The Iron Maiden Thread v. The Merge of Souls

[cramx3]

Also, there's a big difference between an Ed Force One tour and something else. It's not practical to hit 5 places in Cali like that. Doing it the old school way it's very practical. I suspect EFO is largely promotional. It's a unique way to do things that commands attention, yet isn't as practical as it'd seem. It really only works well for spread out locales. As I recall, they flew into Australia and then trucked everything around within, for example. They're also making use of EFO for part of the Europe dates for the first time, but not all.

Yup, logistics and all is the reason why not many US dates, all dates are spreadout to cover larger areas to make sense for using the plane.  Although they've done this before, I wouldn't mind another Flight 66 movie again.  So much drama with this band, new album, and tour.  It would be repetitive, but what can I say, I am a die hard and would eat it up, and obviously a live concert with the new tracks.

We can track the plane right?  I wonder which NYC area airport they will fly into, if Newark then I would love to try and get a shot if the plane landing.

[fadetoblackdude7]

Well I'm definitely gonna shoot for Chicago tickets!

[Cool Chris]

APR 11 - Tacoma, WA - Tacoma Dome

Worst venue in the PNW. Woohoo. Wasn't sure if I was going to see them on this tour, ignoring the possibility that they might not come this way and make my decision moot. Not sure what to do now.

[Anguyen92]

What would have been the best venue in that area?  The Gorge Amphitheater?

[Nick]

Hmm, seems I'll be heading to NYC next year.

[Cool Chris]

What would have been the best venue in that area?  The Gorge Amphitheater?

Hard for me to say, as I rarely go to big ticket shows around here. I go more often to smaller venue shows. Of course the Gorge is beautiful, and a great setting for a show. Maiden played the White River Amphitheater the last couple times, and I enjoyed those shows. It's way off the beaten track, but they offer a good shuttle (meaning school buses) service to avoid parking and the limited access routes.

Key would be the other big arena in the area, and I don't think it is much better, though I haven't seen a show there in ages. It's old, and Seattle traffic and parking is atrocious.

[jammindude]

APR 11 - Tacoma, WA - Tacoma Dome

Worst venue in the PNW. Woohoo. Wasn't sure if I was going to see them on this tour, ignoring the possibility that they might not come this way and make my decision moot. Not sure what to do now.

And it's on a Monday.....a FREAKIN MONDAY!!!   

I was looking forward to this, but I'm not sure now.    The T-Dome is not terrible acoustically, it's just old.   It was built in the early 80's and it totally shows.   But I've seen some amazing shows in the T-Dome over the years.    Heck, my very first rock show was in the T-Dome.   Judas Priest on the Turbo tour with Dokken opening.

The Kingdome was far, FAR worse.   

[Cool Chris]

Spot on. Not a terrible concert venue in terms of sound and presentation. I will say the T-Dome seats are not built for anyone over 5'4". I grew up in Tacoma, and remember it being such a big deal to have a dome. I mean, a freaking DOME! This was back when dome stadiums were sprouting up everywhere. I never saw a show at the Kingdome, just Mariner games, back when they sucked. Oh wait...

[jammindude]

Imagine playing in a literal CAVE.

Now imagine Pink Floyd coming to town and trying to perform a surround sound show......in a giant concrete cave!!

It was a disaster!

[cramx3]

I pre-booked a hotel next to MSG for the concert evening since its a damn Wednesday.  Scooped that up before prices get NYC crazy.

[El Barto]

I pre-booked a hotel next to MSG for the concert evening since its a damn Wednesday.  Scooped that up before prices get NYC crazy.

The Wednesday actually works in your favor. Hotels will be quite a bit cheaper. Sunday would have been better, but Fri or Sat would have been completely unaffordable.

In any event, people should wait 7 more weeks before making travel plans. Black Friday will save you a ton of money on something like this. I certainly won't be pulling the trigger on my concert trip plans until then.

[cramx3]

True but on a weekend I could just take the train home, on a Wednesday I'd plan to go to work so spending the night there saves me big time with commuting.  I actually do this a lot for week concerts in the city now and it helps having status with IHG.

