Fozzy are back in the UK, and this time they’re hitting up a few of the cities they missed out on during their last run. Being as one of them is Norwich, I couldn’t pass when the opportunity arose.
Due to the unforeseen lateness of my arrival and the massive queue that stood before me, I was unable to catch the full set from Marisa and the Moths, so I’ll move on to the second act of the evening, Tailgunner!
As the photographers make their way to their respected posts, the lights go down and from then onwards we’re all transported back to the 80s! From start to finish, Tailgunner ooze charisma and energy, bounding around the stage and hitting every pose known to man in the process. This band has everything we loved from that bygone era, respectfully paying homage to the greats.
Tailgunner put on an epic performance that has the whole of the venue moving. Everything you expect and need from a power metal performance, these guys have it in abundance. They were the perfect support to set off our main event of the evening as they ended their set on “Guns For Hire”.
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This is a major landmark in the career of Fozzy, as this year commemorates the 25th anniversary since their inception. As frontman and professional wrestling icon Chris Jericho stated this evening, England was the first country to truly embrace the band from the get-go, so it was always on the cards that they’d be back to celebrate.
Fozzy always deliver no matter the venue size, the city, or the crowd, and Norwich was by no means an exception. Kicking this star-studded seventeen-song rampage off with “Fall In Line”, the crowd were truly in their element as the chants rang out in Epic Studios.
Maybe sometimes coined as a bit of a gimmick act due to the popularity in various media of the band’s frontman, I can tell you this couldn’t be further from the truth. These guys deliver on every single front. Fozzy are absolutely dripping with raw talent, and when you pair that with the non-stop energy of their on-stage performances and the man many call the ultimate frontman in Chris Jericho, you have a winner every single time.
It’s been ten whole years since their return to Norwich—I believe previous to this they were at the Waterfront closer to the city centre—and what a way to return. Tonight they gave the fans everything they needed with an all-star set featuring the biggest hits the band has to offer. We had “Spotlight”, “Sane”, and “Drinking With Jesus”, as well as their first big hit, “Enemy”. And let’s not forget their cover of “SOS” by ABBA, which had every metalhead singing word for word. Proof that even the toughest of crowds have a weakness!
The band ended on an exceptional cover of Ozzy Osbourne’s classic “Crazy Train” to cap off a fantastic show in the heart of Norfolk. Let’s hope they don’t leave it another ten years until they come back!
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Photos by Lawrence Potter
