The Iron Maiden Thread v. The Merge of Souls

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

Cool hearing so much love for this tour, unfortunately for me I missed the european leg last year. 

[cramx3]

Capital Chaos TV has uploaded a four-camera video edit of the mighty
@IronMaiden
 performing the song "Aces High" on July 26 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Watch it below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE9SqDX3ZOg&feature=youtu.be

Nice, I was up front but this video's cuts are way too quick like Steve Harris and I'm not even sure if the video syncs up right.

Hartford last night!  Holy Shit! That was the best show I've ever seen by ANYONE! Any of you who are on the fence about this tour, just do it! As an earlier poster said, the best show ever by the greatest live act ever!

that was the real f*****g deal, last night.  Holy crap.  Great set, great setlist, great performance, great stage...  not much more to say than that (though the version of "The Number Of The Beast" may be the greatest Iron Maiden "moment" I've ever experienced.  The energy was just immeasurable.

Holy shit Hartford was awesome!  It was awesome to chill with you Stadler for a bit before Maiden came on. 

Here's Sign of the Cross Live Hartford

[Stadler]

Same here; it's always a blast to see you.   On your way to Boston, pick me up, I'll have the beers cold.

[El Barto]

Christ, this is a long tour. I've still got nearly 2 months.

[TAC]

That was the real f*****g deal, last night.  Holy crap.  Great set, great setlist, great performance, great stage...  not much more to say than that (though the version of "The Number Of The Beast" may be the greatest Iron Maiden "moment" I've ever experienced.  The energy was just immeasurable.

Everything TAC said was spot on (except maybe the Jannick thing; I was on Dave's side, and it looked to me like Dave took about 60% of the solos, with the rest split between the other two; I looked over to the other side three times and saw Jannick literally not playing a note but swinging his guitar cable like he was fly fishing).  But holy cow, Bruce Dickinson is, if it's at all possible, BETTER now than he was 10 years ago.   That guy is incredible.

 

Jannick was awesome! 



Another cool vid, Cram!

Christ, this is a long tour. I've still got nearly 2 months.

Worth the wait, Brother!

[cramx3]

Christ, this is a long tour. I've still got nearly 2 months.

Mexico is going to go nuts for this, it will be worth the wait

[TAC]

Bart, you going to Mexico?

[Stadler]

That was the real f*****g deal, last night.  Holy crap.  Great set, great setlist, great performance, great stage...  not much more to say than that (though the version of "The Number Of The Beast" may be the greatest Iron Maiden "moment" I've ever experienced.  The energy was just immeasurable.

Everything TAC said was spot on (except maybe the Jannick thing; I was on Dave's side, and it looked to me like Dave took about 60% of the solos, with the rest split between the other two; I looked over to the other side three times and saw Jannick literally not playing a note but swinging his guitar cable like he was fly fishing).  But holy cow, Bruce Dickinson is, if it's at all possible, BETTER now than he was 10 years ago.   That guy is incredible.

 

Jannick was awesome! 



Another cool vid, Cram!

I will say this; I think it was during Greater Glory, but he did take one solo standing on the wedges at the center front of the stage, and it kicked ass.  Wasn't the best of the night (that was Dave in Where Eagles Dare) but it was pretty gosh darn good.  Very Blackmore-esque, which certainly works for me.

Seriously, any knock I might have against Jannick is just searching for stuff wrong, because that was damn near the perfect rock show.   Everything about it just hit the right spot. 

[RodrigoAltaf]

That was the real f*****g deal, last night.  Holy crap.  Great set, great setlist, great performance, great stage...  not much more to say than that (though the version of "The Number Of The Beast" may be the greatest Iron Maiden "moment" I've ever experienced.  The energy was just immeasurable.

Everything TAC said was spot on (except maybe the Jannick thing; I was on Dave's side, and it looked to me like Dave took about 60% of the solos, with the rest split between the other two; I looked over to the other side three times and saw Jannick literally not playing a note but swinging his guitar cable like he was fly fishing).  But holy cow, Bruce Dickinson is, if it's at all possible, BETTER now than he was 10 years ago.   That guy is incredible.

 

Jannick was awesome! 



Another cool vid, Cram!

