The Iron Maiden Thread v. The Merge of Souls

[Stadler]

And what exactly do you call that first leg of Legacy featuring Where Eagles Dare, Icarus, two Blaze songs and For the Greater Good of God? As I recall, for a classic rarities tour, it was eaten up!

Other than For the Greater Good, all of those songs are much more loved, generally, than the deep cuts on Somewhere in Time and I'd also say the new songs on Senjutsu.  I know this forum likes those songs a lot (as do I), but I don't get the sense the general US audience loves them as much.  I hope I'm wrong.

Marc, you met my friend Jim at, what, two Maiden shows so far; he's not interested almost at all in the new songs.  He might go with me to the Worcester, MA show, but he's certainly NOT going for the three Senjutsu songs.

[cramx3]

And what exactly do you call that first leg of Legacy featuring Where Eagles Dare, Icarus, two Blaze songs and For the Greater Good of God? As I recall, for a classic rarities tour, it was eaten up!

Other than For the Greater Good, all of those songs are much more loved, generally, than the deep cuts on Somewhere in Time and I'd also say the new songs on Senjutsu.  I know this forum likes those songs a lot (as do I), but I don't get the sense the general US audience loves them as much.  I hope I'm wrong.

Marc, you met my friend Jim at, what, two Maiden shows so far; he's not interested almost at all in the new songs.  He might go with me to the Worcester, MA show, but he's certainly NOT going for the three Senjutsu songs.

Last summer I wore my Senjutsu shirt to a concert and quite a few people commented about my shirt and I asked if they liked the album and not a single one of them had even listened to it.  The US fan base is very biased to the old school stuff. 

I think this is a way of doing the fill on stage presentation, putting on a spectacle, but not relying SOLELY on the music from Senjutsu.

For me, I would be happier if Iron Maiden never played Darkest Hour over never playing Alexander the Great.  So if this is a compromise, it's a compromise I can get behind.  Although, I guess I should hold off until we actually know what they are playing. 

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

Arghh just play the whole album Maiden, pretty please! 

Caught somewhere in time would be a workout for Nicko. Of course not to say he couldn't do it but it's a tough song for your right feet.

I would be so happy if they finally played AtG, that would be such a celebration to their old fans.

[MirrorMask]

I don't have time to go and do a deep dive in the net for proper quotes and news, but.... come on guys, it's all but confirmed they wiil play Alex the Great. They entertained the idea for years, recently I've read here and there that "next tour we might finally play it", Nicko said he wanted to play it, Bruce must have said something at his shows etc.... they all but said it. Come on, it will get played.

It's Caught Somewhere in Time that I have no hopes for.

[cramx3]

It's Caught Somewhere in Time that I have no hopes for.

I think this is a tough one for Bruce and Nicko, but it kind of makes sense to open with it and not Senjutsu IMO.  I wonder if the band feels what a lot of us feel, Senjutsu is not a good opener. 

[Nick]

It's Caught Somewhere in Time that I have no hopes for.

I think this is a tough one for Bruce and Nicko, but it kind of makes sense to open with it and not Senjutsu IMO.  I wonder if the band feels what a lot of us feel, Senjutsu is not a good opener. 

They have never in the past restrained from ripping into an opening song that's difficult for Bruce, such as Aces High. CSiT is 10x more likely to be played than AtG as far as I'm concerned.

[Samsara]

I think they both will be. You don't do a tour like this and not play the two songs people have been asking to hear for decades. It'll happen.

When the 2024 U.S. leg is eventually announced (because you know it's coming), I'll be on that for sure. Hoping to go to this tour twice, if they do what they did in my area again like they did in 2019.

Personally, I LOVE Caught Somewhere in Time, Wasted Years and Alexander the Great. I love the whole Somewhere in Time album and art. And Senjutsu...Hell on Earth and Parchment were two of the better tracks, so I am hoping and fairly confident they will be played. And the artwork from the record is absolutely amazing. So I expect a huge visual treat.   

[wolfking]

I will be massively let down if The Parchment isn't played.

