Special report by Mark Gromen

Don't know how many moons ago SAXON stopped in the Big Apple. The only area show in memory was appearance at one of those ill-fated New Jersey Meltdown events, in Asbury Park, early this decade. Since then, the Brits have lived off European festival success, seemingly headlining Wacken Open Air every other year, playing to 40 or 50 thousand fans at a pop. Only in the final throes of MTV's hair band era could America witness (a then struggling) Saxon is such an intimate club setting. Hell, the photo pit at Wacken holds almost as many as this show! Bolstered by internet reports of overseas activities, as well as a strong trio of recent SPV releases (truth be told, everything since '97's Unleash The Beast has been a step in the right direction, a winning streak that rivals ANY period in their lengthy career), Biff Byford and his seemingly ageless troupe returned to a sold-out BB Kings.

In waist coat that he never removed, despite the swelter of body heat and intense lighting that could pull double duty keeping fast food warm, Byford (who's old enough to be Grandpa for some in attendance) proved his worth as consummate showman, as well as phenomenal voice. One of the few cheeky enough to toy with the crowd, teasing and at times nearly belittling ("No, we're not playing that one."), he keeps fans and his band on their toes, deviating from the setlist at his feet and falsely introducing 'Hellcat" as "a slow song, time to relax, a love song." Quite the jester!

Mainstay guitarist Paul Quinn (he of the baseball cap and sunglasses) adds backing vocals, as does Nibbs Carter (bass), in a line-up rounded out by guitarist Doug Scarratt and Nigel Glockler (not easy for a man his age to be tearing it up on drums). From the photo pit, sneaking a peek at the set list revealed mostly hits, but that's not surprising, given this was something of a "Welcome Back" concert, Saxon obliged to play songs the US fans hadn't heard in ages. However, as we'd later learn, these old dogs had a few tricks (and extra, unpublicized numbers) up their sleeve.

As I warned a few around me, Saxon continued their tradition of opening with a newbie, followed by a couple of oldies. Kicking things off with 'Battalions Of Steel', they continued into a ripping rendition of 'Heavy Metal Thunder', 'Demon Sweeney Todd', 'Strong Arm Of The Law' and an unexpected 'The Letter'. 'Power & The Glory' sees the tall blond frontman working both sides of the stage, reaching across the barricade, practically into the throng. Quinn had his cap on backwards, catcher-style. By the time of '20,000 Ft.', the mane Byford had been whipping around earlier was now plastered to his head (with sweat). 'Valley Of The Kings', off their newest Into The Labyrinth, needed a little extra prodding from the singer, although any old-timers took it as a cue to hit the restroom (relieving themselves of those $8 beers). A day after astronauts said goodbye to the Hubble telescope, 'The Eagle Has Landed' (about Apollo 11 moon mission) takes on a new life. Speaking of historical epics, 'Dallas 1PM' came soon after, as did 'And The Band Played On' and the set ending 'Wheels Of Steel'. Along with 'Ace Of Spades' is there a more quintessential old-school genre defining heavy metal song?

Time for the encore: 'Live To Rock', 'Motorcycle Man' (nearly 30 years old!) complete with Byford's piercing whistle and an audience sung 'Crusader'. The later two not even on the set list. Having offed every title posted onstage, it was assumed their exit was final. Wrong. Returning for a second encore was simply icing on the cake, a decadent high calorie treat in the form of 'Never Surrender' ("I'm going to fuck up the band," quipped Byford. "They have no idea what we're going to do.") '747 (Stangers In The Night'), a rousing 'Denim & Leather' and 'Princess Of The Night'. Given the ovation from the packed house, it won't be an incalculable timeframe before Saxon return to these shores.

A photo gallery from the NYC show can be seen here.