Poll

What are your favorites of these Iron Maiden songs?

Strange World
11 (4.5%)
Innocent Exile
5 (2.1%)
Twilight Zone
4 (1.7%)
Invaders
14 (5.8%)
The Prisoner
25 (10.3%)
Die With Your Boots On
17 (7%)
Sun and Steel
6 (2.5%)
The Duellists
11 (4.5%)
Sea of Madness
23 (9.5%)
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
14 (5.8%)
The Prophecy
13 (5.4%)
Run Silent Run Deep
6 (2.5%)
Judas Be My Guide
12 (5%)
Look For the Truth
3 (1.2%)
The Unbeliever
6 (2.5%)
Lightning Strikes Twice
4 (1.7%)
The Educated Fool
5 (2.1%)
The Fallen Angel
11 (4.5%)
Montsegur
17 (7%)
New Frontier
2 (0.8%)
The Pilgrim
4 (1.7%)
Out of the Shadows
4 (1.7%)
Mother of Mercy
8 (3.3%)
The Alchemist
6 (2.5%)
When the River Runs Deep
6 (2.5%)
The Man Of Sorrows
5 (2.1%)

Total Members Voted: 36

Author Topic: Iron Maiden Discography Thread: Senjutsu  (Read 183499 times)

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Re: Iron Maiden Discography Thread: A Matter of Life and Death (2006 - 07)
« Reply #1610 on: January 03, 2018, 02:56:13 PM »
I remember the painting of Eddie... so was it all a convoluted way to pay homage to their mascot?  :D
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Re: Iron Maiden Discography Thread: A Matter of Life and Death (2006 - 07)
« Reply #1611 on: January 05, 2018, 02:23:10 PM »
Great write up as usual, but given my love for the album, I do love how this album got a track by track breakdown  :metal

This is IM at their peak IMO musically.  BNW and DoD are great albums, but it feels like they put things together even better for this release.  Every track is fantastic and given how late in their career this came out, it's simply amazing how experiment yet successful this album was. 

My first IM show was the early years tour during Ozzfest, but this tour was my first real Iron Maiden headlining gig.  I was in college at the time and they didn't play near school, but they did play near my home in NJ so my roommate and I travelled to my house to make this concert over the weekend.  We didn't have money so we had nose bleed seats.  While we both really loved the setlist, it was clear a few songs into the show that we were in a far minority.  No one stood besides us, and we got yelled at to sit which my friend eventually (and regretfully) did.  I was livid with the boring crowd.  IM were on FIRE yet no one cared because it wasn't classic material.  What a shame.  I remember so well going down the escalator leaving the arena and hearing EVERYONE bitch about the setlist and no Trooper, no Run to the HIlls, no Number of the Beast.... and I was yelling back at these people to shut up because you saw those songs on every other tour and will see them again on every other tour BUT THESE SONGS WONT BE PLAYED AGAIN!  My attempts were met to deaf ears and odd looks.  Oh well, I remember that concert and I remember loving it.  I guess that's all that matters.

New York: https://www.dropbox.com/s/21wryzp5xu6kt91/2006-10-12dvd.zip?dl=0

This one is video and is also really good. The audio is really good for a fan recorded boot and the video quality is really nice. The location of the camera is pretty much perfect and you get a lot of really great wide shots of the stage. Plus it's indoors. I almost prefer this to the blurry outdoor Donington footage, despite not being professionally recorded.

I have this video in my boot archive.  It's one of the best in terms of quality from the tour.  The problem... no one went to this concert.  It was after the NJ show the venue is not that far away.  Im guessing people heard about the dislike of the setlist and people didn't even show up for that concert.  The best boot has the worst crowd.  So sad for a big fan of the album and tour like myself.

Part of me feels like this tour went down the same as DT's TA tour, where they played the whole album to a crowd that didn't enjoy it and therefore the whole tour ends up being forgotten by the band without any proper live release.  Also sad.

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Re: Iron Maiden Discography Thread: A Matter of Life and Death (2006 - 07)
« Reply #1612 on: January 05, 2018, 03:10:05 PM »
Where do I have to sign to never hear 666 live again?  :lol

Anyway, I listened to the album again today. It's probably the best I have enjoyed it in YEARS. First of all because most likely it's been years since I've heard it anyway, and secondly because I stand by  my opinion at the time (Good, but not OMG OMG BEST THING EVERRRR!!!111 good as everyone seemed to think back in the day), but I've just enjoyed the hell out of this record today.

I'll always cherish Dance of Death, I concede its lows are very average but the highs of the album are so good to carry everything else, but Matter is way more consistent. I still think that the beginning of Thousand Suns is cacophonic, and that Greater Good could have used a trimming especially in the first chorus (4 lines is enough), but probably Steve needed more space for the lyrics, but all in all the album is strong as it is. Lord of Light is such unique and unlike everything they've done, and one should almost be surprised that Steve wanted something like Out of the Shadows on the album.

I still think The Longest Day is the best song. I still remember how at my gig Bruce, unlike in the studio version where he sings the whole stanza low and calm, he went "The world's alight, the cliff ERUPTS IN FLAMES!!!", shouting it and giving me the idea of an explosion even if there weren't pyros for that tour.

So I guess that 12 years later I'm team AMOLAD now. But I still think Dance of Death is deserving of all the praise it can get  :D (and I still think the tank live was goddamn bloody awesome)
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Re: Iron Maiden Discography Thread: A Matter of Life and Death (2006 - 07)
« Reply #1613 on: January 05, 2018, 03:57:33 PM »
Part of me feels like this tour went down the same as DT's TA tour, where they played the whole album to a crowd that didn't enjoy it and therefore the whole tour ends up being forgotten by the band without any proper live release.  Also sad.

That's an interesting take.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
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Re: Iron Maiden Discography Thread: A Matter of Life and Death (2006 - 07)
« Reply #1614 on: January 06, 2018, 06:38:39 PM »
Pulling back the curtain a bit: The lengthy writeup was for a few reasons. The first is personal; it's probably tied with Piece of Mind as my favorite Maiden album (I usually say Piece is #1, but it's really hard to compare them). So naturally I have a lot to say about it. The second reason is that I feel it's the most important album they've made since the 80s. Dance of Death and Brave New World are great albums, but with AMOLAD it's no longer about the reunion and it's now a band making albums as if they were still in their prime (and too many fans this is their prime). Finally, as I mentioned earlier, it made sense to present the album track by track because that's the way it was made and performed live. I also usually divide songs based on who wrote them, but the writing credits on this album are unusually lopsided toward not just one, but two members. The Final Frontier will be more divided in half, again to mirror the way the album plays out. On a side note: as more time passes since the release of TFF, I feel TFF and AMOLAD increasingly come off as companion albums the same way Somewhere in Time and SSOASS are. The fan opinion of the albums seem to mirror each other too.

