My Classic Album with Mike Norris: "We're gonna live tonight like it's our last night"- The Fozzy VIP Experience

I first saw Fozzy live back in 2010. Their album 'Chasing The Grail' had come out earlier in the year and it seemed like the band had a new vigour and drive. The band hit the road and reached the North East of England in October when they played the Middlesbrough Empire on October 12th. I was single at the time and couldn't find anyone to take my second ticket. I decided against my better judgement to go alone and it was one of the best decisions I ever made! The band were phenomenal and I swore that I would see Jericho and the gang again.

The band hit Newcastle on their 'Sin and Bones' tour in August 2013. It was the night before I proposed to my future wife and my gig buddy Phil and I watched the band absolutely destroy the O2 Academy. I knew then that Middlesbrough hadn't been a one off. Fozzy were a live force to be reckoned with. The 'Y2J' chants that had been ever present in the Empire 3 years earlier were replaced by rabid chants for the entire band; chants there were well deserved. This isn't merely Chris Jericho and a backing band. This band are all extremely accomplished and phenomenal musicians and I'm positive that Chris would be the first to agree with me.

Fast forward to present day and Fozzy return to the UK to promote their latest album 'Do You Wanna Start A War', arguably their most cohesive and accessible album to date. When I heard they were coming to Newcastle once more it seemed a no brainer that I'd be going. It's relevant to say at this point that my ever present gig buddy Phil has made the life changing decision to emigrate to Canada early next year and that Fozzy's show will be the last gig we go to together for quite some time. This is a guy that I've seen the likes of Metallica, AC/DC and Kiss with; some truly legendary bands and memories. I'd heard for a long time that Fozzy's VIP experience was both incomparable and affordable. What better way to celebrate 13 years of gig memories with my best friend? I upgraded our tickets as a gift for Phil and we both waited for the big day in anticipation. But I know what you're thinking. You clicked on to this page to see what that VIP experience is like right? Well here we go! ...

We were instructed to be at the Riverside Newcastle venue for 5pm so after a couple of drinks and something to eat we braved the rainy Newcastle weather to get to the venue on time. It turned out that there were nine of us who had upgraded to VIP and there was plenty of excited chatter and conversation. Some were talking about the band and the live music scene, for others the conversation turned to wrestling. Some were local to the area while others had been following the band on tour or had flown out from across the UK to meet the band. Thanks to the videos and social media updates from the band we had a reasonable idea of what to expect but luckily VIP rep Talena was there to run through what to expect once the band were ready to see us. As we waited outside we heard Fozzy tuning up and doing a run through of 'Do You Wanna Start A War'. It was at that point we were invited in to meet the band.

I've been lucky enough to meet many musicians and celebrities. I've met the likes of Sting (the singer not the wrestler), Mick Foley (the wrestler not the singer) and Steel Panther but it was a truly surreal experience to see Chris Jericho waving to us from the stage. For those who don't read this blog normally I should disclose that I am a wrestling fan as well as a heavy metal fan so the experience was doubly exciting. As we all headed to the stage, the band all said hello and went straight into a rendition of Bryan Adams' 'Summer of '69' as sung by drummer and founding member Frank Fontsere. Frank has a really good voice and it was pretty cool to hear something unexpected so soon into our experience. We were informed that it was the first time that the band had ever performed it on the tour before they launched into 'TNT' by AC/DC and 'You Really Got Me' by the Kinks. It was at this point that Jericho let us know that they would be playing a few Fozzy classics and started off with 'Sin and Bones' cut 'Spider In My Mouth'. It was at this point that one of our fellow VIPs asked if the band were taking requests. They obliged and started to play 'To Kill A Stranger'. It was during this song that something pretty awesome happened.

If you read my previous post about VIP experiences Meet and Greets- The good, the bad and the ugly you'll see that I posted a video of Jericho coming off the stage to sing with VIPs. There I was casually singing along to 'Stranger' when I saw Jericho coming towards me! Suddenly Phil and I were singing 'To Kill A Stranger' with Chris Freaking Jericho! I really hope that a video of it surfaces on the Fozzy social media pages as it was truly a once in a lifetime moment. Once 'Stranger' was done, the band took one more request and played 'Bad Tattoo' from the new album.