[jammindude]

I was thinking today...  (always time for a first, eh?  ) 

I know Maiden loves their fans no matter where they reside, but over the years I've sincerely gotten the feeling that they personally *hate* the US concert business model...and I don't blame them really.     There are not too many business models in the world that are more corrupt than the US concert promotion/ticketing industry (I would almost say "congress, maybe"...but that's not technically a business.)   If I could make more money playing the rest of the world and then have nothing to do with the whole system in the US, I would totally do it.   Maybe do a few dates in a few major cities just so the big fans could have a fix....but have as little to do with the self eating machine as possible.

[cramx3]

Except I would imagine they make a lot of money by touring the US. But I do believe they don't enjoy playing here due to the fan base sadly.

[fadetoblackdude7]

I know that I'm late to this notion (as I am with everything with Maiden), but it is an absolute crime that they haven't played Alexander The Great live. What are they playing at??

[425]

Basically they decided to play Rime again in 1986 instead. And they have a religious belief against playing a song that they skipped on the tour for its album.

[fadetoblackdude7]

And they have a religious belief against playing a song that they skipped on the tour for its album.

That's just plain stupid. It would be a nice surprise, and welcomed with open arms.

[425]

I suppose they're not so sure about that. It would be welcomed with open arms by people like you or me, but I'm not sure that the "Play Classics" people would be so welcoming of Alexander at the expense of The Trooper and Run to the Hills.

In any case, I suspect that they hardly even consider debuting a song from that era that hasn't been played. I could be wrong, but I don't think that even crosses their mind, really.

[fadetoblackdude7]

Yeah I guess. It just sucks that because of a simple decision to play Rime instead of Alexander in '86, one of their greatest songs will be forever ignored. But what're you gonna do.

[El Barto]

I was thinking today...  (always time for a first, eh?  ) 

I know Maiden loves their fans no matter where they reside, but over the years I've sincerely gotten the feeling that they personally *hate* the US concert business model...and I don't blame them really.     There are not too many business models in the world that are more corrupt than the US concert promotion/ticketing industry (I would almost say "congress, maybe"...but that's not technically a business.)   If I could make more money playing the rest of the world and then have nothing to do with the whole system in the US, I would totally do it.   Maybe do a few dates in a few major cities just so the big fans could have a fix....but have as little to do with the self eating machine as possible.

I think they were pretty up front about it for a while. They were annoyed that all of the great seats up front went to the people who could afford them, who are not the same people that'll actually get into what they want to play. The people who would actually cheer when they play Lord of Light or something tend to be way towards the back. At this point I can't see how the money really matters all that much, so I generally tend to think of their US tours as a handout to us, the loyal fans, more than anything else.

[Dream Team]

I'm impressed with how long Bosk has held off commenting on BoS. He must really want to make sure he's digested it first. Or maybe he's still getting over the Steelers thrashing the Niners. 

After a month of listening, I can say I much prefer Disk 2 - without the Speed of Light, I hardly have a reason to listen to Disk 1. (not saying it's terrible, but the 3 "epics" don't grab me as much as they seem to for others)

[wolfking]

I'm still regulary listening to this album, it's unbelievable.

[Cyclopssss]

I don't think Bosk has heard it yet. 

I'm more and more impressed by this album, even more given the fact Bruce had cancer when he was recording this. Amazing performance!

[Mladen]

Yeah, I'm still coming back to this album pretty much every other day. The Red and the black is fantastic, that's probably the one I return to quite often. It's also impressive how strong the shorter songs are, especially When the river runs deep, Death or glory, The Man of sorrows, they did a fantastic job with having some more direct, catchy tunes in there along with their most ambitious, epic stuff yet.

[cramx3]

From their website, the South American leg dates:

Maiden’s Latin America tour continues with 10 more shows including first-ever visits to El Salvador and to Cordoba in Argentina. The full list of dates:

