TO think 50 years ago Iron Maiden took to the stage at The Lion on Bridge Street in Warrington- and now they have become one of the biggest rock bands in the world!
Last night at a “sold out” Manchester Coop Live, Iron Maiden delivered the “nearest you’re going to get” said lead singer Bruce Dickenson, “to a greatest hits show.”
To say it was breathtaking is an understatement.
It was simply pure theatre with a blend of high-voltage rock ‘n’ roll to story-telling classics that have stood the test of time.
Bruce wasn’t best pleased with a national newspaper review of the previous night’s show when the journalist suggested he had “nodded off” mid-show. There was certainly no way anyone on stage or in the crowd was going to nod off from the performance I saw.
Whether you like the music or not, the theatre was enough to keep anyone awake.
Advances in technology with the big screen backdrops mean a band like Iron Maiden can now create the visuals their music deserves.
This isn’t just music, this is music with heart and soul that pulsates into your inner consciousness and soul.
It is almost overwhelming, so overwhelming you don’t actually appreciate what you are fully witnessing until it has started to sink in, long after the power riffs on stage have faded away.
I first saw Iron Maiden about 45 years ago when they were a support band to Motorhead. Around the same time, I saw bruce Dickenson fronting another heavy metal band, Sampson, again as a support act.
He stood out then like a shining beacon – and now all these years on he still packs a powerful punch vocally and visually.
Not bad from a guy who has bounced back from throat cancer and also took time away from the band to become a pilot.
This is truly the stuff of legends – and let’s not forget the main man and brains behind the Maidens, ever-present Steve Harris.
While Dickenson is the showman, Harris is the glue that sticks it all together.
While Maiden won’t be around in another 50 years, unless they continue to replenish the troops, their music will live on for many more years to come.
What a back catalogue they have created along with a new army of fans, with plenty of youngsters amongst the enthusiastic crowd.
Iron Maiden have certainly earned the “rock legends” badge – and with some honour!
Up the Maidens!
They also haven’t forgotten their roots and using UFO’s “Doctor Doctor” to warm up the crowd shows appreciation to one of the bands that inspired them.
The set list below tells its own story and is taken from their first nine albums – and while Dickenson wasn’t involved in the first two, he certainly performed the old classics with great gusto.
Maybe the only thing missing from the show was a fitting tribute to original frontman Paul Di’Anno who sadly died last year after ongoing health problems.
Doctor Doctor (UFO song)
The Ides of March
Murders in the Rue Morgue
Wrathchild
Killers
Phantom of the Opera
The Number of the Beast
The Clairvoyant
Powerslave
2 Minutes to Midnight
Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Run to the Hills
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
The Trooper
Hallowed Be Thy Name
Iron Maiden
Encore:
Aces High
Fear of the Dark
Wasted Years
A visually stunning show
@garyskent #rock #classicrock #ironmaiden #fearofthedark #manchester @Iron Maiden ♬ original sound – GarySkent