Fozzy opened the floor for questions. There was a hilarious conversation between one VIP and the band about the lyrics to Krokus song 'Eat the Rich' that Fozzy traditionally cover at the end of their live set as well as some insight as to why the band chose to cover ABBA on their latest album. It was at this point that we had a group photo taken with the band before we all went up individually for a photo with them all. Every member made a point of introducing themselves and shaking hands. It's small things like that that make all the difference. Next it was time for the band to sign some stuff for us. Talena had helpfully provided band photos for us all to get signed but the band were happy to sign other stuff we brought too. As I had my 'Chasing The Grail' album signed, the band were joking with new bassist Randy Drake for being the new guy as he signed albums and photos for the VIPs. Now I've been a huge Jericho fan for a good 15 years now and he was such a nice guy throughout the whole meeting. However guitarist Rich Ward also left a huge impression on me. I had picked 'Chasing The Grail' to get signed by the band for a specific reason. Not only was it the album that really got me into Fozzy, it was also an album that helped me through some rough times. I've spoke before on this blog about my struggles with anxiety and depression and in early to mid 2010 those struggles were arguably at an all time high. 'Chasing The Grail' was an album that helped me through those times. I always said that if I had the chance to meet the band that I would thank them for that and I could tell that both Rich and Chris were genuinely touched by my words. Chris even asked me which songs I liked on the album and we discussed how 'New Day's Dawn' had never actually been performed live by the band. It was a truly 'full circle' moment for me to realise that I'd gone from a depressed twenty something finding solace in a great album, to a happier, more rounded person who could thank the people who gave me that solace for doing so. I also took the opportunity to cheekily ask Jericho for a selfie to which he obliged even though he had to have been in a rush. Once again it's those kind of experiences that you can't set a price on so I have to give a special thanks to Chris Jericho and Rich Ward for humouring this Fozzy fan and really appreciating what I shared.

Unfortunately nothing lasts forever and all the band once again shook our hands and thanked us for coming. Rich once more thanked me for what I'd said and I really could tell it meant a lot to him. It was at this point that I quickly got my Jericho selfie and just like that it was over. We got first dibs at the merch table and it was time to leave so the venue could get set up for doors opening. Some VIPS waited outside to get in first while the rest of us had a drink or two in the bar opposite. I'd genuinely like to say at this point that if any of the Newcastle VIPs we talked to are reading this please feel free to follow me on Twitter @NorrisApproved3 and add me on Facebook as you were all great people and I had some great music/wrestling related conversations throughout the night. Who knows? Maybe we'll see each other at the next Fozzy gig!

In short if you're a Fozzy fan and you are on the fence about going VIP next time they're in town, I wholeheartedly recommend you do it. The whole band are so friendly and accommodating that any nerves will soon dissipate. Plus it seems that they pride themselves on making the whole thing as fan friendly as possible. I think other bands and singers should look at how Fozzy do VIP and take it from there.

As for the gig itself? Well it's just what I expected from a Fozzy show. Plus the support acts were excellent. Canadian band Sumo Cyco opened proceedings and really got those who'd shown up early into the spirit of things. They certainly earned two new fans in Phil and I and I'm now pretty sure that they're why he's emigrating to Canada! Hard rockers Nonpoint picked up the baton in style and fired through their hits including 'Bullet With A Name' and their cover of Phil Collins' 'In The Air Tonight'. Of course Fozzy were the main event and they stormed the stage with 'Do You Wanna Start A War'. The rest of the set was a tour de force of their ever growing and impressive back catalogue. 'To Kill A Stranger'? Check. 'Sandpaper'? Check. 'Enemy'? They were all there. Even their ABBA cover 'SOS' got an airing. By the time Fozzy reached set closer 'Eat The Rich' they had Newcastle in the palm of their hands. I even noticed Jericho mouth that he would remember the lyrics in a cheeky nod to his conversation earlier that day during the Q&A. In summary, Fozzy are a band constantly on the rise. They get better every time I see them and will leave you begging for more. The sooner Fozzy get back to the UK, the better!