The Iron Maiden Thread v. The Merge of Souls

[wolfking]

Love him.  All class.

Thanks man. Love you too. 

 

[Mladen]

They apparently met up as well, this is always cool to see:

[ProfessorPeart]

Blaze is looking fantastic after what he just went through. Truly The Man Who Would Not Die. Looking trim as well.

[Stadler]

Blaze is looking fantastic after what he just went through. Truly The Man Who Would Not Die. Looking trim as well.

Agreed! Tan, fit.  You'd think he'd look a lot more haggard.  Happy to see it. 

[cramx3]

Great story about Blaze recovering and then going to an IM concert.   

[ErHaO]

I saw them today. Was a great show.

Was hesitant as the setlist wasn't my cup of tea. I am in a very tiny minority that doesn't dig Somewhere in Time as much as most IM albums and was lukewarm on Senjutsu. The good news is that I never made it to the second disc of Senjutsu but Death of the Celts and Hell on Earth are 20 minutes of great IM music, was a joy to see it live. Writing on the Wall was also a great live track. And overall the performance was great. I don't think I will ever really love Somewhere in Time (album), but Alexander was great live. Glad I went!




Also, Blaze indeed looks great in those pictures, always good to see someone glow up after a rough patch.

[Pappy]

I saw them today. Was a great show.

Was hesitant as the setlist wasn't my cup of tea. I am in a very tiny minority that doesn't dig Somewhere in Time as much as most IM albums and was lukewarm on Senjutsu. The good news is that I never made it to the second disc of Senjutsu but Death of the Celts and Hell on Earth are 20 minutes of great IM music, was a joy to see it live. Writing on the Wall was also a great live track. And overall the performance was great. I don't think I will ever really love Somewhere in Time (album), but Alexander was great live. Glad I went!

I have the exact same opinion as you so I've been questioning whether I want to check them out with this setlist. Might reconsider.

[MirrorMask]

Here I am back to this thread, which I avoided like the plague 'cause I wanted the setlist to be a surprise.

Of course it's impossible to avoid spoilers, so here's what I knew from YouTube and posts I didn't skip over fast enough over social media:

- CSIT and Stranger as first two songs
- Alex
- Hell on Earth as first encore
- The Trooper being there somewhere

I saw them yesterday in Milan and it was, as always with Iron Maiden, ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC. Crappy obscene location and crappy low sounds, but that's another story. I, too, never got the love for Somewhere in Time, of course the album doesn't suck, but personally it's the one of the classic Bruce era I connect the least with, but I loved hearing those songs live, and some for the first time!

Bruce Dickinson was FANTASTIC. I don't know if the two years of not touring because of Covid gave him a much needed rest, and anyway he toured again in 2002, but the guy is INSANE. He was absolutely amazing and NAILED Caught Somewhere in Time, it felt like 1986 - "no, in 1986 he didn't sing this good", quote guy next to me who looked old enough to have been there.

Bruce was in a very good mood, I know that the whole show is scripted but he seemed to really enjoy the atmosphere, the chants and the crowd reaction. Something that couldn't have been scripted, after he spotted a sign with a request: "So, it's your birthday and you want me to kiss you? my fianceč is in the audience somewhere and she's half italian, I can't kiss you"  (and he also made a joke about FIAT, a famous italian brand of cars, before introducing Days of Future Past".

I loved the setlist approach, it was the first time for my best friend and for her maybe I wished they would have played some more classics but for me it was a treat. It's my.... what, 13th? 14th? time I've seen the band, and I heard EIGHT songs I never heard before live (the Senjutsu songs, which is a bit of a cheat since they played Writing on the Wall last tour but I couldn't be there, and the SIT rarities). Also, they dropped ALL of the usual three off Number of the Beast, and honored the album instead with a rarity such as The Prisoner? WOW!!!!

I agree that Time Machine was the weak point of the set. After two classic SIT songs and two new ones, the third one off Senjutsu in a row dragged a bit.

I expected them to play Stratego, I missed out on that one. Can I Play with Madness was another song I would have never guessed. It's funny that Steve is on record about wanting to play Only the Good Die Young. Dude, you're the boss. You're Iron Maiden. You want to play it? play it, who's gonna stop you? Bruce in a fistfight in the unlikely event he passionately hates the song?

