Serving as the opening act for legendary metal band Black Sabbath is no easy feat. However, blues/rock group Rival Sons is up for the challenge. In fact, the Long Beach, California-based quartet’s members are so confident in their abilities of revving up Sabbath’s audience, they’ve signed up to tour with them all over the world from this past January until the end of September.
“We’re over the moon excited,” said bass player Dave Beste about the 2016 world tour with Black Sabbath during an exclusive interview with Headlines & Global News. “It’s a huge opportunity, and a huge honor for us just the fact they asked us to come out.”
Yes, Rival Sons was personally chosen by Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne and his manager/wife Sharon Osbourne to hit the road with them on The End tour. “We played at the Classic Rock Awards in L.A. last year, and Ozzy and Sharon were in the audience, and saw us perform, and approached us after the show, and asked us if we wanted to come out with them,” explained Beste. “They asked after seeing us play two songs, which is pretty cool.”
Beste and his bandmates - singer Jay Buchanan, guitarist Scott Holiday and drummer Michael Miley - are touring to support the 2-disc tour edition of their fourth album “Great Western Valkyrie,” which came out this past October via Earache Records. The guitar-driven album includes singles “Open My Eyes” (which spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Canadian Active Rock Radio chart) and “Electric Man.”
Do you notice a difference between fans overseas and those here in the United States?
It’s kind of hard to pinpoint. It varies country to country when you get to Europe - a French crowd will be a little bit more reserved and an English crowd will be a bit more rowdy. I think the one thing everybody has in common is people want to see live music still, which is great.
Do you guys ever worry about terrorism when you tour, especially since what happened in Paris for Eagles of Death Metal?
You know what? No! We played in Paris two days before that happened [at a different venue]. A lot of the people that are out on the road with us, our crew, are good friends with those guys, so it really did hit close to home for us. But we’re definitely not going to let that stop us from going out and playing. Since that happened, the security measures have increased dramatically at all these venues. But, no, I’m not going to be afraid of it. It’s certainly not going to stop us.
What was it like touring in Europe right after the Paris attack?
It was definitely interesting. The energy was a little different. You can tell a lot of the audience was a little apprehensive to come out, but everybody was just kind of resilient.
You have four albums’ worth of material to play, how do you choose what to perform live?
We’re doing 40 minutes. The majority of the songs we’re doing are from the latest record, “Great Western Valkyrie,” and then there’s two or three others from prior records. We’re mostly doing new material, and then that may change because we have another record coming out in the spring, so once that happens, then we’ll have to mix it up even more, but we’ll figure it out.
Does your new record sound like your other material or will there be some kind of surprise for fans?
It’s sounding good. I don’t think there’s anything dramatic, but it definitely has its own vibe. It has a different sort of feel than the other records. It’s still very much Rival Sons. It’s still very much rock ‘n’ roll. But, to us, it feels more mature or something. We’re feeling a little more confident in what we’re doing and where it’s going.
Do you four guys record all together?
We definitely record together. We cram the whole session into 30 days. We go to Nashville and we get in the studio with Dave Cobb, our producer, and we write, record and mix everything in a month. Ninety percent of what you’re hearing is usually first or second takes.
How do you feel about all of Rival Sons’ comparisons to Led Zeppelin?
I find them a little tiring. I understand there are not a lot of bands that are playing this kind of music that we play now. People are always trying to make an association. I, personally, don’t think we sound anything like Led Zeppelin. I get what people are saying, but even before I was in the band, I never made that association. It wasn’t until I joined the band that I started realizing how often people make that comparison. I think that we are definitely our own thing, and with every record we’ve done - “Great Western Valkyrie” and this new one - those comparisons will be harder to make because I just don’t think we sound like that.
Do you think one day people will compare other bands to Rival Sons?
I hope so. That would mean that we’ve inspired people, so that would be a really cool thing.
Rival Sons 2016 Tour Dates with Black Sabbath
Feb. 23: Montreal, Quebec @ Bell Centre
Feb. 24: Portland, Maine @ Asylum (Headlining Show)
Feb. 25: New York, N.Y. @ Madison Square Garden
Feb. 27: New York, N.Y. @ Madison Square Garden
April 15: Perth, Australia @ Perth Arena
April 17: Adelaide, Australia @ Entertainment Centre
April 19: Melbourne, Australia @ Rod Laver Arena
April 23: Sydney, Australia @ Allphones Arena
April 25: Brisbane, Australia @ Entertainment Centre
April 28: Auckland, New Zealand @ Vector Arena
April 30: Dunedin, New Zealand @ Forsyth Barr Stadium
June 1: Budapest, Hungary @ Groupama Arena
June 3: Nuremberg, Germany @ Rock Im Park
June 5: Mendig, Germany @ Rock Am Ring
June 8: Berlin, Germany @ Waldebuhne
June 11: Donnington, United Kingdom @ Download Festival
June 12: Donnington, United Kingdom @ Download Festival
June 13: Verona, Italy @ Arena Di Verona
June 15: Zurich, Switzerland @ Hallenstadon
June 19: Clisson, France @ Hellfest
June 23: Halden, Norway @ Tons of Rock
June 25: Copenhagen, Denmark @ Copenhell
June 28: Vienna, Austria @ Stadthalle
June 30: Prague, Czech Republic @ 02 Arena
July 2: Krakow, Poland @ Tauron Arena
July 5: Riga, Latvia @ Riga Arena
July 7: Helsinki, Finland @ Monsters of Rock Festival
July 9: Stockholm, Sweden @ Monsters of Rock
July 12: Moscow, Russia @ Olympisky Arena
Aug. 17: Wantagh, N.Y. @ Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
Aug. 19: Camden, N.J. @ Susquehanna Bank Center
Aug. 21: Bristow, Va. @ Jiffy Lube Live
Aug. 23: Holmdel, N.J. @ PNC Bank Arts Center
Aug. 25: Boston, Mass. @ Xfinity Center
Aug. 27: Uncasville, Conn. @ Mohegan Sun Arena
Aug. 29: Toronto, Ontario @ Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
Aug. 31: Detroit, Mich. @ DTE Energy Music Theater
Sep. 1: Cleveland, Ohio @ Grog Shop (Headlining Show)
Sep. 2: Indianapolis, Ind. @ Klipsch Music Center
Sep. 4: Chicago, Ill. @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Sep. 7: Dallas, Texas @ Gexa Energy Pavilion
Sep. 9: Albuquerque, N.M. @ Isleta Amphitheater
Sep. 11: Salt Lake City, Utah @ USANA Amphitheater
Sep. 13: Ridgefield, Wash. @ Sunlight Supply Amphitheater
Sep. 15: Oakland, Calif. @ Oracle Arena
Sep. 17: Las Vegas, Nev. @ MGM Grand Garden Arena
Sep. 19: Hollywood, Calif. @ Hollywood Bowl
Sep. 21: Phoenix, Ariz. @ AK-Chin Pavilion
For more on Rival Sons, visit the band’s official website, Facebook and Twitter.
