Many other bands are claiming to have been the first, but Uriah Heep have the proof to mean that they were the real first western rock/Metal band to play in Moscow. Read what guitarist Mick Box told The Five Count about it:
“I’ve never even thought about it because all I hear about how they choose bands and people to be in it, I’m not quite sure it’s good or bad; I can’t make up my mind about it.”
“But, saying that, just recently, a campaign has been started for us to be in the Hall Of Fame. Whether it disappears into the ether, I have no idea. If it comes to fruition, it’ll be great – it’ll be a nice moment to savor.”
“But, you know, life goes on regardless. And if it comes, great; if it doesn’t, then that’s great too. Wouldn’t it be nice to have [the trophy]? But if it don’t come, then life will continue. And as it is, it’s a pretty good life already.”
“I mean, the thing they do overlook is that we were pioneers for a lot of bands throughout our career. For instance, we were the first band to play in Moscow when Glasnost sent us an official invitation to be the first Western rock band to play over in Russia.”
“We went to Moscow and played to 180,000 people in the Olympic stadium over a 10-day period. It was just immense. And through our success, other bands could follow in the following years.”
“And similarly in Czechoslovakia, before it became the Czech Republic and Slovakia, we were the first to play there, and then bands followed us there, and then Bulgaria and South Korea, Hungary… All these Eastern Bloc countries – even East Berlin before the wall came down.”
“And it allowed other bands to follow in our wake, which opened up the world a lot more, certainly to good music.”
