So last night was my first Maiden concert. I've heard nothing but good things about Maiden when it comes to their live shows, so you can expect how big of an expectation I had going in. First off, I have a few complaints. The tickets themselves are not pricey at all given the band's reputation and fame, but the swag they had? My god was that expensive. Thirty bucks for a Hat? Another Thirty for a flag? Okay, the Flag I can see being Thirty Bucks, and I know it's cliché to complain about Concert Shirt prices. And hell, the Posters were a really good deal at Ten Bucks a piece. But that hat still rubs me the wrong way... And that's it for my complaints. I *could* complain about the length of the sets (Each band's set was way too short, in my opinion), but considering that the venue I attended, DTE Energy Music Theatre, only let's bands stay on until 11 PM (Which is utter bull) I can't complain. Maiden really pushed their time limit for the concert, ending it at just after 10:40 and letting Monty Python's "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" play us out of the Amphitheatre.
But on to the concert itself. Y'see, not only was this my first Maiden concert, but their tag-alongs for this specific tour, Dream Theater, were *also* a first for me. Again, I'd heard good things about the band, but that was mainly for their albums (I, myself, have only heard a few DT songs, and I liked 'em, but not enough to buy the albums. I know, it's Blasphemy), and I'd heard nothing about their live show. Well, when they started for Maiden, I can't help but say that I was blown the hell away by not only their musicianship, but their ability to pump up a crowd. I couldn't understand the Vocals that much, but I'm willing to blame that on my seats being so damn close to the speakers that they just got naturally distorted. Either way, even if LeBrie (their vocalist) wasn't on his A-Game for singing yesterday, he certainly was for showmanship. The guy got the crowd screaming, throwing up the horns, clapping, yelling, chanting, and everything you'd want from a Frontman. And their keyboardist, Jordan Rudess? Dear God that man makes Keyboard and Keytar (Yes, I said Keytar. The guy plays a FUCKING KEYTAR) look like some of the most metal instruments in existence. I never knew someone could make playing the Keyboard look kick ass, but this guy certainly did. Don't even get me STARTED on Portnoy and his drums. He got a single drum solo for the entire set, but it was GODLY. The backing vocals for their set were okay, and really the only time I was able to sing along was when they played "Rite of Passage" three songs into their sets. But that's definitely not a bad thing, since y'know, I was too busy throwing up the horns and HEADBANGING to sing.
They ended their set at exactly 8:15 (Roughly an hour after they started at 7:20). I know because I looked at my phone to see what time it was when they ended so I could tell when to expect to see Maiden. After meeting with some friends that I had hoped to run into, and one I didn't, and catching up, the next part of the concert started. No, not Maiden. Something entirely impromptu, and set up by one of the Roadies. How do I know this? Because in between bands, They like to play music from that specific genre to keep the fans entertained. Up until that point, the stereo had been at around 6 on the Volume-o-meter, and while I talked to my friend Rich, it was just background noise. But then someone cranked the volume to 11 and we heard a striking Keyboard Synth start up with a crash of symbols and drums. It wasn't Maiden, and well knew that, but all 10,000 of us knew exactly what it was we were hearing and we all responded in kind. We threw up the horns and screamed our lungs out while "Rainbow in the Dark" blared over the speakers. A few people started chanting "Dio! Dio!" and Had I been near them I probably would've joined in. As it stands, I was content with Cheering (That and my throat was killing me too much to form a chanting horde)
After that brilliant tribute from a Roadie, Maiden came out and I had to return to my seat (not that I actually got to USE the blasted thing, mind you). Their first song was the Blood-Pumping "The Wicker Man". But we didn't get to see the band until the song finally broke into it's first verse, and I got my first glimpse of an Iron Maiden stage show.
Let me put this into perspective. Up until last night, the biggest set for a stage I'd seen was AC/DC's Huge "Rosie" balloon and their six cannons at the side of the Stage, as well as a platform to raise Angus into the air. The concert following that was Metallica's Laser show and pyrotechnics. Maiden falls in between those two for the "size", but far surpasses AC/DC in terms of detail and showmanship with the stage. The ENTIRE stage had been turned into a Space Station, complete with an Antennae thingy on the top that glowed from time to time. Nikko was oriented in the center of the Space Station, and from My seat I could barely see him because of just how much stage was surrounding him. Behind them were Banners that were as big as my HOUSE, depicting whatever album the song was from, except "El Dorado", which had a Desert Setting and an orange spotlight shining on the banner to imitate the sun. It was very effective.
The first thing I noticed besides the intricate stage was just how limber and nimble Bruce Dickinson is. The guy is in his 50's and he's still jumping around on stage like he's 15! He oozes charisma, and can really work a crowd. In fact, Nikko actually broke his drumkit (TWICE in fact), and Bruce simply rolled with it, saying "Obviously it wasn't built in Detroit". My God, the Crowd went wild at that. But that's not the crowning moment of awesome for him. No, the Crowning moment of awesome that Dickinson had, as a frontman, was when he actually sat down for the first time. Why is that an awesome moment? Because he still had me pumped up for the song. He made SITTING look like and Exciting Adventure! I almost wanted to sit down with him, to experience the thrill!.... Almost.
Now for me, one of my favorite things about watching any Maiden concert, be it on Youtube, or in their Documentary "Flight 666", or hell just listening to their live albums, is hearing Bruce scream "SCREAM FOR ME _______ ". And that was also one of my favorite moments last night. The moment he yelled "SCREAM FOR ME DETROOOOIT!" I fucking LOST it. I screamed until I couldn't scream any more. And then I continued Screaming. I probably screamed more at that moment than a man who's having his foot chewed off by a beaver in slow motion.
Shortly after that wonderous moment ( It was during their always-awesome "Iron Maiden"), Nikko broke his kit for the second time, and Bruce decided to have a Chat with us, in which he paid tribute to Dio and welcomed me and all of the other Maiden Virgins into the Iron Maiden Family (His exact words were "There's music fans, there's Heavy Metal Fans, but then there's an elite, third group. You fuckers are Iron Maiden Fans!") and the entire crowd threw up the horns, Chanted "Dio!" as that small group did earlier, and I remember three of us - including myself - yelling "We love you Ronnie!"
But what about the MUSIC? The show was fun, and seeing Eddie walk out onto stage for the first time in my life was certainly something I'll always remember, but were they on the ball? IN short? Yes. THe long version? OH Fucking HELL yes! Dickinson, while also moving around like a Monkey on Crack, was absolutely PERFECT when he sang. He was on tune, he gave every song 110% and made it sound like every song he sang was the first time I'd heard the song at all, even my favorite Maiden Tune, "Fear of the Dark". Speaking of, hearing that song, hearing the crowd sing along, and seeing all of those horns raised was like a religious experience.
I know that this really doesn't feel like a 'Professional" review, and y'know what? I'm fine with that. I don't WANT to be some asshat who thinks he knows what a good concert is because he has a fancy title and expensive website. I'm just a metalhead like you guys, who knows what he likes. The fact is, even if it WAS a "Professional" flop of a show that some critic slams up and down, I had fun. And that's what matters in a concert, at least to me. I had fun, and I'm pretty sure that all of you would too if you ever get the chance to see Maiden or Dream Theater. Hell, Make sure you check out their Final Frontier Tour so you can experience BOTH at the same time!
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