Imagine them going all the way with rarities and playing 22 Acacia Avenue instead of The Prisoner, and OTGDY instead of Madness. Not complaining however, I got my rarities and I enjoyed the SIT songs like never before!

I didn't hear such a big roar when Alex started (probably everyone knew already they were playing it), but some parts of the songs got a good reaction. And there's no way around it, like Stadler wrote some pages ago about 666 - no matter what they played, the "massive roar and singalong that shakes the ground" happened for Fear of the Dark and The Trooper. Nothing beat those two songs as far as crowd reaction went.

Pity I'm of average height and I couldn't really see the stage, I barely saw the guys with my own eyes, it was all looking at the screens, my cellphone and stretching out my head and my feet as much as I could. The scenery was lovely, the walking Eddies were great, the giant samurai head during Iron Maiden was f'kin awesome, and the gun fight with Eddie was unexpected and epic 

I'm not a musician and the sound was low anyway, so I couldn't really tell if Nicko played sloppy or if the other guys made some mistakes. If they're not so big that you notice them, I say they play well. I'm sure most musicians make minor mistakes all the time, if you don't notice them, it's like they never happened. Same with Bruce, as I said he was perfect, surprising, amazing, he really used the time machine to travel back in time with his voice. I'm sure some clips off YouTube might show some strain here and there, but we discussed it to death with James LaBrie - if it's good enough when you're there, then it was good. My official and definitive comment about Bruce's performance is that he was amazing and perfect, a 10/10, and if you have a problem with it, come at me, I'll fight you 

Another great show from a great band that I admire more and more for being still so relevant, and never relying on nostalgia. I mean, they did their fair share of nostalgic tours but which other band of their caliber drops completely the staples from their classic album to make room for 5 songs off the latest record? the Legacy of the Beast tour was all kinds of awesome and I still prefer that, but yesterday I was absolutely satisfied. Long live the mighty Iron Maiden, the day they'll retire the world will be a uglier and sadder place 

[Mladen]

That was a fantastic review. I'm pleasantly surprised someone managed to avoid most of the spoilers for almost two months. 

[ErHaO]

I saw them today. Was a great show.

Was hesitant as the setlist wasn't my cup of tea. I am in a very tiny minority that doesn't dig Somewhere in Time as much as most IM albums and was lukewarm on Senjutsu. The good news is that I never made it to the second disc of Senjutsu but Death of the Celts and Hell on Earth are 20 minutes of great IM music, was a joy to see it live. Writing on the Wall was also a great live track. And overall the performance was great. I don't think I will ever really love Somewhere in Time (album), but Alexander was great live. Glad I went!

I have the exact same opinion as you so I've been questioning whether I want to check them out with this setlist. Might reconsider.

I think it is a very good show. And at this point in time, they are still energetic/in good shape. They are at the age where that can (quickly) change, which also helped me make up my mind. Some songs just work better live/with a crowd. I get why people call the Senjutsu tracks I mentioned too long, but especially live I enjoyed the atmosphere and seeing them perform adds to it as well. I was also surprised by Writing on the Wall live, people sung the chorus quite audible. I can't think of a single artist in the game for like 40 years where a new song connects this well live.

Here I am back to this thread, which I avoided like the plague 'cause I wanted the setlist to be a surprise.

Of course it's impossible to avoid spoilers, so here's what I knew from YouTube and posts I didn't skip over fast enough over social media:

- CSIT and Stranger as first two songs
- Alex
- Hell on Earth as first encore
- The Trooper being there somewhere

I saw them yesterday in Milan and it was, as always with Iron Maiden, ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC. Crappy obscene location and crappy low sounds, but that's another story. I, too, never got the love for Somewhere in Time, of course the album doesn't suck, but personally it's the one of the classic Bruce era I connect the least with, but I loved hearing those songs live, and some for the first time!

Bruce Dickinson was FANTASTIC. I don't know if the two years of not touring because of Covid gave him a much needed rest, and anyway he toured again in 2002, but the guy is INSANE. He was absolutely amazing and NAILED Caught Somewhere in Time, it felt like 1986 - "no, in 1986 he didn't sing this good", quote guy next to me who looked old enough to have been there.