[Samsara]

I will be massively let down if The Parchment isn't played.

Well, Bruce should know he can't let the mighty Wolfking down! 

[Samsara]

I was just finishing up listening to Somewhere in Time this afternoon, and it dawned on me Stranger in a Strange Land would also be another visually stunning song to put in the set. If they don't play the album in-full (which would be cool), my guess is:

Caught Somewhere in Time
Wasted Years
Heaven Can Wait
Alexander the Great
Stranger in a Strange Land

But that said, the entirety of the record is less than 52 minutes. I don't see how that couldn't be done, and the songs still stand up, at least to me. Add Hell on Earth, The Parchment, Days of Future Past, and The Time Machine (just guessing), that's 35 minutes, totaling 87 minutes. In a two-hour set, another 33 minutes of Maiden classics, and bam, there's your show. Giving folks the new record, a full record, and a number of the classics.

[devieira73]

I'm not saying I'm surprised because Bruce was already giving clues, but I was a bit skeptical that Maiden would make such an specific tour. Anyway, amazing news!! Let's hope Nicko and Bruce will be still in great shape to make sure the SIT songs will be played at high level. I know it won't happen, but Maiden should do a setlist with only Senjutsu and all SIT songs this time (but, probably it will be played the only 5 SIT songs Brian listed above). Yes, I think the presentation will be the best Maiden's stage EVER.

[soupytwist]

Not to bothered about Alexander.  But would love to see Caught and Sea of Madness live.  The issue for me is I'm just not that into Senjutsu, think it's the weakest reunion album, but maybe some of the material will come to life in a live setting.

[Dream Team]

Wait, so we’re absolutely sure this isn’t a hoax? It’s very uncharacteristic of Steve to pay attention to what the fans want, much less care. But yippee if true!

[wolfking]

I will be massively let down if The Parchment isn't played.

Well, Bruce should know he can't let the mighty Wolfking down! 

Of course there is that haha.

Really though, it's a smart play.  Not a lot for Bruce to do, so would be an easier song for him giving him a slight rest.

[nobloodyname]

The video says Samurai 5 - Cyborg 5

So 5 songs from each album - Senjutsu, Stratego, WOTW, Days of Future Past (because it's part of the name of the tour) and Hell on Earth maybe? From SIT: Wasted Years, Heaven Can Wait, Stranger in a Strange Land and...Sea of Madness or Caught Somewhere in time.

 And FOTD, Hallowed be thy Name, TNOTB, The Trooper and Iron Maiden. 15 songs in total.

Based on the quotes, I don't think you're right re songs from Senjutsu. Sounds like they're breaking out the epics.

[RodrigoAltaf]

The video says Samurai 5 - Cyborg 5

So 5 songs from each album - Senjutsu, Stratego, WOTW, Days of Future Past (because it's part of the name of the tour) and Hell on Earth maybe? From SIT: Wasted Years, Heaven Can Wait, Stranger in a Strange Land and...Sea of Madness or Caught Somewhere in time.

 And FOTD, Hallowed be thy Name, TNOTB, The Trooper and Iron Maiden. 15 songs in total.

Based on the quotes, I don't think you're right re songs from Senjutsu. Sounds like they're breaking out the epics.

Not sure...but I'm happy to be proven wrong. If that's the case, I'd say at least TWOTW will be maintained, they will play Parchment, Days of Future Past, Hell On Earth and if I had to guess, Darkest Hour.

Maiden hits Turonno tonight guys!!! I'll be there.

[nick_z]

Speaking of Somewhere in Time, I didn't realize they actually played this one live at some point!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP4MwIu0yYI

[TAC]

Speaking of Somewhere in Time, I didn't realize they actually played this one live at some point!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP4MwIu0yYI

Yes. I have that bootleg. At the VERY Beginning of the tour.

[nick_z]

Yes. I have that bootleg. At the VERY Beginning of the tour.

I guess they figured the song wasn't working in its live version...? Shame, I love that one...

[The Realm]

Yes. I have that bootleg. At the VERY Beginning of the tour.

