The Iron Maiden Thread v. The Merge of Souls

[KevShmev]

I'll just PM you my list as it will be the definitive selection of songs!

Okay, Mr. "Panama is not a top 50 VH song."   I look forward to your Maiden top 75 leaving off Powerslave, Run to the Hills, Flight of Icarus and Wasted Years.

[TAC]

*quickly scans list for Wasted Years*

 

[TAC]

Looking at songs 76-100, and there's 25 awesome tunes. This is going to be brutal.

[Deadeye21]

As the VH countdown will be finishing up here shortly, that means Iron Maiden is next, so if anyone wants to PM me the list of every one of their songs (in chronological order) that I can list in the eventual thread I will start, that'd be awesome. 

I hope it will be easier to easier to stomach than the VH list. Yikes that went downhill. How many songs are we allowed?

[El Barto]

In case you are interested, the setlist is already at setlistfm.com (from the future?!). It's fake or someone heard the rehearsals and posted there. It's a very realistic one, so, let's see.

I think it's been removed. Do you have it? I heard it had Hell on Earth.

If you're on Reddit, there's a post in the Iron Maiden sub.  Spoilers ahead (or not since we don't know if it's real):

"Senjutsu Theme"
- Senjutsu
- Stratego
- The Writing on the Wall
- Hell on Earth

"War Theme"
- These Colours Don't Run
- The Trooper
- 2 Minutes to Midnight

"Heaven and Hell Theme"
- Revelations
- Sign of the Cross
- Flight of Icarus
- Fear of the Dark
- Iron Maiden

Encore
- Aces High
- Blood Brothers
- Sanctuary

Frankly, I have a hard time believing a set with none of Beast, Hallowed or Hills

I saw this a few days back. The report was that it was their rehearsal setlist in Zagreb or some other strange place. That actually sounds perfectly plausible, but it doesn't really mean much insofar as the final setlist goes. I'm guessing they know how to play Number or RtH by now, along with plenty of other staples. And the order shouldn't matter much, either. The Senjustu set to open things makes perfect sense. Rearranging the rest and adding a couple does, as well. This is probably close to, but not the eventual setlist.

Leaves me in something of a bind. I'm trying to decide whether or not to jet down to Mexico City to see them (and Mastodon) in the Foro Sol or not. I'd love to do it, but I kind of think that thirty minutes of Senjustu to start the show won't go over real well down there, and would negate much of what I'd actually be going to attend. Kinda hope this is wrong.

[wolfking]

As the VH countdown will be finishing up here shortly, that means Iron Maiden is next, so if anyone wants to PM me the list of every one of their songs (in chronological order) that I can list in the eventual thread I will start, that'd be awesome. 

We have to rank all of them?

Due date?

[KevShmev]

Simmer down.  VH has to finish first and then we will have plenty of time for IM.

[wolfking]

Roger that boss.

[nobloodyname]

The criteria for the list will be interesting. All studio recorded tracks but no covers or the 1988 versions?

That Van Halen countdown has been interesting, too. I've just never been a Van Halen fan (I've said before that they're much bigger in the US than in the UK, and that has probably factored into it) but I've been playing the tunes as they've been coming up just to see what I'm missing from a consensus top 50. And the answer is really nothing, nothing at all. What a boring, and often tuneless, overrated collection of songs

[KevShmev]

As the VH countdown will be finishing up here shortly, that means Iron Maiden is next, so if anyone wants to PM me the list of every one of their songs (in chronological order) that I can list in the eventual thread I will start, that'd be awesome. 

I hope it will be easier to easier to stomach than the VH list. Yikes that went downhill. How many songs are we allowed?

I don't think the excitement level for the VH countdown is near what it was for the Rush or DT countdowns, but not sure how it has gone downhill. 

[TAC]

There was nothing downhill about it. I think maybe Deadeye was referring to the placement of his songs.

[Deadeye21]

What TAC said. Many of their great songs belted way below the halfway point. For sure, the excitement has stayed well above average, but once I start seeing great songs barely placing, it was weird for me. It’s like my list was going downhill as the songs got closer to the top of the list.

[Dream Team]

My opinion on the YouTube stuff is, I'm only an intermediate level drummer so I love watching drum videos the most. Most of the time drummers are barely shown on the screen during live performances (DT and Portnoy aside) so I like being able to see how all the sticking and patterns are done. The only setting where you can watch an entire performance without constant camera cuts.

[TAC]

My opinion on the YouTube stuff is, I'm only an intermediate level drummer so I love watching drum videos the most. Most of the time drummers are barely shown on the screen during live performances (DT and Portnoy aside) so I like being able to see how all the sticking and patterns are done. The only setting where you can watch an entire performance without constant camera cuts.

Oh I definitely enjoy a great drum playthrough video. I love a lot of the death metal ones, where I might not like the music so much, but the drumming truly leaves me in awe.

[gazinwales]

I think there's a place for note for note videos, but I kind of doze off with some of those.

