MAIDEN!!! Rock in Rio 2013

The Maiden England stage.

Iron Maiden shows are not just rock concerts. They're not only impeccably executed musical performances with elaborate stage sets that draws the audience into another world and invoke the imagination. They are spiritually moving experiences for me.

 

Maiden headlined last night's Rock in Rio festival and performed their “Maiden England” show. For those not in the know, “Maiden England” was a 1989 concert video of Maiden playing two shows in support of their “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son” album. The record was a no. 1 hit in England, and the subsequent tour included an amazing stage set that invoked the album's ice and glacier artwork. “Seventh Son” is largely considered to be one of, if not Maiden's finest work, and ¾ of the album was performed alongside such Maiden staples as “The Trooper”, “Two Minutes to Midnight”, and “Run to the Hills”. Last year, to celebrate the DVD release of “Maiden England” (finally!), they reincarnated the tour. The elaborate stage set was not only brought back, but updated to include an enhanced light show and additional pyro. The set list remained largely the same as the '88 shows, but certain songs were switched out, and those that were brought in improve the show.

At the Maiden show last year. That stage is incredible.

Isn't it freakin' great to live in this technological age? The original “Maiden England” video was released in November of 1989. The concerts were recorded in November of 1988. It took a full year for the VHS to see the light of day. Last night, Maiden's headlining performance was streamed live for the world to see, and in HD. It was worth staying up past midnight to see it.

The original “Maiden England” VHS was my first exposure to them, and I've been a diehard since. I was fortunate enough to get box seats last summer when they brought the tour to Great Woods, and out of the dozens of shows I've been to this stood as the greatest of them all. You have to understand, that when I was 14 and finally found Maiden, their brand of rock music had fallen out of favor in the U.S. My guitar idol, Adrian Smith, had already left the band, as did lead singer and role model supreme Bruce Dickinson. Even if their ultimate lineup remained together, they likely wouldn't have seen much success in America. I did not believe I'd ever get a chance to see that lineup. However, 1999 came, the original lineup reunited, and there was hope. They toured America, trends be damned, and reestablished themselves as a world-wide phenomenon. Since reuniting they've released four albums that easily stand up to their 80's material and I've seen them whenever they came around (except once, which I'm still kicking myself in the arse for). The day that I heard that they'd be touring and performing “Maiden England”, my soul started dancing. This was like Luke Skywalker bringing back the Jedi Knights or watching Tom Brady turn into a legend every week on TV. It's special, and it stays with you.

I forgive you for being $9 a bottle.

And I got to re-watch it again last night, this time set before a crowd of about 300,000 screaming, deliriously joyous fans. They added “The Phantom of the Opera”, from their first album, to the set, and now we get to hear three guitarists perform a triple harmony during the song's breakdown. The eerie, spoken word section of “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son” is brought to life, complete with a mask-wearing phantom playing the pipe organ while an enormous animatronic Eddie looms in the background. Bruce wears costumes for specific songs, and for this one he channels a gothic, trenchoat wearing with a Misfits-style hairdo persona that fits the song's mystic content. In contrast, he dons the English red military coat during “The Trooper” to set that particular song's visual.

The stage, the lights and the costumes are all important, but the reason why Maiden endures is because of the music. The music always takes priority. “The Evil that Men Do” features a double-solo from Adrian and Janick Gers, and tells the story of a doomed romance. Adrian's ode to life on the road, the hit “Wasted Years” is possibly the band's biggest sing-along song, and Adrian played the hell of the guitar solo last night! He and Dave Murray were in improv mode, changing phrases of their solos while keeping the core elements down. This is used to great effect in “Run to the Hills”... which makes me take back what I said about “Wasted Years”. “Run...” is THE sing-along song. 300,000 people attested to it last night. So many great songs were on display that I can't get to them all: “Hallowed Be Thy Name”, “Can I Play With Madness”, “Fear of the Dark”, “Running Free”, “Aces High”...

Dream set-list.

The best compliment I can give them is that words cannot properly describe what their shows are like. Maiden have a special connection with us, the audience. Nothing is done half-ass, and everything is done with a combination of a working man's ethic and a musical genius' touch. The sights and the sound move us, and the chemistry that the six members of the band share create a unique vibe that cannot be duplicated. There will never be another Iron Maiden, and I am going to enjoy the remaining time they have to give us.

(P.S. The show is all over Youtube.)