Classic prog rockers Uriah Heep got to open the Helvíti stage on the second to last day of Copenhell, and it was a show I was very much looking forward to. Having enjoyed their music for many, many years, I have only seen them live once before, at a small, intimate gig here in Copenhagen back in 2009. I remember loving that show, but to be honest, I was afraid that they would have a hard time lifting the main stage of Copenhell, a festival certainly geared mostly towards much more modern bands. The early hour didn’t exactly put my fear at ease…

“Now this is what they call the early shift, yeah? Fuck me, some of you haven’t even gone to bed yet!”
- Bernard ‘Bernie’ Shaw (vocals)

I was surprised in a positive way to see that there were in fact quite a few people waiting for the band as they were about to hit the stage, people genuinely waiting for Uriah Heep specifically, and not just hanging around with nothing better to do.
A nice and calm intro was soon enough replaced by a faster guitar riff as the band entered the sunny, warm stage, and kicked the show off with Save Me Tonight, opener of their latest album, Chaos & Colour (2023). Already here I could see we were in good, safe hands, as the band entered with big smiles on their faces and a lot of energy in their steps. They certainly didn’t seem to mind playing so early, and were ready to get the festival in motion with all that they had at their disposal.
One thing they had was a nice and varied setlist, combining some newer tracks with a lot of the old classics. The songs were also varied in tempo and mood, taking the crowd for a journey from start to finish with highly dynamic peaks and valleys. Ten songs in total may not seem so much, and I think they could easily have pulled off a longer set if they’d had the chance, but alas, that was not to be. Not this time around.

“I know it’s early, but that sounds amazing! You should feel that from up here, it’s amazing!”
- Shaw (vocals)

The great mood and set certainly caught the crowd in just the right spot. Sure, this isn’t exactly music for moshpits, but that doesn’t mean people weren’t rocking out. And singing along. Oh yes, there was a lot of singing along going on. For Stealin’, the crowd got to go solo on the “uh-uh” parts towards the end, and the band got a loud response out of it, and it only got louder and better with subsequent songs. Gypsy, being a personal favourite, was definitely one of the peaks for me, but July Morning and Easy Livin’ certainly had everyone going as well, as they should.
Then it was that the band was going for a short break before the encore, and one of the festival announcers walked on and started to thank the band for their participation, forcing the band to hurry back and explain to her that they in fact had one more song to play. They were gracious about it though, took it with a smile, and even invited her to stay and sing along with them, something she embarrassed up to her ears chose to decline.
It was of course the classic above them all, Lady In Black, that would end the set, and Shaw commented that the band was happy to play it again, as they had not done any acoustic songs on their recent tour with Judas Priest. Oh boy, did the audience eat it up, singing loudly and enthusiastically from start to finish!

I know I started out by saying I had some fears about having Uriah Heep playing this stage at this time, but man were they proven wrong. Turns out, this was the perfect place and time for the band to play. They absolutely filled the stage and came across to the audience. It started out well, and only became better and livelier as the show went on. Every single one in the band brought so much to the table, and were clearly having a lot of fun up there as well. More of this, Copenhell, please!

Setlist:

Save Me Tonight
Grazed By Heaven
Rainbow Demon
Stealin’
Hurricane
Free ‘N’ Easy
Gypsy
July Morning
Easy Livin’
Lady In Black
Pomp & Circumstance (Sir Edward Elgar song)