Part of me feels like this tour went down the same as DT's TA tour, where they played the whole album to a crowd that didn't enjoy it and therefore the whole tour ends up being forgotten by the band without any proper live release.  Also sad.
There are definitely some similarities, although also some large differences. The biggest difference is that Dream Theater went through the US twice. I don't think the backlash would've been as bad if they didn't add the second leg, especially playing places they hadn't been to in a long time. Maiden were much more conservative with the US, only playing markets that they had been successful with in recent tours. When they started to play new locations, the setlist was adjusted to fit in more "classics". I think DT's Astonishing tour would've gone down better if it was also modeled that way. Do one leg of playing The Astonishing and then on the second leg maybe devote one set to The Astonishing and then the second set could be classics. AMOLAD was going to be a tough sell from day one. The Astonishing just overstayed its welcome. Not to mention it was made very clear that DT would be playing The Astonishing, where Maiden never really advertised (although to this day I'll never understand why people are still surprised when they see Maiden on a tour for a new album and the setlist is mostly focused on the album).

Edit: I'm glad both Maiden and Dream Theater did these tours though. I didn't get to see AMOLAD, but I did see the Astonishing and appreciated it despite not being crazy about the album.

I was disappointed that playing new albums live didn't become the new standard for Maiden, as I thought The Final Frontier was also deserving of that treatment. On the other hand, The Book of Souls was handled perfectly I thought. The ideal thing for Maiden though would be to rotate new songs so that everything gets played at some point, like what Dream Theater sometimes does and Rush did on Clockwork Angels.

 
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Re: Iron Maiden Discography Thread: A Matter of Life and Death (2006 - 07)
« Reply #1615 on: January 06, 2018, 06:59:40 PM »
The second reason is that I feel it's the most important album they've made since the 80s. 

It is.

  Dance of Death and Brave New World are great albums, but with AMOLAD it's no longer about the reunion and it's now a band making albums as if they were still in their prime (and too many fans this is their prime). Finally, as I mentioned earlier, it made sense to present the album track by track because that's the way it was made and performed live. 
 

One has to think of the Reunion Era as a "second" prime. It easily compares, and in may ways eclipses the Classic Era. I did a poll thread a few years ago comparing the two.

  On a side note: as more time passes since the release of TFF, I feel TFF and AMOLAD increasingly come off as companion albums the same way Somewhere in Time and SSOASS are. The fan opinion of the albums seem to mirror each other too..

I've honestly never considered SiT and SSOASS companion albums. But as strong as AMOLAD is, TFF is the only album in the Reunion Era that matches it strength wise.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

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Re: Iron Maiden Discography Thread: A Matter of Life and Death (2006 - 07)
« Reply #1616 on: January 06, 2018, 07:09:32 PM »
  On a side note: as more time passes since the release of TFF, I feel TFF and AMOLAD increasingly come off as companion albums the same way Somewhere in Time and SSOASS are. The fan opinion of the albums seem to mirror each other too..

I've honestly never considered SiT and SSOASS companion albums. But as strong as AMOLAD is, TFF is the only album in the Reunion Era that matches it strength wise.
It's mostly that SSOASS is an extension of the synth heavy sound, more progressive influence, and more commercial songs on Somewhere in Time. They're very much two sides of the same coin. TFF and AMOLAD are a bit more abstract, but I'll go into that more when we get there.

I think I agree that TFF matches the strength of AMOLAD, although I might slightly prefer The Book of Souls. Again, I'll get more into that when we get to those albums.

Edit: As a side note, TFF seems much more popular here than on Maidenfans, which is totally unsurprising.

I'm not sure if I prefer classic Maiden or reunion Maiden. What Bruce said in his book about playing AMOLAD live for the new fans resonated with me because I definitely have a connection to newer Maiden that I've noticed a lot of older fans don't. Even those who enjoy those albums. Conversely, the 80s albums don't mean as much to me as they do to those older fans. That being said though, lately I find myself going for older Maiden more often.
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Re: Iron Maiden Discography Thread: A Matter of Life and Death (2006 - 07)
« Reply #1617 on: January 06, 2018, 07:19:24 PM »
I have a stronger connection to newer Maiden because that's what really got me into them, but I rate TFF along with the lower level IM albums yet regard AMoLaD as their best, so no, I don't see the two as companion albums although stylistically, I can see why someone would say that.  I just don't think the end products are similar in quality.

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Re: Iron Maiden Discography Thread: A Matter of Life and Death (2006 - 07)
« Reply #1618 on: January 06, 2018, 07:32:33 PM »
It's mostly that SSOASS is an extension of the synth heavy sound, more progressive influence, and more commercial songs on Somewhere in Time. 

OK, sure.


I think I agree that TFF matches the strength of AMOLAD, although I might slightly prefer The Book of Souls. Again, I'll get more into that when we get to those albums.

I don't think TBOS is even half as deep as AMOLAD or TFF. To me, TBOS benefits from the halo effect that Empire Of The Clouds gives it. Other than the title track and Empire, I don't think anything else on that album is in the same league as AMOLAD or TFF. I do like The Great Unknown, though, especially the Live Chapter version.

I'm not sure if I prefer classic Maiden or reunion Maiden.

I'm not sure either. And I grew up with Maiden in the 80's. But the quality of the Reunion Era cannot be denied, and I would say the same for the Classic era. It's really remarkable what they've done.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
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Re: Iron Maiden Discography Thread: A Matter of Life and Death (2006 - 07)
« Reply #1619 on: January 06, 2018, 07:45:20 PM »
I have a stronger connection to newer Maiden because that's what really got me into them, but I rate TFF along with the lower level IM albums yet regard AMoLaD as their best, so no, I don't see the two as companion albums although stylistically, I can see why someone would say that.  I just don't think the end products are similar in quality.
When I say companion albums, I'm specifically talking about the musical content and style, not the quality. There are several songs on TFF that musically call back to AMOLAD.
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Re: Iron Maiden Discography Thread: A Matter of Life and Death (2006 - 07)
« Reply #1620 on: January 06, 2018, 08:02:09 PM »
I have a stronger connection to newer Maiden because that's what really got me into them, but I rate TFF along with the lower level IM albums yet regard AMoLaD as their best, so no, I don't see the two as companion albums although stylistically, I can see why someone would say that.  I just don't think the end products are similar in quality.
When I say companion albums, I'm specifically talking about the musical content and style, not the quality. There are several songs on TFF that musically call back to AMOLAD.