I will say this; I think it was during Greater Glory, but he did take one solo standing on the wedges at the center front of the stage, and it kicked ass.  Wasn't the best of the night (that was Dave in Where Eagles Dare) but it was pretty gosh darn good.  Very Blackmore-esque, which certainly works for me.

Seriously, any knock I might have against Jannick is just searching for stuff wrong, because that was damn near the perfect rock show.   Everything about it just hit the right spot.

I think his only good solo is on Greater Glory. No wonder this song doesn't even exist.

[Stadler]

"Greater Glory" = "For The Greater Good Of God" 

I can name you, from memory, each song from each album, in order, through Powerslave. If I thought hard enough, I could probably name you each of the singles and the b-sides.    I'm lucky if I can name three songs from A Matter Of Life And Death.  It's not a bad album, by any stretch, but it just hasn't stuck in the consciousness like some of the others. 

[MirrorMask]

I can name you, from memory, each song from each album, in order, through Powerslave.

I should really try, but I'm confident I can do it through The Book of Souls.

 

[Architeuthis]

Dang it!  I really need to find a way to get to this show. Hopefully it doesn't sell out before I can get a ticket, but right now the legend of the rent is way hardcore..  Priorities can really suck sometimes! 

[cramx3]

Being that it was the 3rd time seeing the show, it was also the one I went into with a goal (I really wanted to record Sign of the Cross) but kind of went into the show wanting to have a good time more so than capture the awesome moments (I already did that in Brooklyn) so my video from the concert is not that great and features a lot of me being stupid. 

Iron Maiden LIVE in Hartford

I should say, I think I liked Xfinity Theatre more than PNC Bank Arts Center.  Very very similar venues.  Xfinity has a smaller seated area but a bigger lawn, but I think the lawn was great at Xfinity where it sucks at PNC.  For one, it was on a heavy incline which meant you can actually see the stage from almost all of the lawn.  Two, at the bottom of the lawn it actually dips to form a walk way which was really cool to have that walk way right there plus the dip makes it so it's not worth hanging out there as you can't actually see anything. 

When I was in my seat (pretty good view) I could really tell I was annoying the people around me.  I think I was the only one really into it, the guy next to me kept asking me to move away from him (like there was any room for me to move away) so halfway through the set I left and went to the lawn for a bit (where I filmed Sign of the Cross) but when I went back, I ended up just chilling in the aisle near a group of people who were having a good time so they accepted me into their pow wow and the last 5 songs we just rocked out together.  SO MUCH FUN.  The attendant working was cool with us rocking out in the aisle as long as we moved as necessary.  The guy even was taking pictures for the group I ended up with which was really nice of him.  He kept dancing too, it was really funny. 

If there's one thing that comes off from my video, I think it's clear I had a great fucking time.  Also, Trooper beer in Hartford was $13 while in Brooklyn it was $18.  I drank quite a few Troopers which I think is pretty noticeable in the video as well 

[Stadler]

^^^ That venue is my "home" venue.  I live about 15 minutes from there, maybe 20.  I avoid it like the plague, and haven't had a lawn seat for probably 20 years (no lie).   That's the venue where the cops unleashed tear gas on the crowd during a Pearl Jam concert (in their "Live On Two Legs" CD, there's a note: "And a P.S. to the Raleigh, NC and Hartford, CT police departments.  Get a life. Leave those kids alone.")  Having said that, I walked through there with Cram before the show and it was WAYYYYYYYYYYY better than I remember.  My friend and I (he's also anti-lawn) both said that we ought to rethink our position on that.

It was a metal show, but I don't think I saw even ONE incident in that crowd.  It was really unified group (much like I experienced in Brooklyn last year).  My experience (I was lucky enough to have an aisle seat) was like Cram's; people were in the aisle, but very cool, and didn't give the security folks (doing their jobs) any guff.       

[cramx3]

Yea, the lawn at my home venue SUCKS, no view, the sound is shit, and it often gets very crowded.  This lawn had a great angle to view, plus screens so you can see the close ups from far away.  Actually kind of wish I saved myself $100 and just got a lawn ticket but I didn't expect the lawn to be any better than my home venue.  Now I know, at least if I ever return for a band that I don't want to be up close too.  Also, love how there is a pit up front, having seats up front at my home venue kills the vibe for a lot of bands.

