Mansin Humanity Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 It's 10:22 PM and Iron Maiden are ripping through their first encore song, Moonchild. The show has been amazing so far and it is only getting better.We left from Maine around 3:15, and hit the road down to Mansfield to the sounds of Maiden's 1984 album, Powerslave. I had been anticipating this day for months, and it was finally here. After getting down to the Comcast Center at about 6:30, as we drove through an epic thunderstorm and stopped for dinner, my friend's dad dropped us off. We headed in through the lightest security I had ever seen, and headed over to the merch stands. I bought a cool Somewhere Back In Time tour shirt, I'll have a pic of that later. Unfortunately, we had lawn tickets. However, as we walked up, the usher said we could sit in any seats not under the roof. We found some pretty good seats for what our options were on the stage right side, where Dave Murray was stationed most of the show. As we were waiting in our seats, it started to rain. And rain some more. And more, until we were soaked. During this, the opening act had begun playing. It was Lauren Harris, Steve Harris's (Maiden bassist) daughter. The music her band played was ok, but overall I didn't like her. About 10 minutes after she stopped, so did the rain. We waited for about 20 minutes or half hour. Then over the PA system, Doctor Doctor begins to play and the lights go down.Now, if you know anything about Maiden's live shows, you'll know Doctor Doctor is always the last one played before they come out. Doctor Doctor ends, every light is off, and the Translyvania intro/video starts. When that ended, a video of old war clips with Churchill's Speech playing over it played. The crowd is going crazy at this time. The video ends, and the taped Aces High intro is played. It seemed to take forever! Finally, it ends, and we hearthe snare drum hit to start the real song and BOOM! Maiden runs out onto the stage. This was one of the greatest moments of the night. Of course, they waited until it was dark to come out, so that made it even better. Aces High was a fantastic opener. Fast paced the whole way through, never let up. Bruce had a scream at the end that was out of this world. Amazing he can still do that. Aces High finishes, and they go right into 2 Minutes to Midnight. During this one, we get the first of Bruce's classic "Scream for me Massachusetts.... SCREAM FOR ME MASSACHUSETTS!!!!!" 2 Minutes was an amazing song, making for a great 1-2 punch to start the show. Bruce lead the crowd in a singalong in the chorus. After, there is a short break and Bruce talks for a while. Ends with "I promise it will be... a Revelation" after talking about the tour and how they were gonna play a long time. With that, they started into Revelations. Wasn't so familiar with this one, but great song nonetheless. After Revelations, the backdrop behind the stage changes to the Trooper artwork. About 10 seconds pass, and they start in to The Trooper. What an amazing song this is. With such high energy, a fan favorite, and an extended solo from Dave Murray, this was one of the highlights of the night. Bruce talked a little more, and they went into Wasted Years. A good song, but there were far better ones during the night. Far from bad though. As soon as WY ended, the low voice intro for Number of the Beast started playing. They absoulutely nailed this one, a great song from start to finish with lots of fire. Bruce threw in Massachusetts in the lyrics at the end. After NOTB, Bruce went on a ranting dissing American football. "It's gay." He went on for a few minutes, finally saying that a hand motion must have been code for..... Can I Play With Madness!!!??? This was a song I wasn't so crazy about going into the show, but ended up loving. Once CIPWM ended, I knew it was on. Bruce talked about Samuel Taylor Coleridge and the albatross and all that and I knew it was time for Rime of the Ancient Mariner. My god, this song was amazing. 13 and a half minutes of intensity. In the studio, during a quiet part, they have the effect of a boat creaking. Live, they recreated it by having the upper lights slowly swing back and forth and playing the creaking sound. Basically, the most badass thing I had ever seen. They filled up the stage with smoke in the middle of the song, creating a fog effect, making it even cooler. To top it off, it started to slowly drizzle during this song, making it seem as if we were out on the ocean with Iron Maiden. Before, the rain sucked. Now, it added to it. Rime of the Ancient Mariner was going to be hard to top. They didn't, but they almost did with an amazing version of Powerslave. Great song all around, the combonation of Ancient Mariner and Powerslave wasn't topped all night. Following Powerslave was Heaven Can Wait. This was a great performance of a great song. In the middle, a bunch of fans got to go on stage and sing. I was quite jealous. After HCW, Run To The Hills started. A fantastic song that the band positively smoked. Another highlight of the night, the whole crowd singing along to the whole thing. After RTTH was Fear of the Dark, the only song of the night that wasn't from the 80's. Although it was a bit out of place in the set, it was a brilliant rendition of the song. Bruce lead the fans in singing the intro riff, which was really cool. After FOTD was the main set closer, Iron Maiden. This has always been the song to close out the first set for Maiden, and it always should be. Entire crowd singing along, band going crazy, just awesome. In the middle of this one, the giant Powerslave Eddie head behind the stage split open, and out came Mummy Eddie. The thing was huge! It leaned forward and started lunging out at the crowd. An awesome effect to end the show. This song also featured Janick Gers throwing his guitar about 30 feet in the air and swinging it around by the strap. The band left the stage, and the crowd cheered for more. About 5 minutes later, we got it. They came back out, and Bruce introduced the band as they went into Moonchild. I had almost lost all my energy at this point in the show, and I had to spend this song trying to get it back. Not a bad performance at all, but not one of the highlights of the show. Right at the end of Moonchild, Steve Harris started the awesome bass intro to The Clairvoyant. This was a great song that came across even better live. Maybe that was because of the appearance of.... a 12 foot high Cyborg Eddie (From the Somewhere In Time album)! Eddie walked out on stage and roamed around for about a minute and a half, playing Dave Murray's guitar in the process. Once The Clairvoyant ended, there was about 30 seconds of silence. A