The first time I saw Saxon live was in 1985, on the Innocence is No Excuse tour. A few friends and I cut school after third period and drove up to the Variety Theater in Cleveland, Ohio.
It was a bone-chilling November day and we stood outside the venue from about 10:30am until the doors opened at 7:30 that evening. We were the only ones there until about 5:00... when a large bus pulled up to the curb. A tall man with long blond hair looked out the window of the bus, and when the door opened he walked up to us, shook our hands and asked in a familiar British voice, "You gonna kick our ass tonight?"
It was Biff Byford.
I was absolutely in awe. We chatted for a bit and asked him what they were going to play. He said they were going to go back and do some Denim and Leather, Wheels of Steel and Strong Arm... as well as mix in some of the new stuff. It was such a thrill meeting him, I don't think I felt the cold for the rest of the time we stood outside.
The show was fantastic. Heaven opened for them, but I wasn't too familiar with them. I knew their "In the Beginning" song, though. It was a general admission show, so when the doors opened we ran and got front row, just right of center. I was singing along to nearly everything they played. At one point, Paul Quinn pointed at me, then held his finger to the side of his nose. I had no idea what that meant, so I turned my attention back to Biff's vocals. A few seconds later I felt something hit me in the nose... Paul's pick. It fell to the floor and someone else picked it up. Arrggh!
Later in the show the entire crowd was chanting 20,000 Feet! 20,000 Feet! 20,000 Feet! repeatedly. Biff apologized, "Oh, Cleveland. You picked the one song we're not prepared to play." Drat! But they did do this great medley including 747, Heavy Metal Thunder and a few others. He also apologized for not being able to bring the eagle with them. It was a small venue, so I wasn't surprised.
Sorry to bore you with all this. Just thought I'd offer some fond memories!
747 Stranger
NE Ohio, USA
It was a bone-chilling November day and we stood outside the venue from about 10:30am until the doors opened at 7:30 that evening. We were the only ones there until about 5:00... when a large bus pulled up to the curb. A tall man with long blond hair looked out the window of the bus, and when the door opened he walked up to us, shook our hands and asked in a familiar British voice, "You gonna kick our ass tonight?"
It was Biff Byford.
I was absolutely in awe. We chatted for a bit and asked him what they were going to play. He said they were going to go back and do some Denim and Leather, Wheels of Steel and Strong Arm... as well as mix in some of the new stuff. It was such a thrill meeting him, I don't think I felt the cold for the rest of the time we stood outside.The show was fantastic. Heaven opened for them, but I wasn't too familiar with them. I knew their "In the Beginning" song, though. It was a general admission show, so when the doors opened we ran and got front row, just right of center. I was singing along to nearly everything they played. At one point, Paul Quinn pointed at me, then held his finger to the side of his nose. I had no idea what that meant, so I turned my attention back to Biff's vocals. A few seconds later I felt something hit me in the nose... Paul's pick. It fell to the floor and someone else picked it up. Arrggh!
Later in the show the entire crowd was chanting 20,000 Feet! 20,000 Feet! 20,000 Feet! repeatedly. Biff apologized, "Oh, Cleveland. You picked the one song we're not prepared to play." Drat! But they did do this great medley including 747, Heavy Metal Thunder and a few others. He also apologized for not being able to bring the eagle with them. It was a small venue, so I wasn't surprised.
Sorry to bore you with all this. Just thought I'd offer some fond memories!
747 Stranger
NE Ohio, USA
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