Yea, I see what you are saying.  I guess I feel there was more of a miss with TFF but a hit with AMOLAD in regard to those similar sounding songs.  Yet, there are a lot of similarities musically there.

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Re: Iron Maiden Discography Thread: A Matter of Life and Death (2006 - 07)
« Reply #1621 on: January 06, 2018, 08:51:17 PM »
I agree for the most part, but again getting ahead of ourselves. I liked TFF a lot when it came out but I've grown lukewarm to it over time, it hasn't aged nearly as well. I still really appreciate a lot of what it's trying to do.

One thing that keeps AMOLAD fresh for me is that my favorites tend to rotate. When I was first getting into the album, it was mostly The Legacy. Last year it was without a doubt For the Greater Good of God. Listening to it last night, it was Brighter Than a Thousand Suns (closely followed by These Colours Don't Run). So if I get tired of one song, another one opens itself up to me. The one epic that never really clicked with me is The Longest Day. I think it suffers the most from repetition, the chorus drags on too long. It does have some nice buildups though and a great instrumental section.

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Re: Iron Maiden Discography Thread: A Matter of Life and Death (2006 - 07)
« Reply #1622 on: January 06, 2018, 08:54:13 PM »
One thing that keeps AMOLAD fresh for me is that my favorites tend to rotate. When I was first getting into the album, it was mostly The Legacy. Last year it was without a doubt For the Greater Good of God. Listening to it last night, it was Brighter Than a Thousand Suns (closely followed by These Colours Don't Run). So if I get tired of one song, another one opens itself up to me. The one epic that never really clicked with me is The Longest Day. I think it suffers the most from repetition, the chorus drags on too long. It does have some nice buildups though and a great instrumental section.

It has that quality (the bolded part).

I also agree that The Longest Day's chorus is a small drag on the song, even though Bruce is immense on it. But that ominous opening is one of the greatest moments in the entire catalog. The build up is incredible.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

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Re: Iron Maiden Discography Thread: A Matter of Life and Death (2006 - 07)
« Reply #1623 on: January 06, 2018, 09:14:04 PM »
Yes, Bruce's lyrics really make that song. My biggest gripe is that the choruses don't really give the lyrics justice. It should've been more like Paschendale with less focus on a chorus and more on letting the music move with the lyrics. The intro gets that, as does the instrumental section (love that "machine gun" bit).
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Re: Iron Maiden Discography Thread: A Matter of Life and Death (2006 - 07)
« Reply #1624 on: January 07, 2018, 03:41:37 AM »
Maybe Maiden didn't come out officially stating it on their website "We will play the whole album", but I remember their thoughts about doing it were made very public, not hidden at all, and when I saw a headline on a site "Maiden play new album in full" it was just confirmation of what everyone already suspected, it was not a complete surprise at all.

About DT, I think they should have added an encore during the original run, just give something extra to the fans. I didn't mind at all to hear the new album with Maiden, but just playing 5 old classics after AMOLAD did wonders for the show, everyone was still reminded this was Maiden and which songs made them love the band to begin with, so even a 2 songs encore tackled at the end of The Astonishing would have worked better.
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Re: Iron Maiden Discography Thread: A Matter of Life and Death (2006 - 07)
« Reply #1625 on: January 07, 2018, 02:23:03 PM »
Maybe Maiden didn't come out officially stating it on their website "We will play the whole album", but I remember their thoughts about doing it were made very public, not hidden at all, and when I saw a headline on a site "Maiden play new album in full" it was just confirmation of what everyone already suspected, it was not a complete surprise at all.

About DT, I think they should have added an encore during the original run, just give something extra to the fans. I didn't mind at all to hear the new album with Maiden, but just playing 5 old classics after AMOLAD did wonders for the show, everyone was still reminded this was Maiden and which songs made them love the band to begin with, so even a 2 songs encore tackled at the end of The Astonishing would have worked better.

On the first part, yea IM had hinted they would do the whole album, but I think it was only hardcore fans who knew that.  The average American fan had no idea that was happening when the show began.  I recall about 3 or so songs in Bruce said something at the concert I attendd about "well, we are just going to play the whole thing" to a big moan from the crowd as in people didn't expect that and didn't want that.

For the second part, totally agreed.  DT had a nice pop apparently when they changed the setlist at the end of the tour to add in some classics.  Although IM didn't play their typical classics, they did what I consider their second tier of classics.  It was pretty ballsy to not play The Trooper, Run to the Hills, or The Number of the Beast.  I'd guess the general crowd would have enjoyed those more.  I do remember the crowd getting really excited for 2 Minutes to Midnight, but I think the crowd would have gone crazier for one of the three I listed.

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Re: Iron Maiden Discography Thread: A Matter of Life and Death (2006 - 07)
« Reply #1626 on: January 07, 2018, 02:55:12 PM »
I think Run to the Hills and 666 paid the price of being on the same album as Hallowed. With most of the set dedicated to the new album, they probably wanted to give as more to the fans as they could possibly do, and playing three songs from the same album when you have only 5 songs left in the setlist is not the best idea. Sure no one would have complained to get, say, The Trooper instead of The Evil that Men Do, but after a whole new album, any classic song would have done.
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Re: Iron Maiden Discography Thread: A Matter of Life and Death (2006 - 07)
« Reply #1627 on: January 07, 2018, 04:23:32 PM »
Well I think they also wanted to focus on the part of the 80s that didn't get attention on the Early Days tour, hence the absence of The Trooper (despite the song fitting in thematically with the show). Run To the Hills also seems to be the first thing they drop when they decide not to do a classics heavy show.
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Re: Iron Maiden Discography Thread: A Matter of Life and Death (2006 - 07)
« Reply #1628 on: January 08, 2018, 02:16:36 AM »
AMOLAD is full of great songs, but there's one I always overlook, when actually I shouldn't - The Pilgrim. It's one of Maiden's best songs and needs more love.
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Re: Iron Maiden Discography Thread: A Matter of Life and Death (2006 - 07)
« Reply #1629 on: January 11, 2018, 06:44:53 AM »
One thing that keeps AMOLAD fresh for me is that my favorites tend to rotate. When I was first getting into the album, it was mostly The Legacy. Last year it was without a doubt For the Greater Good of God. Listening to it last night, it was Brighter Than a Thousand Suns (closely followed by These Colours Don't Run). So if I get tired of one song, another one opens itself up to me. The one epic that never really clicked with me is The Longest Day. I think it suffers the most from repetition, the chorus drags on too long. It does have some nice buildups though and a great instrumental section.