MAR 06 - EL SALVADOR, San Salvador - Estadio Jorge Magico Gonzalez (on sale November 28)
MAR 08 - COSTA RICA, San Jose - Estadio Ricardo Saprissa (on sale October 29)
MAR 11 - CHILE, Santiago - Estadio Nacional (on sale October 9)
MAR 13 - ARGENTINA, Cordoba - Estadio Mario Kempes (on sale October 13)
MAR 15 - ARGENTINA, Buenos Aires - Estadio Velez Sarsfield (on sale October 20)
MAR 17 - BRAZIL, Rio De Janeiro - HSBC Arena (on sale November 12)
MAR 19 - BRAZIL, Belo Horizonte - Esplanada Do Mineirao (on sale November 19)
MAR 22 - BRAZIL, Brasilia - Nilson Nelson Arena (on sale November 20)
MAR 24 - BRAZIL, Fortaleza - Ginasio Olimpico (on sale November 26)
MAR 26 - BRAZIL, Sao Paulo - Allianz Parque (on sale November 5)

Special guests on this leg of the tour will be Anthrax (except El Salvador) with support also from The Raven Age.

[El Barto]

This whole thing is becoming a real bummer. On the assumption that they would be playing the Foro Sol I was strongly considering catching this in DF. I have no interest in flying to Mexico just to see them play indoors, though.

[countoftuscany42]

guess I'll be trying for MSG then, don't want to wait and not end up catching them...
if anyone finds the venue presale for thursday would they mind posting the code here? won't be available during the public onsale

[cramx3]

guess I'll be trying for MSG then, don't want to wait and not end up catching them...
if anyone finds the venue presale for thursday would they mind posting the code here? won't be available during the public onsale

You havent missed anything, I was on at noon and couldnt get the close floor GA pit after trying for the past hour or so.  The site couldn't handle the requests and only some people were offered the WEST GA pit (the floor pit closer to the stage) based on what I read on the fan club forum.  I bought up my tickets in the top section 300s but got first row in the section so I can lean over the balcony.  So bummed I could not get the front pit.  I may try when they go on sale for public and then sell what I got for myself already.

[countoftuscany42]

guess I'll be trying for MSG then, don't want to wait and not end up catching them...
if anyone finds the venue presale for thursday would they mind posting the code here? won't be available during the public onsale

You havent missed anything, I was on at noon and couldnt get the close floor GA pit after trying for the past hour or so.  The site couldn't handle the requests and only some people were offered the WEST GA pit (the floor pit closer to the stage) based on what I read on the fan club forum.  I bought up my tickets in the top section 300s but got first row in the section so I can lean over the balcony.  So bummed I could not get the front pit.  I may try when they go on sale for public and then sell what I got for myself already.

is the pit accessible to anyone besides fan club? i wasn't sure how that worked, and on the ticket site it doesn't show a price level for GA, only for floor seating

[El Barto]

Sorry to hear there's a pit at all, honestly. They should do like The Forum in LA and just make the entire floor GA. Another mark against seeing the MSG show, I guess. This might wind up being a deal where Tulsa Fucking  Oklahoma winds up being the best option, and that would be demoralizing beyond belief.


edit: just saw the seating map and that's a pretty asinine approach. Who the hell wants to buy a GA ticket that will only get you halfway to the front?

[cramx3]

guess I'll be trying for MSG then, don't want to wait and not end up catching them...
if anyone finds the venue presale for thursday would they mind posting the code here? won't be available during the public onsale

You havent missed anything, I was on at noon and couldnt get the close floor GA pit after trying for the past hour or so.  The site couldn't handle the requests and only some people were offered the WEST GA pit (the floor pit closer to the stage) based on what I read on the fan club forum.  I bought up my tickets in the top section 300s but got first row in the section so I can lean over the balcony.  So bummed I could not get the front pit.  I may try when they go on sale for public and then sell what I got for myself already.

is the pit accessible to anyone besides fan club? i wasn't sure how that worked, and on the ticket site it doesn't show a price level for GA, only for floor seating

If there are tickets available when they go on sale to the public (which I imagine there will be) then yes, it is not a fan club only thing.

And I personally would rather the pit on the floor, seats ruin the atmosphere that close to the stage and there are plenty of seats in the arena for those who want a seat.  Also, I like how there are two pits, it makes being in the closer pit (WEST in the case for MSG) better since the people in the back cant push their way up front.  But it also means that the second pit is essentially shitty seats for the price (same price as the close pit).  I ended up with the cheapest tickets ($81 after taxes and BS) but got the first row in the last section so I should have a decent view at least and MSG is a pretty small arena so even the back section wont be too far away.

