The mighty Maiden are one of those bands you have to see live at least once even if you’re not into them. Even if you’re not into metal at all. They represent a time when you had to bust your arse to play your instrument at a world-class level, when you couldn’t rely on pre-recorded backing tracks to supply vocal harmonies and keys and additional guitar parts to pad out the sound, and when the explosions and giant inflatables were there to enhance the performance, not distract from it.
This tour is in support of the band’s The Book Of Souls album, and a good chunk of the setlist is devoted to the new material. There are enough classics to keep casual fans entertained but unlike, say, Def Leppard, who seem to struggle under the weight of their hits even when you know they’d rather play a lot of new material, Maiden understand that their die-hard fans want to hear the band grow. This Melbourne crowd heard six of the new record’s 11 tracks, an almost unprecedented number from what casual observers might think of as a legacy act. But The Book of Souls material fits neatly in amongst the established classics like The Trooper, Powerslave and The Number Of The Beast. It feels weird not hearing Run To The Hills, but one can hardly complain when the rest of the set is so tight and energetic.
You’ve got to hand it to Bruce Dickinson: dude underwent chemo and radiation therapy for a cancerous tumour on his tongue just last year, yet he’s in top vocal form, utterly blitzing those high notes, often while taking a running jump over the monitors or tearing the heart out of a giant Eddie mascot. Iron Maiden have always been a band in the truest sense of the word, with every member bringing something equally important and vital to the table, but damn… Dickinson carries more than his fair share even with Steve Harris stalking the stage and Janick Gers spinning his guitar around his body like a fricken’ hula hoop.
At this rate Maiden are unstoppable, so I have no doubt they’ll be back within a few years. And when that happens, even if you’re not a die-hard Maidenite, you have to go.
BY PETER HODGSON
LOVED: Every monstrously metallic moment.
HATED: OK, Run To The Hills would have been nice.
DRANK: A Trooper beer before getting to the venue.
