, 2016
Atlanta, GA
The Masquerade – Heaven
When Zakk Wylde released his Book of Shadows album back in 1996, I can’t even put into words just how moved I was by that album. Not only was it such a different side of Zakk himself but everything about that album just blew my goddamn mind. There was so much heart, soul, passion, and substance to this material. To step out from the shadow of his role of Ozzy’s lead guitarist isn’t something that can be an easy thing but with this album, not only did he step out from that shadow but he stepped into the light and cast his very own shadow.
When Zakk toured for the Book of Shadows he did so with just himself and another acoustic guitar player. The shows were intimate, heartfelt, and it was actually an experience. In all honesty and as corny as it sounds, it was a truly inspired and inspiring tour and when it was over, I really wished that he would continue down this road. Instead, it would be 20 years before I would get my wish granted with the release of Book of Shadows II.
Book of Shadows II not only picked up where Part I left off, it showcased even more feel, emotion, and passion than the first one did which truly blew me away. When I heard that Zakk was hitting the road for Book of Shadows II, I was beside myself. After reading interviews where he said that he would be performing nothing but Book of Shadows I & II material, I just knew that this was a show not to be missed. I very proudly paid my 30 bucks for my ticket because I just couldn’t miss the opportunity to see what I imagined would be a truly great experience. How would he pull these songs off this time around? Would it be just him and a couple of acoustic guitars again? Would he have a bigger band backing him so that the songs would be delivered with the same level of class and passion as the albums?
As show day rolled in, I eagerly made my way to The Masquerade and right off the bat the vibe just didn’t seem to be a really great one. I don’t know if it was the heavy handed security or the over abundance of faux biker Black Label Society swag but something told me that this wasn’t going to the be the experience I hoped for. As I went upstairs to Heaven and approached the merch booth, I was stunned to see not one single piece of Book of Shadows merch. The only Book of Shadows merch for sale was Vinyl and CDs. The shirts you ask? They were all Black Label Society shirts. Right away, I got the impression that even Zakk himself didn’t think much of this “experience” as anything more than a Black Label Society tour.
Zakk hit the stage with Black Label Society as his band and launched right into “Sold My Soul” which featured one of Zakk’s now famous self-indulgent wanky guitar solos that just went on forever. The audience seemed to be eating it all up but I was stunned. There was zero emotion, zero soul, zero feel to this song. It was just loud, heavy, and lifeless. I didn’t get that same feeling that I got from hearing it the first time I ever heard it. While I’m all for bands doing songs live differently from album versions, I have to say that, as a huge fan of these Book of Shadows releases, I expected the songs to be treated and delivered with the same vibe and same feel as the albums but that was not to be.
With the exception of a song or two, the songs lacked any kind of emotion or soul. The album versions are so moving and this live show was just lifeless and Zakk’s ego is just off the charts. Stepping up onto his “ego platform” to take a solo just became tireless to watch and it was clear that this show was about himself and not the songs which, again, is truly sad. By the time the band was playing “Way Beyond Empty” (which actually sounded great but at that point it was just too much, too little, too late), I was gazing at my phone anticipating the last song to hurry up and get here so I could get out of there. As the band closed with “Sleeping Dogs”, I found myself walking out of venue feeling like I was just completely let down and deflated.
Now I’m sure all of the diehard Black Label Society fans and Zakk Wylde fanatics will say that I don’t know what I’m talking about but what you have to remember is that I didn’t come into this a fan of “him” or of “BLS.” I came into this as a diehard fan of these two amazing albums. On this Book of Shadows II tour, I felt that Zakk Wylde had such a great opportunity to present these songs the way they were recorded and with the same amount of class but he totally missed the mark. The first Book of Shadows tour was magnificent. It was moving and soulful. 20 years later, instead of building upon it, all I got was Black Label Society doing lifeless renditions of the Book of Shadows songs. I mean, how much could I have expected from someone who seemed to not even have enough pride to have merch designed for this “very special tour” (in his words) instead of pimping Black Label Society merch? All in all, Zakk Wylde totally missed the mark and in my opinion defaced a truly great and remarkable book. Too bad he shouldn’t have to pay a fine for it.
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