It has that quality (the bolded part).

I also agree that The Longest Day's chorus is a small drag on the song, even though Bruce is immense on it. But that ominous opening is one of the greatest moments in the entire catalog. The build up is incredible.

The build-up is indeed awesome. I wish it had led into an even heavier chorus which would have continued the foreboding feeling of doom, and maybe saved the huge hopeful chorus for the very end of the song.

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Re: Iron Maiden Discography Thread: A Matter of Life and Death (2006 - 07)
« Reply #1630 on: January 11, 2018, 10:19:21 PM »
Damn, I'd love to hear Maiden cover Angel of Death. Damned underrated TL song.

As somebody who wasn't within a thousand miles of one of the shows and would have loved to see it, I always found the bitching about the setlist annoying.
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Re: Iron Maiden Discography Thread: A Matter of Life and Death (2006 - 07)
« Reply #1631 on: January 13, 2018, 08:19:54 PM »
Damn, I'd love to hear Maiden cover Angel of Death. Damned underrated TL song.

As somebody who wasn't within a thousand miles of one of the shows and would have loved to see it, I always found the bitching about the setlist annoying.

Agreed on both points.


EDIT: EVERY TL song is underrated!
« Last Edit: January 13, 2018, 08:26:33 PM by TAC »
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

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Re: Iron Maiden Discography Thread: A Matter of Life and Death (2006 - 07)
« Reply #1632 on: January 14, 2018, 05:24:39 PM »
Somewhere Back In Time Tour (2008 - 09)


Following the usual pattern of 00’s Maiden, the tour following A Matter Of Life and Death would be focused on the band’s greatest hits. This time, however, the tour was being hyped up long before the AMOLAD cycle had ended. While on stage, Bruce would often make references to pyramids and ancient mariners to tease the upcoming tour. So the tour’s theme itself was no surprise, although there were other aspects of the tour that did come as a surprise. The tour was announced as a sequel to The Early Days and would also coincide with the release of Live After Death and Maiden England on DVD. A DVD was released just days after the tour began, but it only included Live After Death and content from the Powerslave era. Regardless, the focus remained on the entire 80’s era including Somewhere In Time and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. Every song on the setlist was from the 80s, with the exception of Fear of the Dark. A compilation was also released, Somewhere Back In Time, which featured most of the same songs that were played on the tour. The combination of the exclusively 80s setlist and World Slavery Tour stage show made for a perfect storm that would result in Maiden’s biggest tour to date. If all that wasn’t enough, the band were also going to be flying in the highly publicized Ed Force One, a Boeing 757 plane piloted by none other than Bruce Dickinson.

The groundwork for Ed Force One was actually laid back in the 90s when Bruce was embarking on his solo career. The schedule for the Skunkworks tour saw him jumping from location to location around the globe in short bursts, so it made sense to fly as opposed to a traditional bus tour. And since Bruce had recently obtained his pilot’s license, he was eager to fly the plane himself (Bruce had also flown himself to gigs toward the end of his first Maiden stint). That being said, Skunkworks was a small tour with a small crew. The idea of taking a crew and production of Maiden’s size on a single plane was going to be far more complicated and was something Bruce had in mind long before they were finally able to actually do it. A commercial plane was then converted to also carry large freight in addition to the passengers and it was redecorated with the band’s logo and, of course, Eddie. The plane brought a ton of publicity to a tour that already had a lot of buzz around it. Major news networks were holding interviews inside the plane and fans were making the trek to their local airports to view the spectacle for themselves.

The biggest benefit to using Ed Force One was that it was now economically feasible to play locations that the band were typically unable to. Places like Australia, where the band had only toured three times before, were now possibilities. There were also locations that the band hadn’t visited at all before and markets that they had briefly touched on but could now explore more thoroughly. The tour began in India before jumping down to Australia, then back up to Japan. They then made a stop in California before going into Mexico and South America followed by a full North American tour. From here, the tour was closer to the typical Maiden itinerary and concluded in Europe with a combination of festival appearances and headline performances at various stadiums.
As expected, the stage show was heavily based on the World Slavery Tour. Naturally this time it was a bit bigger, with additional props and a more elaborate lighting rig. There are many small differences between the two stage productions, but for most fans these details were hardly (if at all) noticeable. The stage did borrow elements from other tours, though. There was the continued use of drapes depicting various artwork to go with a particular song or album, which didn’t start until the 90s. On the original World Slavery Tour, drapes were used but as backdrops to the stage set. Most of the drapes on the Somewhere Back In Time tour still followed the Egyptian theme, but there was also imagery from other eras. One of the Egyptian themed drapes even featured the Somewhere in Time and Seventh Son Eddies. Speaking of Eddie, the 2008 tour featured just one Eddie (probably due to the more limited space that comes with putting everything on a plane): the Somewhere In Time cyborg Eddie. In 2009, when the band embarked on a more traditional tour, they also brought the large mummy Eddie from World Slavery.

Unlike the Early Days tour, the setlist for Somewhere Back In Time was pretty predictable with few real surprises. The original press release more or less gave away the entire setlist and all of the usual suspects were present. That’s not to say it wasn’t a special set, however. As expected, the four songs from Powerslave that appeared on Live After Death were present. Two Minutes To Midnight had been played on several recent tours, including the previous one, but the other three songs were true rarities. Aces High and Powerslave were last played in 1999 on the Ed Hunter tour, which was a very small scaled tour, and before that they hadn’t been played since the original World Slavery Tour. Rime of the Ancient Mariner hadn’t been played since 1986 and once again served as the centerpiece of the concert complete with costumes for Bruce and pyrotechnics.