Sorry Gaz, but I may have missed the links you posted..

These Indonesian guys are (unintentionally) funny (comically bad?) and have a bit of charm and character to them.

This.

I've posted many links in this and the Hard Rock thread and nobody acknowledges them or comments on them, so I don't bother anymore.

[KevShmev]

I've posted many links in this and the Hard Rock thread and nobody acknowledges them or comments on them, so I don't bother anymore.

I can't speak for anyone else, but random YouTubers playing famous or classic songs note for note generally doesn't interest me.  Maybe you have to be a musician to get into that kind of thing.

[Cool Chris]

Nobody playing someone else's songs note-for-note interests me.

[cramx3]

Well the first show happened, I see someone posted the set list on the fan club website (setlist.fm is not updated as of right now)

Senjutsu
Stratego
Writing on the wall
Revelations
Blood Brothers
Sign of The Cross
Flight of Icarus
Fear of the dark
Hallowed be Thy name
Number of The Beast
Iron Maiden

The Trooper
The Clansman
Run to The Hills

Churchill’s speach
Aces High

From their twitter:

[pg1067]

If you're on Reddit, there's a post in the Iron Maiden sub.  Spoilers ahead (or not since we don't know if it's real):

"Senjutsu Theme"
- Senjutsu
- Stratego
- The Writing on the Wall
- Hell on Earth

"War Theme"
- These Colours Don't Run
- The Trooper
- 2 Minutes to Midnight

"Heaven and Hell Theme"
- Revelations
- Sign of the Cross
- Flight of Icarus
- Fear of the Dark
- Iron Maiden

Encore
- Aces High
- Blood Brothers
- Sanctuary

Frankly, I have a hard time believing a set with none of Beast, Hallowed or Hills

According to a thread on Reddit and setlist.fm, the set list is similar to what I posted last week:


- Senjutsu
- Stratego
- The Writing on the Wall
- Hell on Earth

- These Colours Don't Run
- Revelations
- 2 Minutes to Midnight

- Blood Brothers
- Sign of the Cross
- Flight of Icarus
- Fear of the Dark
- Hallowed Be Thy Name
- The Number of the Beast
- Iron Maiden

Encore
- The Trooper
- The Clansman
- Run to the Hills

Second Encore
- Aces High

[wolfking]

What a crap, rehashed, generic and disappointing set that is.

[TAC]

They basically said that they were adding 3 Stratego tracks to the Legacy set, so it cane down to what they’d drop.

According to this it’s FTGGOG, Where Eagles Dare, and …not sure off the top of my head.

[wolfking]

Evil That Men Do?  Was that played?

Edit: Wicker Man maybe?

[TAC]

Yes I think so. That might be it.

[cramx3]

It's really not that different from what most expected.  Interesting to see Blood Brothers back in the set though.  Didn't expect a swap of older songs (assuming this is a swap for Wicker Man), just figured some of the older would be dropped for the newer.  I think it's a good swap.  They must have read this forum talking about that song becoming one of the modern classic songs.

[425]

They basically said that they were adding 3 Stratego tracks to the Legacy set, so it cane down to what they’d drop.

Yeah, I don't know why anyone would be surprised by this. I'm sad that they cut Greater Good and Eagles, but this is about what I was expecting. Glad to see Sign of the Cross and Clansman still in (along with Revelations and Flight of Icarus). And wolfking, I agree that the setlist isn't as good as the 2019 setlist, but it's hard for me to call it generic when 20 minutes is still devoted to Blaze-era material. That's something that, if you asked me prior to first LotB tour, I would have said would never happen again.

Looks like the full list of changes is:

Removed:
Where Eagles Dare
2 Minutes to Midnight
For the Greater Good of God
The Wicker Man
The Evil That Men Do

Added:
Senjutsu
Stratego
The Writing on the Wall
Blood Brothers

Moved:
Aces High from opener to second encore
The Clansman from early in the set to encore
The Trooper from early in the set to encore
Hallowed Be Thy Name from encore to late in the set

[DTA]

They honestly should've just axed the LotB tour and done the actual Senjutsu tour instead. Or just mix up the setlist a bit more for fucks sake...why is Blood Brothers the song from BNW they pick when a bunch of those songs haven't been played since 2000? It's already appeared on so many tours

[wolfking]

They basically said that they were adding 3 Stratego tracks to the Legacy set, so it cane down to what they’d drop.

Yeah, I don't know why anyone would be surprised by this. I'm sad that they cut Greater Good and Eagles, but this is about what I was expecting. Glad to see Sign of the Cross and Clansman still in (along with Revelations and Flight of Icarus). And wolfking, I agree that the setlist isn't as good as the 2019 setlist, but it's hard for me to call it generic when 20 minutes is still devoted to Blaze-era material. That's something that, if you asked me prior to first LotB tour, I would have said would never happen again.

