It’s been nineteen-years since Fozzy crossed the pond and planted their seed in the U.K.; their first stop being none other than the location of tonight’s record-breaking show. Rock city, appropriately named with its history of legendary music artists playing the venue, added to their strong portfolio of rock and roll alumni as Fozzy took to the stage for their highest grossing show in terms of ticket sales in their almost two-decade tenure as a band [announced by lead singer, Chris Jericho, during their set]. The theatrics and charisma of the band was always going to be the role of ‘The Ayatollah of Rock ‘n’ Rolla’ and lead singer, Chris Jericho does this so well. With multiple outfit changes and his usage of props which mirrors the pageantry and personal expression displayed throughout his professional wrestling career, Jericho showed the united front that the band have and the infectious efforts from the frontman provided all members the ability to showcase their individual talents as well.
Fozzy kicked things off with an integration of some classic British Rock, a rendition of ‘Living Next Door to Alice’ by West Yorkshire’s own, Smokie, which resonated well with the home-turf fans as they responded loudly with the “Alice, who the f*ck is Alice?” chant and set the precedent that would continue throughout the course of the show – Fozzy are no stranger to using British rock in their U.K. shows, one in particular was their Wembley Stadium performance back at AEW’s (All Elite Wrestling): All In show last year as they began with an imitation of Freddie Mercury’s iconic “Ay oh!” chant from Live Aid in 1985 before playing Chris to the ring with fan favourite single, Judas; but more on that later.
Their opening song was their latest single, ‘Spotlight’, a strong heavy metal dance number which was sure to get people moving before turning time back almost a decade with Bad Tattoo. They followed this with a strong power ballad in Painless which elevated the audience to another level, leading to the start of the “FOZZY, FOZZY, FOZZY!” chants which were received well by all members of the band. As the chant fades, Jericho is seen reaching for his first prop of the evening, a smoke gun, conveying the assumption that ‘Do You Wanna Start a War’ would be next on their setlist. This was correct as the sound of war sirens echoed throughout Rock City and showcased the playful nature of Jericho’s lead vocalist persona, firing the gun and hyping up the metalheads in the front section, all of whom were in awe of seeing the electrifying stage presence that the entire band are capable of. It was very hard to decipher who was having the most fun, the fans or the band!
A revisit to their Boombox album next for another homeland dance classic in ‘Relax’ by British synth-pop band, Frankie Goes to Hollywood. The highlight being the screens that projected the words ‘Fozzy says Relax’ whilst Jericho serenaded the crowd with this controversial number from the 1980s. This is actually one of the better covers that the band have produced and most definitely another example of their extensive knowledge of brit-rock history. The sing-along part of the show was here as they burst into ‘Sane’, ‘I Still Burn’, and ‘Nowhere to Run’ which really saw the crowd riled up and ready to move including guitarist, Rick Ward, who was really taking advantage of his side of the room and lifting the crowd into a jumping frenzy which unfortunately failed to be mirrored on the opposite side of the room; a great example of the fun that Rick was having in Nottingham. One surprise for a first timer at a Fozzy show was their use of anime, as well as horror and movie scene videos they played along with their music, an interesting touch to their overall show to say the least. As a lover of the all the genres displayed, it was something that caught my eye instantly.
‘Spider in My Mouth’ definitely separated the casuals to the hardcore fans of Fozzy but still obtained the level of euphoria that the fans were in. Then they used ‘Purifier’ and, personal favourite, ‘Enemy’, to finish out their main set. I would be remiss not to mention that during Enemy, respective guitarists Rick Ward and Billy Grey showcased ear-melting solos in what seemed to be a battle for guitar supremacy, simultaneously opening the fans eyes to the range that all members of Fozzy were able to reach that night and proving that they are not just another gimmick for Jericho’s extensive repertoire.
The time had come as the professional wrestling fans in the room would rejoice as the echos of “I’m become… I’m become… I’m becoming.” played through the sound system for Jericho’s final outfit change of the evening, a black jacket displaying the lyrics to arguably their biggest single to date, ‘Judas’. An expectant as their encore but the wait was surely worth it as the crowd began singing the opening verses in lieu of Jericho and preparing themselves for the chorus that is assured to have you screaming your lungs out and the riffs that really set off the ear-ringing proceedings that lovers of rock and metal are sure to be accustomed to. The highlight of the night for sure and really put the nail in the coffin for the metalheads in the room, assuring their necks would indeed be stiff in the morning.
To finalize their set, Fozzy end with a song that is surely a throwback to them establishing their love for music and a representative of American punk-rock in ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’ by Ramones; a crowd pleaser that sent the fans home happy as they once again expressed their appreciation towards the record-breaking night for the band and they promised to once again return to Nottingham. From starting in the basement of Rock City two-decades ago, Jericho cried out, “Next stop, the f*cking arena!”, as the band departed backstage to a thunderous reaction from the 1,500+ strong, packed into Nottingham’s most iconic venue. A successful night for all indeed.
The band certainly do have a love for the U.K., and it is evident that this is reciprocated from the fans that were in attendance. Once again, the appropriately named venue, Rock City, welcomed Fozzy back with open arms and they proved that they deserve to be here, as living proof that rock and roll is far from dead.