[El Barto]

That venue looks like a carbon-copy of Starplex here in Dallas (Cram saw a show there), only the lawn is a bit deeper. Don't much care for the place but it seems to be Maiden's venue of choice in the Summer. Occasionally bad craziness on the lawn, but never had any trouble with cops and security there. During the Clash of the Titans tour a friend started the biggest fire I've seen a concert, which burned for most of the night. Security made a few attempts to put it out but were beaten back (figuratively) by the crowd every time. Eventually they just gave up. A few hundred people playing tug-o-war with a firehose is good times.

Bart, you going to Mexico?

[cramx3]

This lawn was better than Starplex too, I didn't have a seat for that Starplex show so I couldn't give a better comparison.  I think PNC had the worst lawn of the three amphitheaters Ive seen, but PNC might be the nicest overall venue of them.  I made a comment in my video about the shitty staircase at Xfinity  the place looks very old and I know PNC is an old venue too, it looks a bit fresher though.  Has a much nicer roof if that means anything to anyone, I thought both Starplex and Xfinity looked kind of odd.

[Stadler]

Yea, the lawn at my home venue SUCKS, no view, the sound is shit, and it often gets very crowded.  This lawn had a great angle to view, plus screens so you can see the close ups from far away.  Actually kind of wish I saved myself $100 and just got a lawn ticket but I didn't expect the lawn to be any better than my home venue.  Now I know, at least if I ever return for a band that I don't want to be up close too.  Also, love how there is a pit up front, having seats up front at my home venue kills the vibe for a lot of bands.

FYI, the pit is not a given.  Kiss did not have a pit.   Jane's Addiction/Alice In Chains did, as did Keith Urban.  Those are the last three shows I've seen there.   Don't quote me on this, but I can't remember a pit for any show before that (though again, I don't see shows there that often).   I'm guessing that is an artist thing, not a venue thing. 

EDIT:  To Cram's point on the staircase; the staircase at xFinity looks like an old roller coaster.  It's all wood, built up the side of a hill, and it seems like it's 100 years old (the venue itself was built in the early 90's; I saw the first show there, Hootie and the Blowfish). 

[cramx3]

Oh it's only from the 90s? I would have guessed the 70s    place looked pretty old.  And that staircase just really caught my eye.

Actually just looked it up, built in 86, PNC was built in 68, Starplex in 88.  PNC looks the newest to my eyes   

[El Barto]

For some reason sheds became all the rage in the 80's. I'm not sure who actually likes those things. It's kind of the worst of both worlds. It gets stifling under the shed and the sound sucks outside of it. Starplex has about 6 rows of seats that extend beyond the roof that give you better sound but also allow you to catch a breeze (if there is one). My guess is that it's all about dollars to seats. Even small ones have the capacity of a good sized arena and probably cost a fraction of the price to build.

And of course in Dallas, where we find a creative way to fuck up everything we do, the stage faces due West so the sun blinds the performers from 7-9.

[cramx3]

I actually love my local shed, I think it's a great place to see a show... if you know where to sit.  I've already stated how the lawn sucks, but the left and right sides suck too, also the back 400 section sucks.  There's prime location in the middle where ticket prices are fairly good, you are center with a great view, and the sound is really good (well as good as the band will sound at least, 311 sounded like shit a couple weeks ago but the opener Dirty Heads sounded great so I blame 311 not the venue).  But for the most part, people go to that venue, sit in the lawn, and complain that the venue has terrible sound... well you bought the worst ticket possible.

It also has the sun issue, the performer going on at 7pm will get the sun in their eyes.  I kind of like it though, makes for uniqueness and I love being outside for a concert, but there's a few times that sun belted me good enough to wish that wasn't a thing.  It's funny hearing an artist comment about the sun in their eyes (this summer alone, The Interrupters, Three Days Grace, Our Lady Peace, The Story so Far all got the sun badly in their eyes and had something to say about it )  I also don't live in Texas so the heat is a bit different here, the humidity can be pretty bad but I only went to one concert that was during the afternoon there that really gave me some issues with the sun.

