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I'll just get to the point:
Iron Maiden kicked ass.
I dare any band to try to give a show like they did last night.
Bruce's voice was spot on. He never struggled and was able to hit all the high notes. I've seen Maiden many times since 1985 and he hasn't always had an "on" night but at last night's show he was perfect. He didn't berate the crowd or go into long-winded monologues. Just some clever puns before introducing many of the songs. My favorite introduction was where he said something to the effect of, "this song is from a record in 1985, off an album called Live After Death. This is what not to do if a bird shits on you. THE RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER!"
The audio mix was okay, not stellar. I was sitting in the 5th row, dead center, with the pit in front of me. Bruce could always be heard but sometimes the guitars just blended together. The solos usually got a good boost and sometimes the bass was a little too loud. It was a loud show, but not deafening.
Dave Murray played a LOT of solos note for note (Aces High and Heaven Can Wait, for example) and didn't noodle too much like he's been prone to doing the past few years. Adrian Smith didn't stray too far from the classics either. His vibrato is awesome. Murray's is a little quick (but not Kirk Hammet Spastic). Thankfully Jannick got to play very few solos and as usual, butchered the ones he played. He doesn't even try to stick to the originals; he just does his sloppy repetitive runs. His prancing wasn't too bad at this show; maybe he finally got the message that he's too much of a distraction.
Murray played a Floyded tobacco burst Strat for most of the show and switched to an all white Strat at one point. Smith played an all white Strathead Jackson (1 hum, 2 single coils) for most of the songs, sometimes switching to an old Gibson SG and a Jackson Strathead, white with a black pickguard. I think Jannick played a black Strat for most of the show, but I try not to watch him if I can help it. Smith used a wah for many of his solos that had a really wide sweep.
The light show and pyro was good, not overbearing. The backgrounds used a mixture of illustrations from the classic records, including art from Powerslave, Somewhere in Time, and the Trooper single. Rime of the Ancient Mariner got it's own decrepit ship's deck background and during Number of the Beast the band opted for a solid curtain, lots of red lights, and a large devlish figure on the right side of the stage.
Bruce donned a cloak for Rime, and a red military coat for The Trooper. He's still full of energy and always kept the crowd worked up.
My favorite performances were Aces High and Moonchild. I've never seen them play Moonchild live and it was cool hearing Smith play the opening keyboard riff on guitar. Unfortunately they played Can I Play with Madness but I guess there's no such thing as a perfect show.
Another standout moment was during the singalong to Heaven Can Wait. One of the female fans on the stage lifted her shirt and exposed The Duellists. Bruce and Dave were laughing for quite some time after that.
Thankfully cameras were allowed at the show but I wasn't able to get close enough for some really tight, focused shots. What suprised me about the show was the amount of kids (like elementary school aged kids) at the show with their parents. Maiden as family entertainment??? I saw lots of cool Maiden shirts from the Fan Club and past tours. My King Diamond shirt from the Puppet Master tour got me a ton of compliments; people would stop me and scream "KING!" and tell me what an awesome shirt I had on.
Speaking of awesome, before the show started, my friend points to one of the backstage entrances and says, "hey, isn't that Rod Smallwood?". The Sheriff of Huddersfield was just standing there talking to a venue staffer and 3 other people. So I ran over to his area and as I waited for a chance to talk to him I noticed another guy had also come up and was shaking and in tears! I introduced myself to Rod, we chatted a bit and I got my picture taken with him. What he lacks in financial generosity he makes up for in being a super nice guy.
I've read all the keyboard warriors complain about opener Lauren Harris. She's beautiful, has a good voice, and knows how to perform on stage. Her songs...as my friend Brad put it, not even Autograph has songs as lame as hers. Her guitarist is trying too hard to be Zakk before he became Captain Caveman. Bell bottoms, vest, long blond hair...he even copies Zakk's stance. He's a decent guitarist but he was trying to do the same repetitive pentatonic runs that Zakk is famous for. The bass player looks like Nikki Sixx and the drummer looks like CC DeVille. Appearances aside, the songs weren't memorable and almost laughable.
Before Maiden hit the stage, the PA blasted UFO's Doctor Doctor. When the song was over, Maiden's Transylvania accompanied a short video of the band flying on their new plane and getting ready for the tour. Lights out. Winston Churchill. "...we will neva surrenda!" And it's 1985 all over again.
Up the Irons. There is none more metal.
Pics:
Iron Maiden kicked ass.