I guess they figured the song wasn't working in its live version...? Shame, I love that one...

I also never knew that song had ever been played live. I guess it could make a return on the new tour next year.

[TAC]

Yes. I have that bootleg. At the VERY Beginning of the tour.

I guess they figured the song wasn't working in its live version...? Shame, I love that one...

I think they struggled with the tracks that were heavy on the synths. Even the main line in Caught Somewhere In Time never sounded quite right live, and probably explains why they never played it again.

Hopefully, having Jannick helps the main lines of these songs, including ATG sound more ...complete.

[RodrigoAltaf]

Speaking of Somewhere in Time, I didn't realize they actually played this one live at some point!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP4MwIu0yYI

That was the only time they played it.

[wolfking]

Yes. I have that bootleg. At the VERY Beginning of the tour.

I guess they figured the song wasn't working in its live version...? Shame, I love that one...

I think they struggled with the tracks that were heavy on the synths. Even the main line in Caught Somewhere In Time never sounded quite right live, and probably explains why they never played it again.

Hopefully, having Jannick helps the main lines of these songs, including ATG sound more ...complete.

Bruce sounds really uncomfortable on it too.  I reckon he knew it wouldn't be something he could attempt night after night.

[TAC]

Iron Maiden had issues with the plane during Aces High last night.
I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was a balloon..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7SfeNpeQHg

[fadetoblackdude7]

It was a Spinal Tap moment 😆

[Grappler]

Bruce standing at the front of the stage during the solo and flapping his arms is the best part of that video.   

I didn't realize it was inflatable either - it looks pretty real from the seats. 

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

On no the plane melted. 

Yea seeing Bruce flapping his arm was funny, he also ducked from something thrown at him.

[wolfking]

Decent performance from Bruce on that one.

[Grappler]

Decent performance from Bruce on that one.

When I saw them a few weeks ago, Aces High was the one song where I felt he struggled a little.  On other songs like Revelations, he sounded just like he did in 1983 and I was just blown away. 

[Stadler]

Bruce standing at the front of the stage during the solo and flapping his arms is the best part of that video.   

I didn't realize it was inflatable either - it looks pretty real from the seats.

So... I was there.  I went to the show (it was in Worcester), and it was a... not the best, in the sense that the band was on but my seats were so bad that it really impacted the enjoyment of the show.



I'm pretty religious about not leaving early for any show I'm at, but I was with my friend Jim who had hernia surgery about two weeks ago and so we didn't want to get jostled in the crowd, plus it was raining, so we waiting until the plane was inflated, then left.  I ducked back in around the side and snapped a picture, and they were already having problems:




But it was a good show.  I thought Bruce sounded AWESOME.  I thought he was so good.  In the light of the JLB thread elsewhere here, he adjusted the melodies on some occasions, and made sure that even if he didn't sing the entire line the way it was on record that he hit the key notes.   TNOTB (the song) was as solid as I've ever heard it.  I know I'm the minority, but "Senjutsu" the song was excellent, as was "The Writing On The Wall".   The crowd was pretty into those songs, though it's undeniable that the energy ramped up a notch when they went into Revelations.  Just an observation, there was a long pause in the show between the three Senjutsu songs and the rest of the set as they broke down the back drop and took away the "Japanese" motif.  The stage was not as glorious or majestic as I remember it from the Hartford show a couple years (!!) ago.

So in the first picture you can see the screen there; I had the aisle open and I could see the entire backstage area.  The road crew worked their BALLS off.  Between costumes, instruments and props, they were rolling for two straight hours.  Even though the plane malfunctioned, there were I think four inflatables and two Eddies that went on and everything else went like clockwork.

[TAC]

So in the first picture you can see the screen there; I had the aisle open and I could see the entire backstage area.  The road crew worked their BALLS off.  Between costumes, instruments and props, they were rolling for two straight hours.  Even though the plane malfunctioned, there were I think four inflatables and two Eddies that went on and everything else went like clockwork.

