IRON F***ING MAIDEN!!!

Greetings,

I know it's been a while, but - as always - I have been really busy, and to top it off, my computer has been on the fritz the last couple of days.

So, last Monday night I witnessed the greatest concert I have ever seen in my life. Now, I understand that most people are not Iron Maiden fans, so you might be disinclined to believe the claims I am about to make about the glory of this show, but rest assured, I mean every word I am about to write.

First of all - contrary to my previous statement about most people not being Iron Maiden fans - there were about 30,000 people packed into the White River Amphitheater. These 30,000 were not all washed-up, burned-out, mullet-sporting, middle-aged metal heads either (although there was a strong showing of that population as well). A lot of the fans were teenagers. Boys and girls alike. I was amazed. I thought the show was going to be a total sausage-fest, but apparently that designation is reserved for Rush and Dream Theater concerts.

There was an opening act. It was Lauren Harris and her band. Lauren is the daughter of Steve Harris - bass player and founding member of Iron Maiden. Lauren is an ok singer, and a good front-person. Her bass player and drummer are ok. Her guitar player needs to be fired and replaced immediately. It's not that he's a slouch, it's that he's completely over-indulgent. I love guitar solos, but you have to learn to do them artfully and appropriately. This guy has no idea how to do that. I don't think I heard anything longer than a 32nd note in any of his solos. I have said this over and over again - making someone stand up and take notice of the RIGHT note is much, much more impressive than playing 64 notes per measure for 2 minutes straight. Anyway, enough about that joker. The music was ok. The problem is, she's opening up for her dad's band, Iron Maiden. It wouldn't have mattered who the opening act was, none of us were going to pay any attention until Maiden hit the stage.

Soon after Lauren and her band left the stage, the giant video screens started showing black and white footage of WWII fighter planes in dogfights, and Winston Churchill's voice boomed through the PA system: "We shall fight in the air, we shall fight on the ground, we shall fight in the sea... We will defend our island, we will never surrender..."

Then the lights went on, the curtain pulled up, and the thunder of Aces High invaded the amphitheater. Maiden came tearing out onto the stage like six wild stallions breaking free from a rickety frontier corral. For the next two hours, those six men (all in their 50's) expelled more energy than bands half their age.

Let me see if I can paint the picture a little clearer. This tour is the "Somewhere Back In Time" tour, which basically means it's a greatest hits tour. The stage was set up to look like the cover of the album Powerslave. It's an Egyptian theme. Google it and check it out if you've never seen it, or if you don't remember it. Dave Murray (guitar) and Adrian Smith (guitar) were stationed on the left side of the stage (and, when I say "stationed," I mean that very loosely. Each of the six band members owned every inch of that stage). Bruce Dickinson's (vocals) area, of course, was center stage, but he didn't stay there very much. The right side of the stage was patrolled by Steve Harris (bass) and Janick Gers (Guitar), while Nikko McBrain (drums) was set up right below the Eddie-headed Sphinx in the rear middle of the stage. A big ramp/catwalk system wrapped around the back of the stage, just high enough to position Bruce right above Nikko's drums when he ran across the middle of it.

Here is the set list:

Aces High

2 Minutes to Midnight

Revelations

The Trooper

Wasted Years

The Number of The Beast

Can I Play With Madness

Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner

Powerslave

Heaven Can Wait

Run to the Hills

Fear of the Dark

Iron Maiden



(encores)

Moonchild

The Clairvoyant

Hallowed Be Thy Name



Obviously I want to say something about a few of these songs. The first real treat was Revelations. This has always been one of my favorites, and previously, the only live version I had heard was from 1985's Live After Death. That version was ok, but it was a little fast and there was a clean guitar part on the song played by Bruce Dickinson that was a little lacking. The version I heard on Monday night was FLAWLESS. It was better than the studio version.

Next we have Wasted Years. Again, one of my favorites, and another one that you don't hear them do live all that often. It was phenomenal. The guitar work by Adrian Smith was especially tasty.

On to Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner. Wow. What can I say about this one. It's an epic, and again, it was better than the studio version. If you're familiar with the song, you know that there's a section in the middle where Bruce let's out a tremendous high-pitched scream. Well, he's 50 now, and it's true that he can't quite hit those notes the way he used to, but I'm telling you, when he let that particular note fly, it shook me to my bones. Outstanding.

Right after that was Powerslave. This song just rocks, and again, they don't play it live very often, so it was a real treat. Tons of energy and a huge sound with three guitarists.

Finally, I was so stoked to hear Moonchild live that I thought I might just pee myself. This is such a raw, powerful song, and I know I've said it before, but it was soooooo much better live than the studio version was.

So I think that the overall impression that I got during the show was that Iron Maiden have never sounded better, and in the last couple of days I have confirmed it. I have been listening to Rock in Rio, which is a live album recorded on 2001's Brave New World tour. Up 'til now, I thought that was the best Maiden has ever sounded live. Well, I guess that now I can say that Iron Maiden are like a fine wine. They just get better with age.

Thanks for reading. See you next time.

I am the Reverend Humpy and I have approved this message.