I dare any band to try to give a show like they did last night.
Bruce's voice was spot on. He never struggled and was able to hit all the high notes. I've seen Maiden many times since 1985 and he hasn't always had an "on" night but at last night's show he was perfect. He didn't berate the crowd or go into long-winded monologues. Just some clever puns before introducing many of the songs. My favorite introduction was where he said something to the effect of, "this song is from a record in 1985, off an album called Live After Death. This is what not to do if a bird shits on you. THE RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER!"
The audio mix was okay, not stellar. I was sitting in the 5th row, dead center, with the pit in front of me. Bruce could always be heard but sometimes the guitars just blended together. The solos usually got a good boost and sometimes the bass was a little too loud. It was a loud show, but not deafening.
Dave Murray played a LOT of solos note for note (Aces High and Heaven Can Wait, for example) and didn't noodle too much like he's been prone to doing the past few years. Adrian Smith didn't stray too far from the classics either. His vibrato is awesome. Murray's is a little quick (but not Kirk Hammet Spastic). Thankfully Jannick got to play very few solos and as usual, butchered the ones he played. He doesn't even try to stick to the originals; he just does his sloppy repetitive runs. His prancing wasn't too bad at this show; maybe he finally got the message that he's too much of a distraction.
Murray played a Floyded tobacco burst Strat for most of the show and switched to an all white Strat at one point. Smith played an all white Strathead Jackson (1 hum, 2 single coils) for most of the songs, sometimes switching to an old Gibson SG and a Jackson Strathead, white with a black pickguard. I think Jannick played a black Strat for most of the show, but I try not to watch him if I can help it. Smith used a wah for many of his solos that had a really wide sweep.
The light show and pyro was good, not overbearing. The backgrounds used a mixture of illustrations from the classic records, including art from Powerslave, Somewhere in Time, and the Trooper single. Rime of the Ancient Mariner got it's own decrepit ship's deck background and during Number of the Beast the band opted for a solid curtain, lots of red lights, and a large devlish figure on the right side of the stage.
Bruce donned a cloak for Rime, and a red military coat for The Trooper. He's still full of energy and always kept the crowd worked up.
My favorite performances were Aces High and Moonchild. I've never seen them play Moonchild live and it was cool hearing Smith play the opening keyboard riff on guitar. Unfortunately they played Can I Play with Madness but I guess there's no such thing as a perfect show.
Another standout moment was during the singalong to Heaven Can Wait. One of the female fans on the stage lifted her shirt and exposed The Duellists. Bruce and Dave were laughing for quite some time after that.
Thankfully cameras were allowed at the show but I wasn't able to get close enough for some really tight, focused shots. What suprised me about the show was the amount of kids (like elementary school aged kids) at the show with their parents. Maiden as family entertainment??? I saw lots of cool Maiden shirts from the Fan Club and past tours. My King Diamond shirt from the Puppet Master tour got me a ton of compliments; people would stop me and scream "KING!" and tell me what an awesome shirt I had on.
Speaking of awesome, before the show started, my friend points to one of the backstage entrances and says, "hey, isn't that Rod Smallwood?". The Sheriff of Huddersfield was just standing there talking to a venue staffer and 3 other people. So I ran over to his area and as I waited for a chance to talk to him I noticed another guy had also come up and was shaking and in tears! I introduced myself to Rod, we chatted a bit and I got my picture taken with him. What he lacks in financial generosity he makes up for in being a super nice guy.
I've read all the keyboard warriors complain about opener Lauren Harris. She's beautiful, has a good voice, and knows how to perform on stage. Her songs...as my friend Brad put it, not even Autograph has songs as lame as hers. Her guitarist is trying too hard to be Zakk before he became Captain Caveman. Bell bottoms, vest, long blond hair...he even copies Zakk's stance. He's a decent guitarist but he was trying to do the same repetitive pentatonic runs that Zakk is famous for. The bass player looks like Nikki Sixx and the drummer looks like CC DeVille. Appearances aside, the songs weren't memorable and almost laughable.
Before Maiden hit the stage, the PA blasted UFO's Doctor Doctor. When the song was over, Maiden's Transylvania accompanied a short video of the band flying on their new plane and getting ready for the tour. Lights out. Winston Churchill. "...we will neva surrenda!" And it's 1985 all over again.
Up the Irons. There is none more metal.
Pics:
Spartan stadium....I think Tesla opened that show. It was when they were just starting to get big.
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