Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Venue: O2 Arena / Dublin / Ireland
Concert date: 30.07.2010
Attendance: 12
Ticket price: 60,00€ / 65,00€
With their fifteenth studio album on the way, the “heavy metal generals” got their world tour rolling a little early. It’s classic Maiden, taking us back to the summer of the “Give Me Ed’ Till I’m Dead” tour in 2003. So, Maiden therapy for the last decade, then! And yet, why even dwell on it? When Maiden first visited Ljubljana, way back on 19.08.1984, their then-current album “Powerslave” officially came out two weeks later. Clearly a therapy that’s a Maiden constant. The first leg of a tour (before the record is out) always likes to serve up a completely fresh setlist, too. This time they decided to spoil the fans with epic masterpieces from the last three albums.
The first act of the European tour, named after the upcoming album “The Final Frontier 2010 World Tour”, kicked off in Ireland. The O2 Arena (the scene of the crime) is a venue worth praising. A purpose-built hall, the kind you don’t exactly run into on every corner, it was renovated a few years ago precisely for spectacles like this.
After more than three decades, the fact that support acts just don’t matter anymore has become part of the whole Iron Maiden phenomenon and their concerts. To be even more precise, all of us Iron Maiden fans have been through some serious multi-year training on this front (remember the Lauren Harris, dear comrades?). Given the well-known facts of the shocking loss of Ronnie James Dio, after whom the rock and metal world will never be the same, the announcement of a Heaven & Hell appearance was really a bit of a pipe dream. Instead, the N.W.O.B.H.M. movement’s Sweet Savage from Belfast jumped on stage. The Northern Irish never managed a more resonant breakthrough on the HM scene. Warming up for Thin Lizzy, Ozzy Osbourne, Wishbone Ash, Motörhead was really the peak of their career. That’s in the eighties, when they were most active, and it’s more or less all they’re remembered for. The trio, who brought their body of work back to life with a compactly solid r’n’r show in the style of early Motorhead, thrilled mostly the Northern Irish part of the crowd.
The stars of the evening didn’t keep us waiting long, as at quarter past nine the CD player sang out “Doctor, doctor please ….” Well, the already familiar U.F.O. intro, a cue that allows no more delays. And the adventure with Iron Maiden began.
It was clear right away that the band was in a great mood and well rested. Ten days of downtime between the American and European tours surely did the gentlemen, who are slowly going gray, good. They hit us like on the legendary “Brave New World” tour in 2000. The stage was themed after the upcoming album “The Final Frontier”. The whole set was fitted out with extra lighting effects, so you felt like you were actually somewhere on the deck of a spacecraft, long after someone had yelled “code red” and long after two worlds had collided in the middle of an intergalactic battle.
The stage is built in a raised semicircle, so the whole thing often looked as if Bruce was “floating” above Nick’s head and his drums, walking across the stage floor as if “bolted on”. He was hard to keep up with. He first stopped after a slightly worn-out “Wrathchild”. Introducing El Dorado, he mentioned that someone might be surprised by the upcoming collection of tunes. Apparently it’s quite different. Personally, I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. The boys have never missed yet. The first peak definitely came with the out-of-this-world “Dance Of Death”, which I’d hoped they wouldn’t swap out for “Paschendale”. By then it was insanely hot and wet down front. The promoter had stocked up on cold water, which was used to cool the most overheated heads in the first rows in front of the stage. Such civility could finally rub off on the people in charge of crowd order and discipline on the sunny side of the Alps, too. Of course, it was time for “Blood Brothers” as well. A serene moment for everyone present, dedicated as a family tribute to Ronnie James Dio. Steve Harris and company closed the regular part of the set with an old friend who, after thirty years, has even learned to play guitar. We’re talking about Eddie, of course. On this leg of the tour, this fascinating mascot’s one and only (and always obligatory) appearance on stage came right at this point. In his new look, Eddie really went beyond all limits this time. That he’s half rotten, we’re used to. That he’s put on weight, one can somehow put up with, especially considering the appearance of Paul Di’Anno in 2010. But for the new Eddie to want to replace one of the Maiden guitarists during his stage landing is already a crime crying out to heaven, one for which they haven’t yet found the color of the card for a permanent ban from the standard “Maiden amusement playground”.
The encore, meanwhile, served up iron classics. Before the last song, “Running Free”, Bruce stirred up a wave of outrage among the Irish crowd. He dared to show up wearing a British police helmet, which was the last straw for the proud Irish. A true manipulator of the masses, Bruce knew how to win them back right away. The promoter had made sure that, before the eyes of the fired-up crowd and ahead of Running Free, the sextet toasted the audience with six pints of authentic Irish beer. Guinness, that is. Janick was happiest about it, and at the sight of the fresh morsel of fizzy liquor he didn’t hesitate for a second over its execution. He looked at the other companions as if to say: “No panic, boys, Running Free is easy enough to play.” For an Irish fan, there’s probably nothing better than seeing the complete Iron Maiden toast with the popular Irish beer.
What to say in closing. The gentlemen aren’t giving up. They prove it with every new tour. Dave shows the effects of an ID number at the highest level of all the Maidens, while the others, Steve especially, seem preserved, as if in formaldehyde. There’s no need to waste words on the flawless technical execution of the material on stage. Iron Maiden are a band that has never left anything to chance. Here you have experience, mileage, broad knowledge and the impenetrable force of rock-solid self-confidence that can hardly ever throw you off track. All of this is a guarantee of high quality, which justifies everything the magic phrase Iron Maiden encompasses in 2010. The O2 Arena itself added its contribution and the dot on the “i” with its excellent acoustic characteristics. And of course the one and only! The staunchly devoted “Up the Irons” fans of the band.
report by: Alen Horvat
text edited by: Aleš Podbrežnik
photos: Alen Horvat
Setlist
1. The Wicker Man 2. Ghost Of The Navigator 3. Wrathchild 4. El Dorado 5. Dance Of Death 6. The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg 7. These Colours Don’t Run 8. Blood Brothers 9. Wildest Dreams 10. No More Lies 11. Brave New World 12. Fear Of The Dark 13. Iron Maiden —encore— 14. The Number of the Beast 15. Hallowed Be Thy Name 16. Running Free
Photo Gallery
