Saxon came to Brazil for a series of shows on their Seize The Day World Tour. , and Brasília, before continuing on to other Latin American countries, with shows in Argentina, Colombia, Chile, and Mexico featuring hits from their nearly 50-year career.
During his visit to the country, Biff Byford spoke with Wikimetal and commented on his happiness at coming to Latin America: "We have many fans there, so we are ready to have a lot of fun."
The group, with its five decades on the road, is one of the great classics of heavy metal and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM), a category given to Saxon by the specialized media and not by them: “We didn’t want to start a movement, I think. I think journalists wanted to start a movement like that. I mean, there were big bands at that time like Judas Priest , Motorhead , bands like that. We were kind of from a different generation. Then you [ Iron ] Maiden and Def Leppard , you know. It only happened because we are English.”
Byford also commented on the legacy Saxon will leave behind: “If any new fan ends up liking the band, they can basically listen to it for free. You know, you can go back to 1980 and hear what people were excited about at the time. So I think the most important thing about legacy is that you know your music will never be deleted and people will always be able to listen to it. That's the amazing thing about social media.”
He concluded by saying that "the band's legacy is what we are writing, it's the legacy of every time we go on tour and [the legacy] of all the albums we write."
The musician also expressed admiration for bands that have been on the road for a long time, like Saxon or even longer. “Anyone who is still writing songs even after 20-30 albums, I think that’s admirable. For example, The Rolling Stones. You have to admire those guys because they’re still making albums, they’re still on TV selling [those albums]. They’re still touring and living a rock and roll life.”
And all indications are that Saxon will continue to have a long life. Check out photos from the band's show in São Paulo here.