There are very few bands from the seventies that still continue to tour and record with the same consistency as newer bands.  Uriah Heep is one of those bands, and since their comeback in 1982 with Abominog, they have put out a dozen studio efforts that combine their prog-rock roots along with a more updated heavy rock sound. 

Along with this continued output of new material, they have toured extensively throughout the world and, as luck would have it, they embarked on a co-headlining tour with Saxon.  This double bill was a match made in heaven, and I was lucky to attend their Houston stop on this leg of the tour.

Proving that they are not merely a nostalgia act, the Heep started their concert with “Save Me Tonight” from their latest Chaos & Colour album.  While it may not be pure prog-rock like their early material, it still has all the hallmarks of their hard rock roots with a slightly updated sound.  Bernie Shaw continues to prove that he is the best singer Uriah Heep could have chosen.  He provides powerful and melodic vocals to the new material while hauntingly paying homage to late singer David Byron on the older tunes.  The band stepped back to their previous album with a rousing rendition of “Grazed By Heaven” giving the crowd a double dose of new material.

Uriah Heep have such a rich history that they would never be able to get away with focusing on just new material.  Such is the curse of any band that has a career that spans more than five decades.  Luckily for us fans, the band were more than happy to oblige with selections from their back catalogue and the first of these old chestnuts was “Rainbow Demon” off their prog rock classic Demons and Wizards.  That classic Hammond organ swirled throughout the House of Blues, wrapping the crowd in this wall of sound.  The keyboards were courtesy of none of other than Adam Wakeman (son of Rick Wakeman) who is filling in for an absent Phil Lanzon.

The first “real” hit of the evening followed with “Stealin’” but as soon as that trip down memory lane was over, the band came back to their most recent single “Hurricane."  The newer material performed proved that Mick Box and company aren’t afraid to give their new tunes a proper vetting as they fit nicely with the older songs and give the show a nice blend of contrasting material while still sticking with the Heep framework.  Making sure to keep the old fans happy, "Sweet Lorraine" from the seminal The Magician's Birthday album made its way into the set next.  Before settling back into their older songs, the band made one more foray into their latest disc with “Hail The Sunrise." When I look at the set as a whole, their newest record got the most songs performed, thus proving that Uriah Heep were not simply relying on their old catalogue to carry the show; their new songs fitting in perfectly with the classics.

An album that doesn’t get a lot of recognition is Innocent Victim, so I was surprised when the Heep pulled out "Free 'n' Easy".  While not really a track many would know, I was happy they included something of a deep cut.  After treating us to something a bit obscure, Mick Box and the boys took us right back to the very beginning with “Gypsy” off their very first record.  Not only is it off the first record, it is also the very first track, so this was out very first introduction to the might Uriah Heep.  The main part of the set ended with the prog-rock majesty of “Look At Yourself” and the epic “July Morning."  Both were performed with the same passion as the new material, proving that they were not just going through the motions.

The band returned with a couple of older tracks for their encore namely “Sunrise” and classic rock radio staple “Easy Livin'."  Uriah Heep are one of the few older acts that manage to combine new songs with older material to create a tight cohesive set.  I’m happy the band is willing to promote their newest tracks and show the world that just because they have a long and varied catalogue, they still have plenty of material to perform.  I would highly recommend you attend any and all Uriah Heep concerts you can because who knows how much longer they will be performing.  This legendary band is one of a kind and when they are gone, we will only have their records to visit.