Saxon is no longer just a band but an institution promoting solid NWOBHM music.  They have been at it since 1979 and by the looks of it, they are not looking to retire anytime soon.  While the band has been playing headlining shows throughout this tour, the show I saw was a support slot to Judas Priest on their Firepower tour. 

Earlier this year, Saxon released their 22^nd studio album Thunderbolt, and even with a condensed set, that album featured heavily in their set.  Songs like “The Secret Flight," “Nosferatu (The Vampire's Waltz)," and the title track fit nicely with some of the older classics.  In fact, aside from the new record, Biff Byford and the boys kept to the early material culling two songs each from the Wheels of Steel through the Power &The Glory albums. 

They even paid respects to Motorhead, who took them out on their first big tour.  “They Played Rock And Roll” was a great way to honor Lemmy and company and reminded us to enjoy and appreciate our musical heroes while they are still with us.  I wish I was able to catch Saxon on a headlining show due to the sheer number of great tunes that I miss seeing live, but they managed to make the most out of their short set performing a dozen tunes.  Whether they play for forty-five minutes or two hours, Saxon is always going to put on a great show.