1986
| Date | Location | Recording | Time | Quality | Bootleg | Official release |
| 1986, Feb 3 | Concert Hall, Toronto | AUD | 47 | CD | No | |
| 1986, Feb 3 | Concert Hall, Toronto | SB | 98 | ex/ex- | CD | No |
| 1986, Feb 7 | Spectrum, Montreal | SB | 92 | ex | CD | No |
| 1986, Feb 12 | Paradise, Boston | SB | 86 | ex | CD | No |
| 1986, Feb 16 | L’Amour Brooklyn, New York | AUD | 74 | gd+/gd | CD | No |
| 1986, Feb 22 | Harpo’s, Detroit | AUD | 83 | gd | CD | No |
| 1986, Mar 2 | 1st Avenue, Minneapolis | AUD | 75 | ex/ex | CD | No |
| 1986, Mar 5 | Mississippi Nights, St. Louis | AUD | 72 | gd/bd+ | CD | No |
| 1986, Mar 6 | One Block West, Kansas City | AUD | 58 | gd+/gd | CD | No |
| 1986, Mar 19 | Big Apple, Albuquerque | AUD | 86 | gd+/gd | CD | No |
| 1986, Mar 21 | Celebrity Theatre, Phoenix | AUD | 83 | ex-/gd+ | CD | No |
| 1986, Mar 29 | Civic Center, Santa Monica | AUD | 77 | ex-/gd+ | CD | No |
| 1986, Apr 12 | Torwar, Warszawa | AUD | 89 | gd/gd- | CD | No |
| 1986, Apr 15 | Hala Ludowa, Wroclaw | AUD | 96 | gd- | CD | No |
| 1986, Apr 15 | Hala Ludowa, Wroclaw | SB | 62 | ex/ex- | CD | No |
| 1986, Apr 26 | Sportcsarnok, Budapest | AUD | 86 | gd- | CD | No |
| 1986, Apr 29 | Arena, Wien | AUD | 85 | ex- | CD | No |
| 1986, Apr 30 | Arena, Wien | AUD | 103 | ex/ex- | CD | No |
| 1986, May 7 | Zollern-Alb-Halle, Albstadt | AUD | 84 | gd+/gd | CD | No |
| 1986, Aug 20 | Rock City, Nottingham | AUD | 79 | ex-/gd+ | CD | No |
| 1986, Aug 23 | Thames-Side Arena, Reading | AUD | 85 | ex-/gd+ | CD | No |
| 1986, Aug 23 | Thames-Side Arena, Reading | FM | 50 | ex | CD | No |
| 1986, Aug 23 | Thames-Side Arena, Reading | CD | 34 | ex+ | Bootleg CD | Yes |
| 1986, Oct 6 | Playhouse, Edinburgh | AUD | 98 | gd | CD | No |
| 1986, Oct 7 | City Hall, Newcastle | AUD | 91 | ex-/gd+ | CD | No |
| 1986, Oct 9 | Odeon, Birmingham | AUD | 90 | gd/gd- | CD | No |
| 1986, Oct 10 | Ritz Theatre, Linclon | AUD | 93 | gd- | CD | No |
| 1986, Oct 11 | Hammersmith Odeon, London | AUD | 110 | ex | CD | No |
| 1986, Oct 11 | Hammersmith Odeon, London | TV | 34 | ex+ | DVD | No |
| 1986, Oct 12 | City Hall, Sheffield | FM | 88 | ex | CD | No |
| 1986, Oct 12 | City Hall, Sheffield | FM | 40 | ex- | CD | No |
| 1986, Oct 13 | City Hall, Hull | AUD | 79 | gd- | CD | No |
| 1986, Oct 19 | Solnahallen, Stockholm | AUD | 90 | ex- | CD | No |
| 1986, Oct 20 | Rockefeller Music Hal, Oslo | AUD | 90 | gd- | CD | No |
| 1986, Oct 22 | Metropol, Berlin | AUD | 90 | ex-/gd+ | CD | No |
| 1986, Oct 25 | Schwarzwaldhalle, Apenweier | AUD | 90 | gd+ | CD | No |
| 1986, Oct 26 | Stadthalle, Sindelfingen | AUD | 85 | ex- | CD | No |
| 1986, Oct 27 | Stadthalle, Offenbach | AUD | 84 | ex-/gd+ | CD | No |
| 1986, Oct 28 | Kulturhaus, Mannheim | AUD | 85 | gd+ | CD | No |
| 1986, Oct 31 | Forest National, Bruxelles | AUD | 83 | gd | CD | No |
| 1986, Nov 1 | Jaap Edenhall, Amsterdam | AUD | 103 | gd+ | CD | No |
| 1986, Nov 2 | Le Zenith, Paris | AUD | 89 | gd+/gd | CD | No |
| 1986, Nov 2 | Le Zenith, Paris | FM | 92 | ex | CD | No |
| 1986, Nov 14 | Reunion Arena, Dallas | AUD | 47 | gd-/bd+ | CD | No |
| 1986, Dec 4 | Paramount Theatre, Seattle | AUD | 38 | gd | CD | No |
| 1986, Dec 13 | California Theatre, San Diego | AUD | 46 | gd+ | CD | No |
| 1986, Dec 14 | Long Beach Arena, Los Angeles | AUD | 41 | ex-/gd+ | CD | No |
| 1986, Dec 19 | Convention Center, Oakland | AUD | 51 | gd | CD | No |
1986, Oct 11: Hammersmith London
1986 Winning Wheels – Harpo’s Detroit DVD – Feb 22 (DVD)
1986 A Collection Of Early Hard-To-Find Performances Vol.1 – First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN March 2 (CD)
Disc 5: First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN March 2, 1986 – 1. Intro 2. Power And The Glory 3. Back On The Streets 4. Dallas 1 PM 5. The Devil Rides Out 6. Broken Heroes 7. This Town Rocks 8. Crusader 9. Princess Of The Night 10. Denim And Leather 11. Wheels Of Steel 12. Metal Medley: Heavy Metal Thunder / Stand Up And Be Counted /. Taking My Chances / Warrior / Heavy Metal Thunder [Reprise].