Bruce was in a very good mood, I know that the whole show is scripted but he seemed to really enjoy the atmosphere, the chants and the crowd reaction. Something that couldn't have been scripted, after he spotted a sign with a request: "So, it's your birthday and you want me to kiss you? my fianceč is in the audience somewhere and she's half italian, I can't kiss you"  (and he also made a joke about FIAT, a famous italian brand of cars, before introducing Days of Future Past".

I loved the setlist approach, it was the first time for my best friend and for her maybe I wished they would have played some more classics but for me it was a treat. It's my.... what, 13th? 14th? time I've seen the band, and I heard EIGHT songs I never heard before live (the Senjutsu songs, which is a bit of a cheat since they played Writing on the Wall last tour but I couldn't be there, and the SIT rarities). Also, they dropped ALL of the usual three off Number of the Beast, and honored the album instead with a rarity such as The Prisoner? WOW!!!!

I agree that Time Machine was the weak point of the set. After two classic SIT songs and two new ones, the third one off Senjutsu in a row dragged a bit.

I expected them to play Stratego, I missed out on that one. Can I Play with Madness was another song I would have never guessed. It's funny that Steve is on record about wanting to play Only the Good Die Young. Dude, you're the boss. You're Iron Maiden. You want to play it? play it, who's gonna stop you? Bruce in a fistfight in the unlikely event he passionately hates the song?

Imagine them going all the way with rarities and playing 22 Acacia Avenue instead of The Prisoner, and OTGDY instead of Madness. Not complaining however, I got my rarities and I enjoyed the SIT songs like never before!

I didn't hear such a big roar when Alex started (probably everyone knew already they were playing it), but some parts of the songs got a good reaction. And there's no way around it, like Stadler wrote some pages ago about 666 - no matter what they played, the "massive roar and singalong that shakes the ground" happened for Fear of the Dark and The Trooper. Nothing beat those two songs as far as crowd reaction went.

Pity I'm of average height and I couldn't really see the stage, I barely saw the guys with my own eyes, it was all looking at the screens, my cellphone and stretching out my head and my feet as much as I could. The scenery was lovely, the walking Eddies were great, the giant samurai head during Iron Maiden was f'kin awesome, and the gun fight with Eddie was unexpected and epic 

I'm not a musician and the sound was low anyway, so I couldn't really tell if Nicko played sloppy or if the other guys made some mistakes. If they're not so big that you notice them, I say they play well. I'm sure most musicians make minor mistakes all the time, if you don't notice them, it's like they never happened. Same with Bruce, as I said he was perfect, surprising, amazing, he really used the time machine to travel back in time with his voice. I'm sure some clips off YouTube might show some strain here and there, but we discussed it to death with James LaBrie - if it's good enough when you're there, then it was good. My official and definitive comment about Bruce's performance is that he was amazing and perfect, a 10/10, and if you have a problem with it, come at me, I'll fight you 

Another great show from a great band that I admire more and more for being still so relevant, and never relying on nostalgia. I mean, they did their fair share of nostalgic tours but which other band of their caliber drops completely the staples from their classic album to make room for 5 songs off the latest record? the Legacy of the Beast tour was all kinds of awesome and I still prefer that, but yesterday I was absolutely satisfied. Long live the mighty Iron Maiden, the day they'll retire the world will be a uglier and sadder place 

Bruce sounds great and is just a fantastic frontman. In Amsterdam he did pick his battles so to say, I think he did the best on the older songs. He was a bit out of breath here and there, but given how lively he is on stage that does not bother me at all. His pitch was overall good/great. Also, his lower older voice works super well with the intro of Fear of the Dark, that was epic.

A comparison of Caught Somewhere in Time:
1986 (proshot): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJ59d1_CHoo
2023 (phone, not mine): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBn7Bt_nakc

I mean, 37 years later in their 60's that is absolutely great.



I did not hear drum fuckups, but I will admit that I am generally not very sensitive to that, unless it is really bad. The sound in Amsterdam was good, but Ziggodome often had decent/good sound, unlike most large venues. (On a sidenote, my advice for people going to large shows is to pick the last show if there are several dates. Almost always the sound is significantly better).

[The Curious Orange]

I agree that Time Machine was the weak point of the set. After two classic SIT songs and two new ones, the third one off Senjutsu in a row dragged a bit.

