Scream for me,
Ft Lauderdale!!!
Ok, I know I'm late to the party in terms of reviewing this concert. I will do better, I promise. I'm back and am going to resume reviewing albums, shows, etc on a regular basis. Now, on to the show!
Iron Maiden has been my favorite band for most of my life, since I was first introduced to them in the early 80's. But, in all the concerts I've been to, I had NEVER seen Maiden! Shocking, I know. And it wasn't that I didn't want to. Life ALWAYS found a way to prevent me from going. On the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son tour, I had tickets. Something came up at the last minute, and I had to sell them. On Sept 7, 2013 (my birthday) my ex wife and I had just moved to North Carolina, and were broke from the move. What do I find out? Iron Maiden and Megadeth were playing in Raleigh ON MY BIRTHDAY! So, when the Legacy of the Beast tour was announced, I decided I was going and nothing was going to stop me this time.
So, I made it there. I was excited, obviously and was ready to see what I hoped would be the concert of a lifetime. I was out getting a beer when I heard Doctor Doctor by UFO come over the PA system. I knew it was time. I rushed back to my seat in time to hear Sir Winston Churchill's Never Surrender speech. I knew what was coming next. The place lit up with explosions and lights, as the band lept onstage and the iconic intro to Aces High blasted through the arena. A huge spitfire aircraft came down from the roof. It would dive, roll and scramble on cue, then go in again. It stayed there until the end of the second song, which was Where Eagles Dare.
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| Rolling, Scrambling, Diving! |
The first part of the set was war themed, and the stage reflected that, with changing backdrops featuring the various Eddie war artwork, explosions, and the camouflage terrain cover. Songs also included 2 Minutes 2 Midnight, The Trooper, where Bruce Dickinson bested a 12 foot high Eddie in a red coat in a sword duel. That segment ended with a Blaze Bayley era song, The Clansman, which Bruce nailed, and made his own.
The stage then changed to a cathedral type setting with stained glass windows featuring Iron Maiden artwork in them, as well as chandeliers. Religious songs followed, including Revelations, For the Greater Good of God, and another Blayze Bayley era song, Sign of the Cross. It also featured a revved up version of Flight of Icarus featuring Bruce with a flame thrower and a huge winged Icarus hanging from the roof. Although, this Icarus was more lucky than the one in the myth and the songs, because his wings did not turn to ashes. I think the fire marshal might have frowned on that one.
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| You could feel the heat all the way up in my crappy seats |
That act finished with Number of the Beast, The Wicker Man, and Fear of the Dark, which featured Bruce creeping around the stage with a lantern, wearing a tattered cloak. Then, the classic single guitar lick from the song, Iron Maiden screeched through the speakers, and during the break in the song, the most terrifying super sized Eddie to date came up over the stage. The Legacy of the Beast Eddie was there for dinner.
The Encore was The Evil That Men Do, Hallowed Be Thy Name, and Run to the Hills. They could have played 20 more songs, and I would have still loved every minute of it. I knew how amazing Iron Maiden was in concert, which is why I was so irritated that I had never gotten to see them. Was it worth the wait? I gotta say it was. It was in fact the best concert that I personally have ever seen, which is saying a lot because I've seen a lot of great concerts. And, judging by reading other reviews, this indeed was the best production the band, now in their 60's has ever done. They were energetic, bouncing around on stage like they did on the Powerslave tour. Bruce's voice was raw power throughout the show, Steve Harris's fingers were stronger than a weight lifter's femur, Nicko McBrain was all over the place like the playful puppy that he is, and the guitar trio of Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, and Janick Jers was tight as ever. The energy of the band was turned up to 11 as they rushed around from all sides of the stage from the first song to the last. They say they are going to keep pushing forward, and why not?
When you are the undisputed kings of heavy metal, you can do whatever you want.
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