Back in the day, I spent a lot of time walking around during the show to catch different vantage points, and your pic above is one that I always made sure I experienced. That's a great vantage point and you can see a lot of what goes on backstage. Things like seeing Dave or Adrian come offstage to change their guitar. Those little glimpses of them in a more humanistic and practical way really enhance the experience as it's more than just stage posing.



I would've loved to have seen them in Worcester. It's small and somewhat intimate for an arena.

[cramx3]

Those side seats can be great for the reasons TAC said, but it also kind of sucks that the band is never faced towards you or if certain objects are blocking views of the band.  When I won the Heaven Can Wait contest, the instructions were to meet in the side section next to the stage during the song before so we were waiting in a similar spot as that picture and that's when the power went out at The Garden during Powerslave.  I got a great view of Bruce coming backstage and just ripping into the guy at the side stage sound board.  No idea what he said, we weren't close enough to heaar, but close enough to see his face was very angry and the body language just looked like he was unloading on the guy  and then they went back out on stage and played some soccer

Sadly, I did not win First to the Barrier for the NJ show this week, but I am very excited for Friday night

[Stadler]

Yeah, it's certainly a real eye-opener; "Iron Maiden" in 2022 is not a punk band, running on stage with a guitar, an amp, three chords and the truth.   The backstage area is an operation, and they are usually one or two songs ahead (and interestingly, there is some stagecraft in the backstage area as well; there is a curtain - you can't see it, but it's to the left of the screen in my photo - where the "Eddie" was... I don't know, "changing".  But they shrouded it so that even we couldn't see it.   We could see each of the inflatables before they were ever inflated. 

That perspective, though, makes guys like Bruce that much more impressive to me.  He's very clearly "performing" - he might as well be in a play on Broadway - and yet he brings the energy pretty constantly for two straight hours, no doubt.  This is not Led Zeppelin circa 1973 or the Grateful Dead circa 1977 where the music is an existential experience for the band as well as the audience. EDIT: To Marc's comment, I saw a lot of smiling and laughing when Bruce did come backstage, but that's because everything went off like clockwork; he's not ambling through that performance; he's got cues almost from the start to the finish.

[Grappler]

Being up in the balcony on the left side of the stage, I saw a lot of the backstage activity as well - I could see Bruce every time he ducked behind the curtain and talked to someone in the crew or got a drink, then ran behind the stage to go up in the back or get ready to burst out back onto the stage.

When the stage changed from Japan to the cathedral set, I saw that the backdrops were back-lit to make the stained glass windows shine bright.  Because of my high-up seats, I could see under the curtain and behind the stage and caught the legs of all of the crew members as they worked, getting the stage show effects prepared for the next song or broken down after one finished.

I usually see much smaller club and theater shows, where you are closer and more into the show and rocking out all night.  This time, I was way up in the seats and everyone around me sat on their ass for 2 hours.  It was a much more different vibe and I just chilled and watched the show, rather than spending energy to rock out.  A little disappointing on one level, but fun on another, since it was an experience to watch and take in the whole spectacle, rather than go apeshit when my favorite songs were played and miss things that were happening on and off stage.

That perspective, though, makes guys like Bruce that much more impressive to me.  He's very clearly "performing" - he might as well be in a play on Broadway - and yet he brings the energy pretty constantly for two straight hours, no doubt.  This is not Led Zeppelin circa 1973 or the Grateful Dead circa 1977 where the music is an existential experience for the band as well as the audience. EDIT: To Marc's comment, I saw a lot of smiling and laughing when Bruce did come backstage, but that's because everything went off like clockwork; he's not ambling through that performance; he's got cues almost from the start to the finish.

I definitely agree with this - Bruce had cues on where to be during sections of each song, which I enjoyed seeing.  It was much more than a random show, and his positions, costumes and props were definitely choreographed to each song, including where he stood or came out on stage at times.

[Stadler]

Were you behind me, or on the other side?  I suspect you were behind me, because Bruce spent a lot of time on my side back stage (his little cubicle was to Nicko's right hand, right below where the "bars" were for Hallowed....