2 Nights With The Beast
When asked who my favourite band is, without hesitation I respond "Iron Maiden". The reason is simple. Their albums starting from The Number Of The Beast and ending with Seventh Son of a Seventh Son are all perfect. Other than AC/DC I can't think of another band that had a run like this. What also sets them apart is that they are still going strong today. Their recent efforts show they can still record great music, which is more than I can say for other bands from that era.
Even with Iron Maiden CDs, DVDs, posters and T-shirts all over my home there was something missing. I had never seen them live. It seemed unlikely that they'd ever tour Australia - I actually thought the only way I'd get to see them would be to make a pilgrimage overseas. Then in September last year everything changed.
Iron Maiden announced their Somewhere Back In Time Tour, which saw Australia being one of the first countries they'd visit. The shock and excitement of this news quickly turned to stress. Who knows how many phone calls and emails it took to get tickets organised. Thankfully everything turned out well and I'd be seeing Maiden twice in 2 nights.
Night 1 - I was extremely nervous and being held up in traffic on the way in didn't help. After what seemed an eternity I got to my seat in time to see Vanishing Point. Having always been in close proximity whenever I've seen them it was weird being far away. Seeing them from the stands was certainly a different experience. They performed well and the crowd while not huge at that time responded enthusiastically. Vanishing Point clearly demonstrated what an Australian metal band can do.
When Iron Maiden hit the stage it was an incredible feeling. Seeing Bruce Dickinson fly around as if he was 25 not 50 was a sight to behold - hearing him say the immortal words "Scream For Me Melbourne" nearly sent me over the edge. The rest of the band was also in top form with Steve Harris and Janick Gers showing age hasn't slowed them down. There is a lot more that goes into an Iron Maiden concert than I thought. Bruce has a number of costume changes, the backdrop switches depending on the song played and then there is Eddie. His appearance may have been brief but he did make an impact towering over the crowd as he received the biggest cheer of the night. The concert was certainly a production.
All this was just a bonus because I was there for the music and Maiden definitely exceeded expectations in this area. The set was pretty much flawless - it should not have disappointed anyone. The songs I'd heard thousands of times, but hearing them live blew me away. While they played the standards Run To The Hills and 2 Minutes To Midnight they also threw in some lesser known tracks. Of these I enjoyed Moonchild and Revelations most because they've always been favourites of mine. The best song though was Fear Of The Dark. I didn't know if they would play it, making it special when they did.
The concert came to an end with Hallowed Be Thy Name. For once I didn't have any immediate complaints and I didn't come down from the high when the reality set in that it was all over. How could I when I knew I'd be back doing it all again less than 24 hours later?
Night 2 was a more relaxed affair. I managed to catch some of Lauren Harris this time. She's not bad - I've seen worse. Having said that I wouldn't go out of my way to see her again.
Vanishing Point played an identical set which didn't bother me too much. If anything I wish they could have gone on longer. There were a number of tracks that they didn't perform because there wasn't time. What they did play though was excellent and I'm digging the newer material more every time I hear it.
Iron Maiden also played the same set with only a slight change in the order of songs. I had a better view this night, which I appreciated. Supposedly the second concert wasn't a sell out - you wouldn't have known looking at the crowd. For me Wasted Years was the standout this time and while I had seen it all before it was as enjoyable as night 1.
When it all came to a close I reflected with my mate. I was exhausted and content. I think we both felt that if we'd just seen our last concert we could live with that. Of course neither of us will be retiring any time soon.
I only had one major criticism of Iron Maiden. There was nowhere near enough from Somewhere In Time. Considering the tour was named after this album a couple more songs from it should have been played. Any complaint though is being pedantic.
Iron Maiden put on a show that I'll never forget and that will be hard to top. I doubt it will be as long before they are back again and with any luck next time they'll be promoting a new album - now that would be the ultimate experience.
Even with Iron Maiden CDs, DVDs, posters and T-shirts all over my home there was something missing. I had never seen them live. It seemed unlikely that they'd ever tour Australia - I actually thought the only way I'd get to see them would be to make a pilgrimage overseas. Then in September last year everything changed.
Iron Maiden announced their Somewhere Back In Time Tour, which saw Australia being one of the first countries they'd visit. The shock and excitement of this news quickly turned to stress. Who knows how many phone calls and emails it took to get tickets organised. Thankfully everything turned out well and I'd be seeing Maiden twice in 2 nights.
Night 1 - I was extremely nervous and being held up in traffic on the way in didn't help. After what seemed an eternity I got to my seat in time to see Vanishing Point. Having always been in close proximity whenever I've seen them it was weird being far away. Seeing them from the stands was certainly a different experience. They performed well and the crowd while not huge at that time responded enthusiastically. Vanishing Point clearly demonstrated what an Australian metal band can do.
When Iron Maiden hit the stage it was an incredible feeling. Seeing Bruce Dickinson fly around as if he was 25 not 50 was a sight to behold - hearing him say the immortal words "Scream For Me Melbourne" nearly sent me over the edge. The rest of the band was also in top form with Steve Harris and Janick Gers showing age hasn't slowed them down. There is a lot more that goes into an Iron Maiden concert than I thought. Bruce has a number of costume changes, the backdrop switches depending on the song played and then there is Eddie. His appearance may have been brief but he did make an impact towering over the crowd as he received the biggest cheer of the night. The concert was certainly a production.
All this was just a bonus because I was there for the music and Maiden definitely exceeded expectations in this area. The set was pretty much flawless - it should not have disappointed anyone. The songs I'd heard thousands of times, but hearing them live blew me away. While they played the standards Run To The Hills and 2 Minutes To Midnight they also threw in some lesser known tracks. Of these I enjoyed Moonchild and Revelations most because they've always been favourites of mine. The best song though was Fear Of The Dark. I didn't know if they would play it, making it special when they did.
The concert came to an end with Hallowed Be Thy Name. For once I didn't have any immediate complaints and I didn't come down from the high when the reality set in that it was all over. How could I when I knew I'd be back doing it all again less than 24 hours later?
Night 2 was a more relaxed affair. I managed to catch some of Lauren Harris this time. She's not bad - I've seen worse. Having said that I wouldn't go out of my way to see her again.
Vanishing Point played an identical set which didn't bother me too much. If anything I wish they could have gone on longer. There were a number of tracks that they didn't perform because there wasn't time. What they did play though was excellent and I'm digging the newer material more every time I hear it.
Iron Maiden also played the same set with only a slight change in the order of songs. I had a better view this night, which I appreciated. Supposedly the second concert wasn't a sell out - you wouldn't have known looking at the crowd. For me Wasted Years was the standout this time and while I had seen it all before it was as enjoyable as night 1.
When it all came to a close I reflected with my mate. I was exhausted and content. I think we both felt that if we'd just seen our last concert we could live with that. Of course neither of us will be retiring any time soon.
I only had one major criticism of Iron Maiden. There was nowhere near enough from Somewhere In Time. Considering the tour was named after this album a couple more songs from it should have been played. Any complaint though is being pedantic.
Iron Maiden put on a show that I'll never forget and that will be hard to top. I doubt it will be as long before they are back again and with any luck next time they'll be promoting a new album - now that would be the ultimate experience.
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Thanks,
Jon.