Really? I thought Death of the Celts was the clunker here. Time Machine got everyone jumping, Celts got everyone heading for the toilet.

[MirrorMask]

Yeah, in the faster parts Bruce indeed got people to jump, it's just that way back where I was I didn't feel that much enthusiasm.

Anyway, having seen now live Caught Somewhere in Time, I got a revamped love for the song. Brilliant track and as ErHaO said, to be in their sixties and do it this good, especially Bruce... whoah!

I also agree that The Writing on the Wall went down incredibly well. Death of the Celts was ok I guess, I watched some clips here and there and it seems that Bruce changes the introduction a bit, in Italy he talked about how you can't eraadicate a culture -  you can kill people, even millions of them, but the culture survives, "so this is the failure of the death of the celts".

Oh, fun fact - when Iron Maiden played at Hellfest, at the same time (on a smaller stage of course) the medieval / neofolk band Faun was playing. Their performance was streamed, and I watched it, and at a certain point they showed their stage from behind with a view in the distant back on what was obviously Maiden's stage, and I saw flames coming from it.

I thought "well, it's late in the evening, there are flames... obviously it's The Number of the Beast", so I spent the entire show wondering when The Number of the Beast would be played, only to realize during Hell on Earth that THIS was the song they used flames for 

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

It's a classic but I always laugh at how displeased Steve and Janick looks. "Guys, I don't wanna play clarinett"
Nicko is havin the time of his life playin tuba. Adrian looks so proud with his trumpet.
Dave is as always for obvious reasons 
Bruce takes playin the accordion very seriously.

[Kwyjibo]

Hilarious, never saw that before. 

[The Curious Orange]

The Jimmy Krankie Experience?

Fandabbidozie!

[Stadler]

It's a classic but I always laugh at how displeased Steve and Janick looks. "Guys, I don't wanna play clarinett"
Nicko is havin the time of his life playin tuba. Adrian looks so proud with his trumpet.
Dave is as always for obvious reasons 
Bruce takes playin the accordion very seriously.

I think Steve is upset because his titties are hanging out. 

[pg1067]

It's a classic but I always laugh at how displeased Steve and Janick looks. "Guys, I don't wanna play clarinet"

Since his mic will be potted all the way down, we won't hear his constant squeaks.   

[Grappler]

I cut the grass last night and threw on an old t-shirt because it was hot and I knew I'd sweat through what I was wearing.  Long ago, I cut the sleeves off of this shirt and made it a yard-work shirt.  While cutting the grass, I counted and realized that I've had it for 24 years exactly.  I saw the Ed Hunter tour in July 1999.  It's one of two band shirts that I still have from the 1990's.  All of the others that I had are long gone.  I loved that tour, loved that Bruce was back and wore this thing proudly for years until it became too faded and worn out for anything other than housework.

[cramx3]

That must have been an awesome tour to see

[Grappler]

It was incredible.  The best part is that they were playing ballrooms.  If you go see Maiden now, it's an arena or amphitheater.  But to see them in a 5,000 capacity room was so cool.  Bruce sounded amazing and they ripped through a killer set of mostly older songs (plus 3 Blaze era tunes).  What I remember most is being soaked in sweat at the end of the night.  Indoors in July in Chicago, with no air conditioning - someone said the temperature on stage was 112 degrees. 

[cramx3]

Yeah, I think they played at the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC for that tour and it would be incredible to see them in that venue

[TAC]

I bought a coffee mug! 







It was one of my all time favorite Maiden tours. Even though Boston was one of the shows Adrian missed, it was still an amazing experience to see them in a small theater.

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

I cut the grass last night and threw on an old t-shirt because it was hot and I knew I'd sweat through what I was wearing.  Long ago, I cut the sleeves off of this shirt and made it a yard-work shirt.  While cutting the grass, I counted and realized that I've had it for 24 years exactly.  I saw the Ed Hunter tour in July 1999.  It's one of two band shirts that I still have from the 1990's.  All of the others that I had are long gone.  I loved that tour, loved that Bruce was back and wore this thing proudly for years until it became too faded and worn out for anything other than housework.

Awesome, that was my first tour seeing Maiden and yea I miss seeing them in indoor arenas. The light and stageshow is more noticable in the dark.
So cool to see and hear Bruce back in the band and of course Adrian.