From Somewhere In Time, both Wasted Years and Heaven Can Wait were played. Wasted Years was another song that was last played on the Ed Hunter tour and Heaven Can Wait was last played on the Gimme Ed tour. Since both tours were very limited, this was the first time a lot of fans got to see these songs performed by the current lineup. That being said, there are always complaints about a Maiden setlist and this time the selection of Somewhere In Time songs was the cause of the complaints. Heaven Can Wait was played frequently throughout the late 80s and 90s (it was one of the songs that was still performed with Blaze in the band) and Wasted Years was also played pretty frequently, making both songs predictable selections. With so much of the tour’s promotional material being based on Somewhere In Time, not to mention the name of the tour itself a reference to the album, there was a possibly misguided expectation among fans that there may have been more from the album. Some even speculated that Alexander the Great would finally be played live. They weren’t totally wrong: Bruce performed a few bars of the song in Greece on kazoo. The lack of deep cuts from Somewhere In Time more or less solidified that the album would likely never receive the renaissance from the band that many fans crave.

The only real surprise of the setlist actually came from Seventh Son of a Seventh Son with Moonchild kicking off the encore. Moonchild hadn’t been performed since 1988 on the Seventh Son tour. Additionally, they played it complete with the acoustic intro and synth guitar riff for the first time (in 1988 it was merely an intro tape). It was an unexpected addition and a new way to hear the song. The other two Seventh Son selections were once again the expected choices in Can I Play With Madness and The Clairvoyant, both songs that had already been played by this lineup and were present throughout much of the 90s.

The rest of the setlist was made up of the songs that usually appeared on “greatest hits” tours. The usual staples were played with no real surprises. Revelations returned once again, now becoming a staple for modern Maiden. Fear of the Dark’s inclusion was the cause of some slight controversy, as it wasn’t part of the era being showcased on the tour, but by now it had really become as much of a classic Maiden song as anything else on the set. 
As was the case with the A Matter of Life and Death tour, Somewhere Back In Time continued into 2009 with an updated setlist and stage show. The tour returned to South America for a more extensive tour as well as countries which did not get to see Maiden often such as Serbia and New Zealand. Appropriately, the setlist was altered to be even more casual friendly. Five songs from the 2008 leg were replaced: Revelations, Heaven Can Wait, Can I Play With Madness, The Clairvoyant, and Moonchild. The new songs were Wrathchild, Phantom Of the Opera, Children of the Damned, The Evil That Men Do, and Sanctuary. In some ways, the new set was an improvement. Phantom Of the Opera is a fan favorite that is welcome in any set and, although it was brought back just a couple years earlier, Children of the Damned had rarely been performed in the locations that Maiden were visiting on this leg. On the other hand, Sanctuary and Wrathchild are not exactly songs that the fans clamor for.
 
The 2009 setlist was still solid though and is worth checking out. Perhaps the best bootleg from the entire Somewhere Back In Time tour comes from the 2009 leg: Santiago. As usual, the South American shows provide a great source for professionally recorded footage and this particular show is the best way to experience the 2009 setlist.

Santiago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1k1McAldj0

Of course bootlegs from 2008 aren’t necessary because this tour was immortalized in an official release:

Flight 666 (2009)


For the 2008 portion of the tour, a documentary crew led by Canadian director Sam Dunn (Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey, Global Metal, later on Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage) accompanied the band to document what was a monumental tour in many ways. A few weeks after the tour concluded, the documentary was released as a feature film to select theaters and also made appearances at various film festivals.

The documentary largely focuses on both the groundbreaking nature of Ed Force One and Maiden’s massive following. It depicts large crowds of fans swarming the band at airport, priests who deliver Maiden inspired sermons, other music icons fawning over the band at gigs, and fans who have turned Maiden shows into family events. The wide range of fans is also heavily touched upon in the documentary. Several members comment in the film that they notice the fans getting younger despite their heyday supposedly being 25 years ago. They use this fascination to explain the purpose of the tour: it was not meant to be a nostalgia trip for the older fans but an opportunity for younger fans to experience what they were not around to see the first time. There is additionally heavy emphasis on the South American and Australian portions of the tour, where the band has long been awaited by a rabid fan base.

Having a documentary crew follow the band around for an entire tour was also the sort of thing that isn’t typical of Maiden. Bruce and Nicko seem to be the only ones who are totally comfortable having a camera crew around, while the other members try to stay out of the spotlight. Steve and Adrian each mention multiple times on screen that they’re not used to it, with Adrian flat out stating that he was skeptical about the whole thing. Janick Gers is also hardly present and apparently did not interact with the crew at all until the end of the tour. The film also makes it apparent that the members are all pretty laid back and lead quiet lives off stage. There aren’t really any parties shown in the film and leisure time is spent sightseeing and playing relaxing sports such as golf and tennis. If anything, the largest personalities in the Maiden camp aren’t the band members at all, but the crew. For the hardcore fans who have watched other documentaries, this probably comes as no surprise, but the film highlights many of the characters who work on the Maiden crew. The film also does a good job of showing how involved a tour of this scale is. The actual performances are just brief moments within a much larger operation. 
None of that is to say the band members are boring or disconnected though. There are plenty of great interviews and moments that reveal more of what they are like both as artists and regular people. There are some funny moments and you can tell that this lineup has built up a solid group chemistry over the years (by this point it was already the band’s longest surviving lineup). While it’s true that Janick and Steve don’t appear much in the doc (Adrian and Dave are surprisingly prominent) they still provide plenty of insight in the interviews and have their own moments.

Unsurprisingly, Flight 666 was a big hit among fans. It further rode the momentum of the tour and and provided fans a rare glimpse at the behind the scenes of Maiden. It was also critically acclaimed. It won the award for Best Music Documentary at SXSW and the Juno Award for Best Music DVD of the year.

Of course it wouldn’t be complete without a live recording. The Flight 666 Soundtrack album featured the entire setlist but with each song recorded in a different city. The video was then included as a bonus to the DVD. The live portion is a great addition and features some really solid performances. In some ways, the live disc captures the spirit of the band and their fans more than the film does (that’s not to say the film doesn’t do a good job with these things). While much of the setlist has some overlap with the recently reissued Live After Death, it’s refreshing to hear these songs performed by a different lineup. Also being the third live album from this lineup, there is still a surprising amount of songs that haven’t appeared yet. That being said, it’s also the first Maiden video release not to feature any songs that have never appeared on video before, so it may not be as essential to some.

Somewhere Back In Time was really one of the most exciting times in Maiden’s recent history. At this point it became obvious the band had entered into a second golden age. They had recently released an incredible album with A Matter of Life and Death and were now embarking on the biggest tour of their entire career, including the 80’s. A second wave of this magnitude was just unheard of and it’s a wave that they continue to ride 10 years later. The band received a ton of press and were getting mainstream attention that they typically didn’t receive. I remember feeling like Maiden was this well kept secret that you didn’t realize others were aware of until you attended a concert. Suddenly I could turn on cable news and see an interview with Bruce Dickinson aboard Ed Force One or I would go to school and not be the only one wearing a Maiden shirt. The tour was the second highest grossing of 2008 by a British artist, second only to The Police and several of the gigs (especially in South America) went on to be some of the largest of their careers.