[El Barto]

The West pit is a great deal if you can get it. The East pit and seats down there are a waste of space. Hell, the smart move would probably be to move that seated section into the middle, so people can have decent floor seats, and put the East pit behind it and charge half price so the poor folk can still see the show.

New Yorkers seem to have funny ideas about general admission, honestly. Despite all the love Highline Ballroom gets, I had the same opinion about that. GA there was just a drag.

[countoftuscany42]

guess I'll be trying for MSG then, don't want to wait and not end up catching them...
if anyone finds the venue presale for thursday would they mind posting the code here? won't be available during the public onsale

You havent missed anything, I was on at noon and couldnt get the close floor GA pit after trying for the past hour or so.  The site couldn't handle the requests and only some people were offered the WEST GA pit (the floor pit closer to the stage) based on what I read on the fan club forum.  I bought up my tickets in the top section 300s but got first row in the section so I can lean over the balcony.  So bummed I could not get the front pit.  I may try when they go on sale for public and then sell what I got for myself already.

is the pit accessible to anyone besides fan club? i wasn't sure how that worked, and on the ticket site it doesn't show a price level for GA, only for floor seating

If there are tickets available when they go on sale to the public (which I imagine there will be) then yes, it is not a fan club only thing.

And I personally would rather the pit on the floor, seats ruin the atmosphere that close to the stage and there are plenty of seats in the arena for those who want a seat.  Also, I like how there are two pits, it makes being in the closer pit (WEST in the case for MSG) better since the people in the back cant push their way up front.  But it also means that the second pit is essentially shitty seats for the price (same price as the close pit).  I ended up with the cheapest tickets ($81 after taxes and BS) but got the first row in the last section so I should have a decent view at least and MSG is a pretty small arena so even the back section wont be too far away.

do you remember the price for the west pit? the only price i see for that general area is $125 for floor seating, but the GA pits aren't specified. 

[cramx3]

guess I'll be trying for MSG then, don't want to wait and not end up catching them...
if anyone finds the venue presale for thursday would they mind posting the code here? won't be available during the public onsale

You havent missed anything, I was on at noon and couldnt get the close floor GA pit after trying for the past hour or so.  The site couldn't handle the requests and only some people were offered the WEST GA pit (the floor pit closer to the stage) based on what I read on the fan club forum.  I bought up my tickets in the top section 300s but got first row in the section so I can lean over the balcony.  So bummed I could not get the front pit.  I may try when they go on sale for public and then sell what I got for myself already.

is the pit accessible to anyone besides fan club? i wasn't sure how that worked, and on the ticket site it doesn't show a price level for GA, only for floor seating

If there are tickets available when they go on sale to the public (which I imagine there will be) then yes, it is not a fan club only thing.

And I personally would rather the pit on the floor, seats ruin the atmosphere that close to the stage and there are plenty of seats in the arena for those who want a seat.  Also, I like how there are two pits, it makes being in the closer pit (WEST in the case for MSG) better since the people in the back cant push their way up front.  But it also means that the second pit is essentially shitty seats for the price (same price as the close pit).  I ended up with the cheapest tickets ($81 after taxes and BS) but got the first row in the last section so I should have a decent view at least and MSG is a pretty small arena so even the back section wont be too far away.

do you remember the price for the west pit? the only price i see for that general area is $125 for floor seating, but the GA pits aren't specified.

Same price for East or West.  I am going to keep my eyes out for west tickets in case they release more which I bet they will, I'd imagine some are being held out for other presales and for general sales although getting them will still be really difficult.

New Yorkers seem to have funny ideas about general admission, honestly. Despite all the love Highline Ballroom gets, I had the same opinion about that. GA there was just a drag.

Never been there so cannot comment, but the floor seating for IM is actually set to how IM want it.  They request to have open pit in the front if the venue has that option.  Also, surprised there isn't the "ticketless" stuff this time around, while it was a pain, I thought it worked for what IM intended it to do which was get the biggest fans in the front and not the richest fans.  Looking at stubhub will tell the story that the rich will be up front most likely.

[countoftuscany42]

I wonder if that's with fees included, id have to assume it isn't 
oiy, definitely more than i want to spend especially with new york comic con this weekend, but if i can get a hold on a pit ticket i don't think i could pass it up...