I think also what I like so much about these venues is that they are so big that security is loose.  You can just enjoy yourself.  Some of the other local venues have security in the crowds or above looking down at you.  Outside is different and just feels so open.  You can watch any video I post from my local shed and you'll see how much I move around, I change seats, I walk the lawn, it's just a fun environment that you can't get at a club.  Or like in Hartford, just rock out in the aisle 

Having said all of that, I am extremely biased towards PNC, not just because its in my backyard and I have soo many amazing concert experiences from that venue, but being local, I also graduated high school on that stage.  It feels very personal to me unlike any other concert venue.  I love thinking about how I was on the same stage as all my favorite bands.

[MirrorMask]

And today we celebrate the man, the legend, the singer, the pilot, the writer, the fencer, the businessman, the heavy metal Leonardo, the air raid siren, the best metal singer in the world (but don't call him like that, he will disagree) : Happy 61th birthday to his Maidenish majesty BRUCE DICKINSON!!!!!!   

[wolfking]

Happy Birthday God! 

[cramx3]

Happy Birthday Bruce! 

[The Walrus]

Happy birthday to an ass-kicking, cancer-defeating, living legend

[Zydar]

Happy birthday Bruce!

I'm listening to The Talisman now. "Westward the tiiiiiide!".

[Architeuthis]

To anyone who's seen this tour,  I've read great reviews but have a question.  Was there any obnoxiously loud explosions at this show?
 I'm going to see them and wonder if I need earplugs for that reason.  Rush was guilty of this on the Clockwork Angels tour and the R40 tour both. I mean, the explosions were ridiculous loud and took away from the music.. 

[jjrock88]

To anyone who's seen this tour,  I've read great reviews but have a question.  Was there any obnoxiously loud explosions at this show?
 I'm going to see them and wonder if I need earplugs for that reason.  Rush was guilty of this on the Clockwork Angels tour and the R40 tour both. I mean, the explosions were ridiculous loud and took away from the music.. 

I've worn earplugs at every concert since I saw Judas Priest/Testament in the second row without wearing any.  It actually was quite painful for that show and I've since enjoyed each concert more since that time wearing them.

[cramx3]

To anyone who's seen this tour,  I've read great reviews but have a question.  Was there any obnoxiously loud explosions at this show?
 I'm going to see them and wonder if I need earplugs for that reason.  Rush was guilty of this on the Clockwork Angels tour and the R40 tour both. I mean, the explosions were ridiculous loud and took away from the music.. 

There's a lot of pyro and explosions at this show.  Were they overly loud?  Not really, but they are explosions so it's noticeable. 

Here's an example from Sign of the Cross https://youtu.be/2WhSy52eItM?t=1768 the small explosions you can hear, not overly loud at all, but the big final explosion is loud.  I also saw Kiss last night who use lots of pyro and their usage was louder, but like I said, if there's explosions, you will hear it.

[Stadler]

I'm fifty-fifty with ear plugs at shows, the guy I was with is like 90-10 with (he had a set made for his ears).  Neither of us wore them for the show, though he put his in about half-way through.   

Not the loudest show I've ever heard, even with the explosions.  It was more fire and sparks than "bombs" (though there were a couple).   I also saw them in an outdoor shed, so that might make a difference (you don't have that cavernous sound from an arena). 

[Architeuthis]

Thanks for the link cramx3, and for the info Stadler!  It's good to know what to expect. I don't like earplugs as they muffle the sound too much, but it's good to know when to plug your ears if there is a deafening explosion about to happen.   
 I still can't believe Rush did that on their last two tours with the over the top loud bangs..

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

Always cool hearing non-metal musicians enjoying Maiden! 



Keith Urban: "To the entire @ironmaiden team- where do i begin?....... You were ALL beyond hospitable- and quite honestly it was a surreal dream come true for me (us) to meet you guys- AND then when u hit the stage....- HOLY SHIT...... I told Nic “you wanna see THE MASTERS?- here they are”... and you delivered a fucking ATOMIC EXPLOSION of EVERYTHING that makes you THE GREATEST. The playing- the arrangements- the set list- the sound, the lighting- EDDY!!!!- and BRUUUUUUUUCE- good God man- you’re super human. ALL HAIL THE MATCHLESS, THE PEERLESS IRON MAIDEN. – KU"

[TAC]

That is awesome. 

[MirrorMask]

Bruce is majestically awesome on stage, but damn if he looks old and frail on that pic!

Anyway, Keith urban speaketh the truth 

[The Walrus]

I was legit startled when I saw Bruce in that photo