Looks like the full list of changes is:

Removed:
Where Eagles Dare
2 Minutes to Midnight
For the Greater Good of God
The Wicker Man
The Evil That Men Do

Added:
Senjutsu
Stratego
The Writing on the Wall
Blood Brothers

Moved:
Aces High from opener to second encore
The Clansman from early in the set to encore
The Trooper from early in the set to encore
Hallowed Be Thy Name from encore to late in the set

I'm not surprised but as you mentioned, cutting these two songs hurts the set.  But Bruce struggles with FTGGOG, but both songs added a nice little something in the set.  Really any five of those songs removed downgrades the set IMO.

[RodrigoAltaf]

Also surprising to see Fear of the Dark so early in the set.

[425]

I'm not surprised but as you mentioned, cutting these two songs hurts the set.  But Bruce struggles with FTGGOG, but both songs added a nice little something in the set.  Really any five of those songs removed downgrades the set IMO.

I wouldn't trade FTGGOG or Where Eagles Dare for any of the ones they added, but I'd take any of the added ones over 2MTM yet again, and honestly probably any of them over TETMD yet again. It's a downgrade, but not a catastrophic one from my perspective. Once they added Senjutsu, I knew one of the epics had to go, and for me the catastrophic scenario was losing two of them (or losing both WED and Revelations—thankfully, they decided to give 2MTM a rest instead).

[The Curious Orange]

What you have to remember is that for a lot of people, especially in other countries, this will be the fist Maiden show they have been to, and for many of them it will be the ONLY Maiden show they will ever see. If I were only going to ONE Maiden show I'd want them to play Two Minutes to Midnight. Much as us keyboard warriors complain that they always play the same old songs every tour, when we go to see them, those are the songs that get us punching the air and singing along, and that's why they keep playing them every tour. The point of these "hits" tours was to play the hits, so 2MtM should definitely stay, and When Eagles Dare was a real selling point of this setlist, being a huge fan favourite that has rarely been played, so that should have stayed as well. I hate to say it, but I would have dropped Sign of the Cross. It's a great song and everything, but it's not essential.

[Deadeye21]

This tour shouldn’t matter to me. I’m excited to see everything but it actually makes me bitterly depressed, because we were meant to see the old setlist in Australia in 2020. We had great tickets, and now they won’t come with any version of this tour. We might get Senjutsu, maybe, but all the great old songs are just forever out of our reach.

[cramx3]

It's hard to say what I would rather have.  I think the Senjutsu song itself is the weakest of the album, so it's not high on my list of live songs to see BUT I haven't seen it.  So in some ways, I'd rather that than any of the songs cut, but I can't say I like that song better than any of the songs cut.  For me, I'd say the biggest let down is that they are playing Senjutsu because it seems guaranteed we'd see that during the Senjutsu tour itself and FTGGOG is a much better long song. 

Having said that, I know others enjoy Senjutsu (the song) more than I do and it also seemed from my experience, that the crowd wasn't into FTGGOG.  My opinion may be of the minority here. 

[TAC]

FTGGOG was THE highlight of the show for me. That and Sign Of The Cross

[nobloodyname]

Centre front row view of Senjutsu from last night's show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP07rsZiyKM

[425]

What you have to remember is that for a lot of people, especially in other countries, this will be the fist Maiden show they have been to, and for many of them it will be the ONLY Maiden show they will ever see. If I were only going to ONE Maiden show I'd want them to play Two Minutes to Midnight. Much as us keyboard warriors complain that they always play the same old songs every tour, when we go to see them, those are the songs that get us punching the air and singing along, and that's why they keep playing them every tour. The point of these "hits" tours was to play the hits, so 2MtM should definitely stay, and When Eagles Dare was a real selling point of this setlist, being a huge fan favourite that has rarely been played, so that should have stayed as well. I hate to say it, but I would have dropped Sign of the Cross. It's a great song and everything, but it's not essential.

I think there is such a thing as a balance between "hits" and deep cuts. I don't think Maiden needs to play every single hit every single tour. They're already playing The Trooper, The Number of the Beast, Run to the Hills, Fear of the Dark, Hallowed Be Thy Name, Aces High and Flight of Icarus. That's plenty of songs for the people who just want to hear the hits; it's not going to hurt them to miss 2 Minutes to Midnight.

Sign of the Cross is one of their best songs, and it's probably never going to be played again after this tour. It doesn't need to be stricken from the setlist so that the hits people can hear 9 hits instead of 7.

The one time I've seen them so far, they didn't play Hallowed. Would I have liked to see that song? Yes. But would I have wanted them to play that over Afraid to Shoot Strangers or Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, which they did play? No, those are great songs, too, and I would be happy having seen them and not Hallowed even if I never saw Maiden again. Plus, I did see The Trooper, The Number of the Beast, Aces High, 2 Minutes to Midnight, Fear of the Dark and The Evil That Men Do, so even if I was a hits-only person, I still got to see a lot of material.



My own personal bias is that as years have gone on I've found 2 Minutes to Midnight the most wearisome Maiden hit.