Sunday night saw one of November’s most anticipated shows, as legendary Ozzy Osbourne and Black Label Society guitarist Zakk Wylde brought Zakk Sabbath and a heavy night of Metal classics to The Canopy Club in Urbana, IL.
Zakk Sabbath
The Canopy Club, Urbana, IL – 9 November 2025
Words And Photography: Ben Tschetter
An enormous line of Metalheads wrapped down the street and around the block, waiting for hours in the cold to pack The Canopy Club and witness the guitar icon up close.
The intimate venue has seen an unfortunate decline in hard rock and Heavy Metal concerts over the past decade, but has slowly begun filtering more onto the calendar in recent years. The eager horde of Metal fans proves the need for more shows of its kind.
Dark Chapel
After the sold-out crowd packed the venue, the brand new Metal group, Dark Chapel, from Black Label Society co-guitarist Dario Lorina, kicked off the evening. The only group in the evening’s lineup that featured original songs, Dark Chapel performed and shredded, as they had something to prove.
Formed recently, in 2024, and with a debut LP Spirit In The Glass released in 2025, the Zakk Sabbath American Winter Tour 2025 marks one of the first-ever tours of this new band.
With a grungy, sludgy sound, merged with sharp-cutting guitar parts and melodic writing, Lorina and his super-tight band had the room headbanging and captivated with his fresh selection of songs. A perfect introduction to the heavy evening ahead.
Bonfire
Following this energetic intro set was Bonfire, an AC/DC tribute band hailing from Los Angeles. This show marked their first weekend of shows out with Zakk & Co., and their fresh energy was a perfect pairing to the songs of Black Sabbath.
Bonfire celebrate the early Bon Scott years of AC/DC and brought out classics like Sin City, Dog Eat Dog, Whole Lotta Rosie, and Highway To Hell, which were well-received by the packed club of rockers.
The band members all matched the mannerisms and movements of AC/DC perfectly, including lead guitarist Diego Russo emulating Angus Young’s iconic ‘Duck Walk’ across the stage.
With nearly identical guitar tones, true-to-form vocals, and lots of the elements that form an AC/DC live performance, Bonfire gave an electric show with their respectable homage to Bon Scott’s AC/DC.
Zakk Sabbath
Finally, it was time for the main event. After an exciting hour of rock, Zakk Sabbath took the stage to the thrill of the roaring crowd of metalheads.
The band consists of three-quarters of Black Label Society: Zakk Wylde (guitar, vocals), John DeServio (bass), and Jeff Fabb (drums). For nearly two hours, the trio played a 13-song set consisting of nothing but Black Sabbath classics, from deeper cuts to greatest hits.
Fans erupted when the opening riffs to Children Of The Grave, Into The Void and Hand Of Doom broke out, and sang every word to others, like Fairies Wear Boots and War Pigs.
The intimate Canopy Club was alive and the connection between the band and the crowd created the perfect atmosphere for these songs.
If it was not already obvious, the three musicians are at the top of their game, musically ageing like the finest wine. DeServio and Fabb laid down an impressive and explosive rhythm section, introducing musical accents of intricate fills and riffs, while still accurately capturing the sound of classic Sabbath.
Their driving force paved the way for bandleader Wylde to unleash some of the most powerful riffs in Heavy Metal history, with his signature sound and ability.
Wylde tore the place down with fiery, face-melting riffs, including solos that nearly doubled the length of certain songs from their studio counterparts.
Not missing a note, Wylde brought the Sabbath sound back to life with his own heavy twists and plenty of pinch harmonics. As he expertly soloed through many great Tony Iommi parts, it was made glaringly obvious to the room of headbangers that Zakk Wylde is hands-down one of the best living guitarists out there.
Perhaps the most endearing presence in the room, however, was the love for the recently departed Ozzy Osbourne, whom Zakk shared a stage with for over 25 years.
As Wylde shared his own love for Osbourne between songs, he led the room in a ground-shaking “OZZY” chant, before breaking out into some of the biggest hits from Master Of Reality. Fresh off one of the biggest rock shows in music history, the Back To The Beginning show, Wylde proved he would keep the music of Black Sabbath alive and well, and showed the legendary songs every bit of justice they deserve.
Zakk Sabbath continue their mostly sold-out tour, paying tribute to Black Sabbath and bringing the classic songs across the US. For fans of Heavy Metal, Ozzy Osbourne, or Black Sabbath, this is not a show to be missed.
Catch them across the states until 16 December, when the tour concludes in San Diego, CA.