For most bands, it would be hard to avoid the temptation of just doing 80s nostalgia tours for the rest of their careers. However, Maiden have always been about pushing forward and they weren’t about to abandon the exciting musical horizons they had explored with the past few albums. With this chapter of the band’s history coming to a close, it was time for Maiden to prove that 30 years into their recording careers they hadn’t yet run out of ideas.



New Animal Soup scifi space opera for fans of Porcupine Tree, Mastodon, Iron Maiden: Chariots of the Gods

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Re: Iron Maiden Discography Thread: Somewhere Back In Time (2008 - 09)
« Reply #1633 on: January 14, 2018, 05:59:45 PM »
As always Mosh, great and thorough write up! I would have loved to have seen this tour and I had the chance, but the fact that they included Fear of the Dark (which it should be noted, they did NOT include in the Early Days tour) and only played a pair of songs from Somewhere in Time (the most predictable choices) really pissed me off, and so I passed on seeing this tour.

It angers me to no end that they pretty much blow off that album, being my favorite of their's, and one that has a great number of tracks - especially the title track and all of Adrian Smith's submissions. I would hope one day they'd finally give this album it's due, but as you said, it looks like any hope for that to happen is gone. I just wish someone would beat some sense into Steve so that he'd include more of the deeper cuts from that album as well as other tracks from their catalog that have been cast aside.
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Re: Iron Maiden Discography Thread: Somewhere Back In Time (2008 - 09)
« Reply #1634 on: January 14, 2018, 06:05:18 PM »
The fact that Caught Somewhere In Time was not played was very disappointing.


And Flight 666 is simply amazing. I know people that aren't into Iron Maiden that think it's great.
Here's my favorite scene:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beW-gcjYxHw
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
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Re: Iron Maiden Discography Thread: Somewhere Back In Time (2008 - 09)
« Reply #1635 on: January 14, 2018, 10:28:09 PM »
I think Flight 666 that the first thing I was exposed to when getting into Iron Maiden back around 2012-2013 and I was enamored with the plane concept and how they wanted to travel for this tour.  I thought, at the time, the idea to take the band, roadies, family, all the things needed to produce a big stage show and fit them on a plane and have the lead vocalist fly the plane all over the world was an awesome and tremendous endeavor to do and make it work.  I guess it is still an awesome idea to this day, since no one else (in the music world, as far as I know) other than Maiden wanted to do something like this.

I heard about Sam Dunn (the main guy that produced Flight 666) before watching this.  I knew that he was the guy that did Rush's Beyond the Lighted Stage and I learned about him while watching a small footage of A Headbanger’s Journey in my rock music history course back in college so I know that this was going to be professional well-crafted.  The one first things I noticed was that the guys in Iron Maiden looked to be pretty cool guys to be around and that it was nice to see them be very interested in hobbies outside of metal music and that they were very relatable.

Another thing I noticed was that they had a huge passionate global fanbase where if there's an Iron Maiden show happening in their country, there's going to be a big buzz in the air and electricity in the sky as evident as you see fans at the airports when they are landing.  Indian fans, Japanese fans, Australian fans, other well-known musicians like Tom Morello, Kerry King, Chris Jericho (they were there for the LA show of the leg back in 2008).  They were all pumped to see Iron Maiden.  South American fans, however, oh they were really ecstatic.  There was a priest in Brazil that preaches Iron Maiden.  I didn't even think a priest of any kind would be into them given their "supposed" image. The guy that caught the drumstick in that video that TAC linked.  I don't think I ever saw any kind of fan display that kind of emotion ever at a concert of any kind as that guy was crying when he caught the drumstick.

The concert footage was really good as well.  I think it was a good setlist for newer fans like me to see what they were all about.  I really enjoyed Rime of the Ancient Mariner, The Clairvoyant, Can I play with Madness, The Number of the Beast, and Hallowed be thy Name.

Yeah, the Somewhere Back in Time tour was really successful, and it did not wore out its welcome which gives Iron Maiden a chance to keep moving forward with where they want to go with their new music.

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Re: Iron Maiden Discography Thread: Somewhere Back In Time (2008 - 09)
« Reply #1636 on: January 15, 2018, 01:58:40 AM »
Can I just take back what I said about Dance of Death? Flight 666 actually has the worst cover. Why they didn't go for that Derek Riggs "Eddie ripping the plane" image is beyond me...
« Last Edit: January 15, 2018, 08:27:44 AM by The Curious Orange »
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Re: Iron Maiden Discography Thread: Somewhere Back In Time (2008 - 09)
« Reply #1637 on: January 15, 2018, 02:11:11 AM »
Ten years later we can all discuss and nitpick the setlist, that's what message boards are for, but back then, seeing this wonderful spectacle brought back to life was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING and it was something not to be missed for the world!!!  :metal

As Mosh brilliantly stated Maiden's second conquer of the world happened around this time. The attention was probably even bigger than the '80s golden era, and worldwide Maiden fans sold out venues making every show a night to remember. Also the move of getting a plane, branding it with their logos and Eddie, a plane that the lead singer himself could fly, was unprecedented on this scale, and badass (It is my understanding however that Bruce didn't always fly the plane, and that he was doing it on no concert days).

My chance to see this wonderful recreation of the World Slavery Tour came in form of a festival some 200 KM away from me - it didn't matter that they didn't play my hometown, I just had to take a train and be there!

By that time, I already have been a fan since 1995, and was seeing them live since 1998. I too watched and heard many times Live After Death, and I totally missed the show back then because I was just a small kid, so this was a gift also for me, a new millennium rendition of the World Slavery Tour to behold what it was like.

And boy... what a show. To this day, one of my best shows EVER, and top 3 of my Maiden shows, possibly the best along the Ed Hunter one. I was there with a friend who was seeing Maiden for the first time, I already was a bit of a veteran of their shows so I knew all about their customs, I even explained him about Doctor Doctor... when the song started he told me "Is this the song?" and I didn't recognized it, told him it wasn't, then I realized it was Doctor Doctor, stopped mid-sentence while I was talking, jumped up as I was sitting on the ground, and started to tell him beyond excited "Welcome to the World Slavery tour!!! welcome to the world slavery tour!!!"

