Zakk Sabbath American Winter Tour ‘25

Zakk Wylde + Black Sabbath = Zakk Sabbath. The high powered tribute band brought their American Winter Tour ‘25 to the Oakdale Theater in Wallingford CT, a midway point in their thirty four date run.

Author - Kathi Gullage

Photography - Holly Roy Photography

Bonfire, a five man AC/DC tribute band, got the crowd warmed up. I found several groups with the same name but this LA based lineup included: Sean Mulvihill (vocals), Diego Russo (lead guitar), Sean Colligan (guitar), James Pulli (bass) and Scott McCormick (drums). They launched right into two cuts from Let There Be Rock, “Dog Eat Dog” and “Hell Ain’t A Bad Place To Be” followed by the title track “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”. Mulvihill, shirtless and clad in super tight jeans that revealed his toned physique and left nothing to the imagination, shouted “We dedicate this song to you folks!” before they tore into Powerage’s “Sin City”. Diego channeled Angus Young’s fashion and moves into his performance which at this point had him laying on his back while he played guitar. Mulvihill held the last note of “Sin” forever before he greeted the fans again. “Connecticut, how you guys feelin tonight?! What a beautiful place! We’re glad you guys came! We’re Bonfire and you’re supporting the right tour. Zakk Wylde is the nicest rock star ever and attracts good people. We came here from LA, please buy our shirts to help pay for gas in the RV that gets two miles to the gallon.” They jumped back to it with “Walk All Over You” (Highway To Hell) before the crowd eagerly helped them open the next song “T.N.T.” (High Voltage) with a loud “Oi! Oi! Oi!” chant. I loved that they did “Whole Lotta Rosie” while Diego snaked through the pit and the entire lower level seated area before laying on his back on stage again, all while not missing a beat on his guitar. “We got time for one more, we love ya!” Title track “Highway To Hell” was the closer. The sound mix was decent and Bonfire has talented musicians. We’ve all seen cover bands, if you like AC/DC, this one is worth a night out.

Zakk Wylde, the iconic wielder of axes, is a mother fucking machine. Former guitarist for OZZY, founder and frontman of Black Label Society, and now slinging riffs for the reunited band Pantera the long haired, bearded, kilt wearing bad ass never stops. This was my third time seeing him this year! First with the Experience Hendrix tour, then with Pantera and now with Zakk Sabbath. As we waited a few rows back from the pit barricade, a commotion erupted farther back in the seated section behind us. It was Zakk. With full house lights on. He sported striped face paint and used his cell phone with an OZZY doll in front of it to film the crowd. He made the doll fake screech at people as he snaked his way through the lower level and eventually wound up center stage. He was a goofball wildman. Black Label Society’s John “JD” DeServio on bass and Jeff Fabb on drums took their spots while Zakk readied himself behind a screen. He emerged, in a purple kilt and boots, and shouted “Connecticut! Time to put your hands together! Let’s do this!” before they ripped into a stacked set that took us on a journey through four Black Sabbath albums from the 1970s: Paranoid, Black Sabbath, Master Of Reality, and Vol. 4. “Supernaut” was the starter, but the next one, “Snowblind” really got the crowd excited. Zakk, who is also the singer for this project, stepped behind the screen again to switch axes, get a drink, and wipe the sweat off. He never left that area without fist bumping his techs that assisted him. They kept the momentum rolling with “Under The Sun/Every Day Comes And Goes”, “Tomorrow’s Dream”, and “Wicked World”. One of my personal faves was on deck with “Fairies Wear Boots”, but the fans really responded to the next two, “Into The Void” and "Children Of The Grave”. Several large beach balls, emblazoned with the Zakk Sabbath logo, dropped on us during “Children”. We volleyed em for a while but eventually the fans swallowed em up. “Connecticut chapter, give yourselves a round of applause!” Zakk commanded before they launched into “After Forever”. Band member intros came with the beginning of “Hand Of Doom”. Zakk referred to bassist JD as “A member from the New Jersey chapter, throwing up violently all over the place, Italian Stallion, meatball” and drummer Fabb as “Throwing down and up all over the drums, the furnace, the cinnamon babka maker, the fabulous moolah” before he introduced himself, like he even needed to. “It’s always good to see our Zakk Sabbath family as we celebrate all things Sabbath and all things OZZY. OZZY! OZZY!” That ignited an “OZZY!” chant through the whole venue. Zakk remarked “Connecticut chapter, OZZY’d be proud.” The set

closed with “Behind The Wall Of Sleep”, “Bassically / N.I.B.” and the well known anthem “War Pigs”. Zakk took his solo during that final song off the stage and through the entire crowd. He stopped along the way to serenade fans with his guitar or stand precariously atop wide barriers before he returned to the stage and finished the performance by playing his axe with his mouth. I don’t know where the Guinness Book of World Records people were because it was the longest solo in the history of guitar solos. And it still wasn’t enough. The members of Zakk Sabbath took their bows and flung out only a few coveted picks and sweaty towels. There’s still time to catch them on tour, so you know what to do. Treat yourself to a night out with cover bands that you’ll actually like. Oh and not that you need the reminder but: Zakk. Freaking. Wylde!