1986 Winning Wheels – Rock City, Nottingham – Aug 20 (CD)
1986: BBC- session/Live at Reading Festival 1986 – official release (CD)
1986 Slay The Nations – Aug 23 (CD)
Recorded live at the Reading Festival, England, 23/08/1986.
Bootleg Ningun label conocida
| 1. Power and the Glory | ||
| 2. Never Surrender | ||
| 3. The Eagle Has Landed | ||
| 4. Rock the Nations | ||
| 5. 747 (Strangers in the Night) | ||
| 6. 20000 Feet | ||
| 7. Wheels of Steel | ||
| 8. Waiting for the Night |
1986 BBC in Concert – Aug 23 (CD)
Only a year had passed since Saxon’s 1985 Hammersmith show was broadcast on BBC Radio but Saxon invaded the UK’s airwaves yet again as their headlining slot at 1986’s Reading Festival was recorded for broadcast on the BBC Friday Rock Show. The band were touring to promote the imminent release of the Rock the Nations album and, while that patchy album found them losing their Midas touch in the studio, on BBC in Concert (23rd August 1986) it sounds like they were losing none of their knack as a live act.
Sadly, the BBC didn’t air the whole set and cherry-picked just 9 songs for broadcast. Much of the broadcast has since been available on Saxon’s BBC Sessions album but this album download (available on Amazon/iTunes etc…) now presents the complete 9 song, 51 min broadcast as it was originally aired. It’s fairly heavy on the classic material and if you didn’t know what year it was from you could be forgiven for thinking this was the band in their NWOBHM pomp. Only two new songs give the game away: an excellent version of Rock the Nations that fits right in with the older material and a performance of Waiting for the Night which… doesn’t. It’s actually a pretty good version of the track but its pop rock breaks the spell cast by glorious versions of metal powerhouses like 747 (Strangers in the Night) and Wheels of Steel. On the bonus side it’s the song here that gets played least often so it’s good to hear and own a live version of it.
That one hiccup aside, the rest of the performance is impressive. The band is on winning form and the crowd sound like they’re lapping it all right up. While new bassist Paul Johnson didn’t command the stage like Steve Dawson he acquits himself well musically. Never Surrender and 20,000ft give the classic The Eagle Has Landed live album versions a run for their money and an excellent Strong Arm of the Law climaxes with a wailing Graham Oliver solo (with some Sabs and Hendrix thrown in for good measure). The real highlight, though, is a captivating The Eagle Has Landed which puts its studio counterpart firmly in the shade.
The vintage quality of this performance must have been heartening stuff for fans troubled by the recent studio albums but any hopes for a return to form would soon be dashed. The Rock the Nations album proved disappointing and, frustrated by the way the band was being managed, Nigel Glockler would leave the band at the end of the tour to join GTR. And Saxon’s next, and last, studio album for EMI would be a desparate gamble that would test the patience and loyalty of their fans more than any other yet.
1986 Reading Festival 1986 – Aug 23 (CD)
Artist: Saxon
Release: Live At Reading Festival [Bootleg 23-08-86]
Genre: Heavy Metal
Country: England
01 – The Power And The Glory
02 – Never Surrender
03 – The Eagle Has Landed
04 – Rock The Nations
05 – 747 (Strangers In The Night)
06 – 20,000 Feet
07 – Wheels Of Steel
1986 A Collection Of Early Hard-To-Find Performances Vol.2 – Reading festival, Aug 23 (CD)
Disc 1: Live From The Reading Festival, Reading, UK August 23, 1986 – 1. The Power And The Glory 2. Never Surrender 3. The Eagle Has Landed 4. Rock The Nations 5. 747 (Strangers In The Night) 6. 20,000 Feet 7. Wheels Of Steel.
1986 British Steel – Aug 23 (CD)
1986 Live At The Zenith – 2 November (CD)