Churchill's Speech leading into Aces High was glorious, everyone was singing the chorus and if we would have been in a closed venue (it was an open air festival), I'm sure we would have gotted the "roof is coming down" vibe. Revelations, symbolically my favorite song because it was the first Maiden song that I loved and started the avalanche effect of making me a Bruce, Maiden and metal fan, was already played third in the set and I got the feeling I was a kid in a candy store.

The treats were of course a line of classics, song after songs, with little pauses in between, performed brilliantly, and with Bruce absolutely fantastic and on top of his game. Rime of the Ancient Mariner was an absolute highlight, and now that Mosh mentioned a single walking Eddie I'll have to go find some YouTube videos 'cause I could swear I've seen also the mummy Eddie in Powerslave, probably I'm confusing Live After Death.

At the climax of the show I heard the four slow counts from Nicko, I was totally and completely braced for Hallowed Be Thy Name... and then Fear of the Dark came. I kid you not, I spent the whole intro of the song, until Bruce started to sing, yelling "No!! no!!! what's the matter? it doesn't fit!", I was very sure the whole setlist was about the '80s, I was both surprised and annoyed at the presence of the song, then I just resigned and went along with it.

Moonchild played in full, intro included, was another major surprise, and I enjoyed the hell out of it. But this applied to the whole show, Maiden (Bruce included) were at the top of their game and conquered once again the top of the world.

Flight 666 is a fantastic and well worthy document of the whole adventure, the documentary is interesting and comprehensive, the performances are all great and I loved the little backstage bits, where you get a feel of what it's like working backstage at a Maiden show.

I am very happy to have seen this pivotal part of Maiden history, a second chance for people like me too young to have seen the World Slavery Tour... and to think that the next tour will be attended by entusiastic Maiden fans and some of them were too young to see Somewhere Back in Time in 2008! The Maiden legacy goes on and on  :metal
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Re: Iron Maiden Discography Thread: Somewhere Back In Time (2008 - 09)
« Reply #1638 on: January 15, 2018, 08:11:37 AM »
... in that video that TAC linked.  I don't think I ever saw any kind of fan display that kind of emotion ever at a concert of any kind as that guy was crying ...

I have a similar experience which I will share very soon in this thread.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

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Re: Iron Maiden Discography Thread: Somewhere Back In Time (2008 - 09)
« Reply #1639 on: January 15, 2018, 08:37:17 AM »
Ten years later we can all discuss and nitpick the setlist, that's what message boards are for, but back then, seeing this wonderful spectacle brought back to life was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING and it was something not to be missed for the world!!!  :metal

As Mosh brilliantly stated Maiden's second conquer of the world happened around this time. The attention was probably even bigger than the '80s golden era, and worldwide Maiden fans sold out venues making every show a night to remember. Also the move of getting a plane, branding it with their logos and Eddie, a plane that the lead singer himself could fly, was unprecedented on this scale, and badass (It is my understanding however that Bruce didn't always fly the plane, and that he was doing it on no concert days).

My chance to see this wonderful recreation of the World Slavery Tour came in form of a festival some 200 KM away from me - it didn't matter that they didn't play my hometown, I just had to take a train and be there!

By that time, I already have been a fan since 1995, and was seeing them live since 1998. I too watched and heard many times Live After Death, and I totally missed the show back then because I was just a small kid, so this was a gift also for me, a new millennium rendition of the World Slavery Tour to behold what it was like.

And boy... what a show. To this day, one of my best shows EVER, and top 3 of my Maiden shows, possibly the best along the Ed Hunter one. I was there with a friend who was seeing Maiden for the first time, I already was a bit of a veteran of their shows so I knew all about their customs, I even explained him about Doctor Doctor... when the song started he told me "Is this the song?" and I didn't recognized it, told him it wasn't, then I realized it was Doctor Doctor, stopped mid-sentence while I was talking, jumped up as I was sitting on the ground, and started to tell him beyond excited "Welcome to the World Slavery tour!!! welcome to the world slavery tour!!!"

Churchill's Speech leading into Aces High was glorious, everyone was singing the chorus and if we would have been in a closed venue (it was an open air festival), I'm sure we would have gotted the "roof is coming down" vibe. Revelations, symbolically my favorite song because it was the first Maiden song that I loved and started the avalanche effect of making me a Bruce, Maiden and metal fan, was already played third in the set and I got the feeling I was a kid in a candy store.

The treats were of course a line of classics, song after songs, with little pauses in between, performed brilliantly, and with Bruce absolutely fantastic and on top of his game. Rime of the Ancient Mariner was an absolute highlight, and now that Mosh mentioned a single walking Eddie I'll have to go find some YouTube videos 'cause I could swear I've seen also the mummy Eddie in Powerslave, probably I'm confusing Live After Death.

At the climax of the show I heard the four slow counts from Nicko, I was totally and completely braced for Hallowed Be Thy Name... and then Fear of the Dark came. I kid you not, I spent the whole intro of the song, until Bruce started to sing, yelling "No!! no!!! what's the matter? it doesn't fit!", I was very sure the whole setlist was about the '80s, I was both surprised and annoyed at the presence of the song, then I just resigned and went along with it.

Moonchild played in full, intro included, was another major surprise, and I enjoyed the hell out of it. But this applied to the whole show, Maiden (Bruce included) were at the top of their game and conquered once again the top of the world.

Flight 666 is a fantastic and well worthy document of the whole adventure, the documentary is interesting and comprehensive, the performances are all great and I loved the little backstage bits, where you get a feel of what it's like working backstage at a Maiden show.

I am very happy to have seen this pivotal part of Maiden history, a second chance for people like me too young to have seen the World Slavery Tour... and to think that the next tour will be attended by entusiastic Maiden fans and some of them were too young to see Somewhere Back in Time in 2008! The Maiden legacy goes on and on  :metal
Yeah, that was one I had to travel for, as well. Caught it in LA at The Forum (Number of the Beast on the video). Excellent show full of really good fans with some great energy. It's the only show I've ever been to where all of the fans knew all of the words to Doctor Doctor and sang along. That was a fantastic way to start the thing off. And hearing Churchill lead into Aces High was a replay of one of my favorite shows as a kid. I saw the tour twice more during the second leg, but there was something about the original Ed Force 1 leg that really made it special.