[ozzy554]

I don't know what he did to him but Blaze saying that his heart attack felt like an invisible Blackie Lawless was sitting on his chest got a chuckle from me. It's not very often you hear Blaze throw shade at anybody lol.

https://blabbermouth.net/news/former-iron-maiden-singer-blaze-bayley-says-having-heart-attack-at-home-may-have-saved-his-life

[wolfking]

  WTF?

[ProfessorPeart]

It was incredible.  The best part is that they were playing ballrooms.  If you go see Maiden now, it's an arena or amphitheater.  But to see them in a 5,000 capacity room was so cool.  Bruce sounded amazing and they ripped through a killer set of mostly older songs (plus 3 Blaze era tunes).  What I remember most is being soaked in sweat at the end of the night.  Indoors in July in Chicago, with no air conditioning - someone said the temperature on stage was 112 degrees.

I was also at that show at the Aragon. It was my first time seeing Maiden and the weather was brutal. All the passed out people lining the back wall of the venue. My wife dropped towards the end. Nice guy on her other side helped me get her back up and hold her up until the show ended. If I remember, it was during the encore. I remember wringing my shirt out when I got back to the car.

[MirrorMask]

Holy shit. Back in January Nicko McBrain had a - luckily - minor stroke, which at the moment left him partially paralyzed. He undertook the necessary therapy and now he's, obviously, doing better, but until rehersals back in May the whole band was uncertain about his possibility to play. This has been posted on their official pages (FB and Instagram).

So that's why he was playing not as he used to. It wasn't old age. It was the aftermath of a stroke. We're so lucky to still have all of them in good health, Steve Harris said that every show is precious because everything could end the day after and he's sure right. Let's hope the lads all stay healthy and strong until they all decide it's time to retire. Iron Maiden is still Iron Maiden and I wouldn't want them to end with random session players in replacement of an injured or ill member.

[nobloodyname]

Oh no, poor Nicko.

And there's the explanation for a lot of what people were talking about.

[Zydar]

Wow, I didn't know that. I read his statement on their Instagram account just now. Poor Nicko.

[TAC]

*waits for DT's message on James*


That definitely explains the simplification of parts and also shows that the band hears the comments.
Nicko's video message is heartwarming. It's amazing as Iron Maiden is this huge business, but other than Bruce, who comes off as kind of uppity and douchey, the other 5 guys come off as so regular and personable. And to me, THAT is their magic.

[nikatapi]

What an adorable guy Nicko is. I hope he stays healthy, and his determination is so inspiring, especially at this age!

[wolfking]

https://youtu.be/2_Do14aSG74

He posted a little video too, obviously before the statement.  What a class act he is.  All the best.

[TAC]

I have to wonder.. this tour was announced back in October. What would've happened if Nicko couldn't do this summer run?

[MirrorMask]

I have to wonder.. this tour was announced back in October. What would've happened if Nicko couldn't do this summer run?

Not that many options:

- Postpone the tour
- Get a replacement
- Retire the band alltogether

They're getting up there with age and while they're not expected to die of old age in a couple of years, they must know that an illness or injury severe enough to end their touring days might be right behind the corner. It's either accept that there might be some stand-ins in the future, just like Judas Priest accepted to go on tour without Tipton, or just quit.

As I said elsewhere, mainly discussing Dream Theater's position that this is their last line-up, it's all too easy to announce to want to quit when the next change happens, only the change arrives and you find out if you really want to, there and then, give up the passion of a lifetime. I'm sure DT more or less mean it, but would John Petrucci end the band literally tomorrow if John Myung gave up and quit? or if Rudess or LaBrie did?

Also, it depends on the band members themselves. Was Glenn Tipton ok with Judas Priest ending because he got Parkinson? apparently not. Would Nicko want to go down in history as the reason Iron Maiden retired or would he urge them to continue?

Also, in Iron Maiden, who is replaceable and who is not? Bruce himself once said that he'd like to pick his replacement if he couldn't sing anymore. Would the band even consider it? No Steve Harris = no Iron Maiden obviously, but what if any of the guitarists would go? they'd still have two. Would Steve want to change the man behind the drums after 40 literal years of being with Nicko?

[TAC]

I'm asking the questions here!