okay, well I think I can move again, my throat is getting back to normal and I can hear (somewhat).
Tuesday night was Iron Maiden in Vancouver and what a night it was. Before the show I got to meet some old friends on their road crew, amazing how these guys are still at it after all these years, didn’t catch ‘arry and the lads preshow though, they are pretty tied up and isolated before taking the stage.
The show itself was a stunner, just like Powerslave in ’84, but somehow even better. Vancouver (apparently)marked the first gig on the tour so far where they had the Pharaoh’s head split in half and reveal the old Eddie mummy, what a classic!
Anyway, they played Transylvania while running video of the Iron Maiden 757 landing at an airport, some tour clips etc. showing the band getting set up etc. Then they ran into Churchill’s speech, the opening chords of Aces High started up and the sold out arena went insane! The cue was hit with 6 major pyro shots as the stage lit up and they went into Aces High, with Bruce in TOP vocal form, much better than other stops on the tour so far anyway, plus the Coliseum has phenomenal acoustics. What best to follow Aces with but Two Minutes to Midnight? After TMTM, Bruce did a wee intro and said how happy they all were to be back in Canada, they were all pleased to see such a huge fan base and how Canada was into Maiden a full 2 years before the USA and they haven’t forgotten it, etc.
Straight into an old Piece Of Mind favorite, Revelations, they tore the stage up, Bruce running a marathon, Steve Harris firmly planted on the monitors with his galloping bass lines and with Janick turned down so low you can barely hear him, as usual (there’s just no place for his sound in older material).
The Trooper backdrop curtain appeared, Bruce in his British Army reds waving his Union Jack started to belt out the opening words “You take my life but I’ll take yours too!” Man, that guy can still break the octaves out like he did 30 years ago.
Moving forward in time a bit, they went straight into Wasted Years before the stage went blood red in the dark Coliseum and that familiar Vincent Price intro started “Woe to you oh, Earth and Sea” many more columns of HOT fire blasted through the opening bars of Number of the Beast, make that through the entire song! Followed by Can I play With Madness, the pace was picked up before slowing right down with Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner (one of my most memorable moments of the ’84 show). Once again, the Coleridge passage was recited under low level lighting as the light rigs dropped and swayed to the creaking sounds of an old ship. The second half of Mariner was to an amazing fireworks spectacular popping from the upper rigging to simulate the thunder and lightning (much more impressive than thunder and lightning though!).
No time to catch your breath as an ancient classic was played for the first time in over a decade, Powerslave, with Dickensen hitting every note effortlessly, or it appeared effortless anyhow. Heaven can Wait and Run to The Hills kept everyone on their feet (seriously, right to the top of the upper blues everyone was standing and rockin’ out) until the lights dimmed, the lighters came out and then blazing spots hit the audience as Bruce let Vancouver begin the first verse of Fear of the Dark. While your mind is still sparking from the energy and cold chills run down your spine, there was no time to catch your breath as without hesitation they played the opening bars of Iron Maiden to an ecstatic crowd; this is where the Pharaoh’s head split (just like the Powerslave tour) and a giant mummified Eddie closed the song with sparks shooting from his eyes (too cool for words!).
After a brief, false exit, the band came back to play an encore set including another giant walking Eddy (this time the Somewhere in Time version)as they played Moonchild and the Clairvoyant, the show finished with Hallowed Be The Name. Bruce commented the crowd made him think it was a Friday night crowd, that they had a new album due out soon and would be back far more often than in recent years.
All in all, WOW!
In true Maiden Fashion, the light rigs were on the floor before most people had reached the doors as they are off to Calgary for the next stop on this grueling tour schedule. Having joined one world tour in the 90’s, I can tell you it is exactly as tough as and far tougher than you’ll hear.
How these guys pull it off year after year, this year an even bigger tour due to Ed Force One (Maiden’s converted 757 for hauling the band and gear around the globe) is beyond me, talk about stamina, must be all the football (aka soccer) they play with local teams.
Backstage, I was giggling about Janick, while he is always fun to watch as he dances around, throws his guitar in the air, plays the Townsend windmill, all the while you don’t hear a flaw in the sound or a single note from his guitar. It’s too bad, he’s a great guitarist, but the third guitar just doesn’t work in to the older stuff.
ahhh, but we love to watch him play, even though it is only one step above air guitar when touring with Maiden.
Again, had some beers with friends on the crew, what a tight bunch they are; as they have always said, it’s the Maiden family and a family it truly is. I think this is what makes it all work year after year, family and good friends.
As for a warm up act, Lauren Harris (Bassist Steve Harris’ daughter) was absolutely stunning! Visually anyway, her sound was incredibly sibilant, with a small frontline her sound was weak and needed more work, but that’s what you get when you aren’t the headliner. I think most reviews have been pretty harsh on her, she sounds like POSH spice but rocks like Pat Benetar, Americans so far have said she was awful and that her set sucked, but that’s to be expected from people who don’t like anything new or different. UP here she seemed to have a better reception but still has a long way to go, with her first CD releasing soon, I don’t think she’ll do that bad after all.