No idea if it'd be in my top 3 Maiden shows. I can probably come up with five or six contenders in that contest. I've been kind of lucky there.
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Re: Iron Maiden Discography Thread: Somewhere Back In Time (2008 - 09)
« Reply #1640 on: January 15, 2018, 08:40:20 AM »
  I can probably come up with five or six contenders in that contest. I've been kind of lucky there.
Amen, brother.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
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Re: Iron Maiden Discography Thread: Somewhere Back In Time (2008 - 09)
« Reply #1641 on: January 15, 2018, 09:35:16 AM »
For me it would be:

- Ed Hunter tour, 1999
- Somewhere Back in Time tour, 2008
- Maiden England, 2013

Yeah, ME's setlist maybe could have been better, but having never seen the original, and seeing that wonderful stage set and an awesome string of classic songs one after the other was glorious.

Anyway, picking Maiden's best shows is like making a list of beautiful top models, or what's better between a Ferrari, a Lamborghini and a Rolls Royce. Pick the least beautiful thing and you're still in for a major treat.
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Re: Iron Maiden Discography Thread: Somewhere Back In Time (2008 - 09)
« Reply #1642 on: January 15, 2018, 10:46:04 AM »
Another great write up and another set of really relatable moments that it seemed many of us had from this tour.  My first two IM shows were awesome (early years tour and AMOLD tour) but I think this is when "magic moments" started happening.  We used to love listening to IM in college and would always say we had "magic moments" listening to them.  Let me just start by saying I've gone to almost all of the IM concerts I've been to with my best friend and former college roommate.  After seeing AMOLAD from the nose bleeds and being yelled at to sit down, we both agreed, we aren't seeing another IM from the back.  We missed the sales for the NJ show, but we had now graduated college and had jobs both living at our parents houses again.  We bought the VIP GA tickets on ebay for $250 each.  Which is to this day, the most I've spent on a concert.  These were to get in the GA section closest to the stage.  A bit expensive, but we would find out that it was well worth it.  I had never been up close like that to a big concert.  The feel of the pyro from Aces High and the band coming out was just mind blowing.  The crowd erupting and going crazy, the rush of adrenaline, Steve's bass being pointed at you while Bruce comes running out!  Wow.  Great setlist too, I did not spoil myself so I was really surprised to see them come out with an acoustic guitar and play the Moonchild intro and then once again, get that pyro and band storming the stage moment for the encore.  I think the NJ and maybe LA shows were the only ones on the Ed Force One leg that had pyro?  I think due to laws and traveling with it, just made it not possible, but in the US they could do it for their two shows.  When we got home that nice, we couldn't sleep as our ears ringing and adrenaline pumping wasn't stopping anytime soon.  They announced at that NJ show that they would be back soon playing at Madison Square Garden.  And it was only 3 months later that we got to see them again and once again had another "magic moment"  I'm off work today so dug up some old photos from this show.  Most were blurry but got some cool ones:

The opener was Steve's daughter Lauren Harris:


Bruce:


Rime of the Ancient Mariner, which I had no idea was going to be featured in the new DVD...


Rocking out from the front:


Dave battling Cyborg Eddie:



So then came the e-mail.  After paying $250 for that ticket and knowing IM were coming back, I did my research on how to get these tickets for face value.  I signed up for the fan club, got my pre-sale code and was ready at the sale time to buy those VIP GA tickets for the MSG show... and I couldn't get them.  I was really mad, but I scooped up a few tickets and was glad I was going to see them again.  I also only spent $90 so there was that.  Well, another part of the fan club was being eligible to win the Heaven Can Wait contest... and the magic moment came when I recieved an email a couple days before the concert saying I had won  :metal :metal  My best bud and I got our badges and passes to get on stage for HCW.  Sold out Madison Square Garden.  Maybe one of the best moments in my entire life.  The directions said to come to the seating section on the side of the stage during Rime and then you'll wait for HCW.  Well between those two songs was Powerslave and the power went out near the end of the song!  https://youtu.be/a23W_053DIg?t=5m40s  Being up close to the side of the stage gave me a really cool viewing of this event.  The guys played soccer on stage and at one point Bruce came back near us and started yelling at the guy at the side stage sound board.  I'll never forget seeing Bruce so mad and yelling, I of course was cheering him on.  Anyway, we finally hit the stage and I was jumping around right next to Steve Harris.  Luckily someone got this on video as well: https://youtu.be/0oWV0pFKKLU?t=3m29s One regret about this, is that I didn't realize all their wives were on stage and we could actually run around a bit along the back.  I totally would have done more than stand next to Steve, but I was also really just struck in the moment.  You couldn't see far out on stage cause of all the lights on you, but you could just see an endless crowd watching.  I've never been on such a stage before.  It was over so quickly and I remember running back to my seats feeling so high on adrenaline.  However, by the time IM came on for the encore, I felt like death.  I had become so drained from that crazy moment, that I used all my energy.  The ending of the show was great and all, but I just wanted my bed.  I don't really have any pictures because I didn't want to risk bringing my camera (these shows were before I had a camera on my phone).

Then of course my friend and I went to NYC for the movie theater showing of Flight 666.  Sold out and awesome to watch that with a room full of hardcore fans.  The cheering and singing along during the film were also unlike anything I had ever seen.  So cool to see Rime featured on this when we were right in front watching that live.  It's funny because I thought this would be the best it could be.  Nothing could ever top these two concerts.  Well, IM still had more magic moments for us to come.

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Re: Iron Maiden Discography Thread: Somewhere Back In Time (2008 - 09)
« Reply #1643 on: January 15, 2018, 10:49:59 AM »
Edit: double post

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Re: Iron Maiden Discography Thread: Somewhere Back In Time (2008 - 09)
« Reply #1644 on: January 15, 2018, 11:03:47 AM »
This was the third and final time that I saw Maiden.  After becoming a fan, there were two shows that I'd kill to have been old enough to have seen - Maiden on the World Slavery tour and Metallica on the Justice tour.  So this tour was absolute magic for me.  I didn't care to nitpick the setlist - I understood that the set was loosely based on Live After Death, but they'd still modernize it with some SIT/SSOASS songs.  They made that clear in the tour announcement.  Not that it would be a rarities tour, but it would follow the general flow of the original World Slavery setlist.  I just wanted my fix of 80's Maiden.  For the summer of 2008, they had the big mummified Eddie come out behind Nicko, which was incredible to see after spending 10 years looking at the picture in the Live After Death booklet. 

It remains one of my top 3, if not my favorite concert of all time - just an all-around awesome experience to see them play Rime of the Ancient Mariner and the big Eddie.