slow four count on the cymbal was done, and Hallowed Be Thy Name started. This was one of the best show closers I had ever seen. The band was firing on all cylinders, and the crowd was loving it. An amazing song to end an amazing show. Bruce said thank you and good night, Nicko McBrain came out and threw his A) Drumsticks B ) Drumheads, as frisbees, and C) socks into the crowd.We headed out, I bought an awesome poster, and we walked out to the entrance to meet my friend's dad, almost getting hit by a car in the process. It wouldn't have taken anything away from that night, and I say that with all seriousness.NOTES:- Dave Murray is easily the best guitarist in Maiden- Bruce Dickinson hasn't lost a thing- However, Bruce was lost in the mix early on, to the point that his mic totally cut out while talking before Wasted Years- Besides that, a nearly perfect show. 9.5/10- Anyone seeing them on the European leg (this was the last US show) will be blown away- Bruce also said they will be back in a year or two with a brand new Maiden album Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arnold layne Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 Great review. I hope to see them live one day, and I'm glad you enjoyed the concert!I hope he's serious about the album. The last one they made was great, even for their age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Axl Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 Can't went for 24th july now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UseYourAppetite Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 Sounds awesome, so wish I could see them at Twickenham in July but alas, the only seats left are pretty shitty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrslash Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 Seeing them on July 9th With Slayer, Avenged Sevenfold and Rose Tattoo. Can't wait!I wish they'd play some more Somewhere in Time stuff. Alexander the Great, Caught Somewhere in Time, Stranger in a Strange Land, all awesome songs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arnold layne Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 Seeing them on July 9th With Slayer, Avenged Sevenfold and Rose Tattoo. Can't wait!I wish they'd play some more Somewhere in Time stuff. Alexander the Great, Caught Somewhere in Time, Stranger in a Strange Land, all awesome songs!I agree.Somewhere in Time has got to be my favorite album by them. Even the other songs, "Déjà Vu" and "Heaven Can Wait" are fun to listen to, and people don't really mention them when it comes to Iron Maiden.Chris Axl, you lucky bastard, have fun. I wish they came where I live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Axl Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 Heaven Can Wait Can't understand what is happening to me,This isn't real, this is only a dream,But I never have felt, no I never have felt this way before,I'm looking down on my body below,I lie asleep in the midst of a dream, rock1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrslash Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 Seeing them on July 9th With Slayer, Avenged Sevenfold and Rose Tattoo. Can't wait!I wish they'd play some more Somewhere in Time stuff. Alexander the Great, Caught Somewhere in Time, Stranger in a Strange Land, all awesome songs!I agree.Somewhere in Time has got to be my favorite album by them. Even the other songs, "Déjà Vu" and "Heaven Can Wait" are fun to listen to, and people don't really mention them when it comes to Iron Maiden.Chris Axl, you lucky bastard, have fun. I wish they came where I live. Yeah, it's currently my favourite Maiden album aswell, and i'd like them to play more than just Wasted Years and Heaven Can Wait from it.Really looking forward to watch them play Rime Of The Ancient Mariner, now that must be something! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUNSNROSES513 Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 my friend was their... he said it kicked ass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Powerage5 Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 Hands down the best show I've ever been to. We drove up after my last exam, it took 7 hours. We got there and we had shit seats on the end of section 3 and couldn't see because of the wings Maiden always use. Anyways, this guy next to us from Poland Springs knew one of the security guards, and they displaced us to the pit, along with many other people who couldn't see past the wing. I was third back from Davey for most of the night, while my mom stood at the back barrier of the pit for taking pics. Amazing energy, from both the band and the crowd. Everyone in the pit was super nice, amazed that someone my age (17) knew all the words to every song. I caught one of Davey's picks at the end of the set before the encore. By the end of the encore, I had made my way up to the barrier. I took my shirt off and waved it at 'Arry. He gave me a funny look cause the shirt was from '91. I held out my hat, hoping to catch something, and Steve tossed a wristband in it, when this asshole next to me grabbed the wristband outta my hat. I was really fucking bummed, but other than that it was the perfect night. The band played flawlessly, and was having a lot of fun. I thought it would be hard for Maiden to top their Toronto show in March, but they fucking delivered. I really hope they learned on this tour that most of America is still in love with Maiden, and that the more they play the more people will come. I really hope the new album tour next year isn't another bullshit 11 show tour with 4 of those shows in Canada like they did in '06. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Becket Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 Seeing them on July 9th With Slayer, Avenged Sevenfold and Rose Tattoo. Can't wait!I wish they'd play some more Somewhere in Time stuff. Alexander the Great, Caught Somewhere in Time, Stranger in a Strange Land, all awesome songs!I agree.Somewhere in Time has got to be my favorite album by them. Even the other songs, "Déjà Vu" and "Heaven Can Wait" are fun to listen to, and people don't really mention them when it comes to Iron Maiden.Chris Axl, you lucky bastard, have fun. I wish they came where I live. I really like both those songs too. It is true that nobody really mentions them. I think I'm going to bring my Maiden discs to work tonight. Awesome review! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mansin Humanity Posted June 22, 2008 Author Share Posted June 22, 2008 Hands down the best show I've ever been to. We drove up after my last exam, it took 7 hours. We got there and we had shit seats on the end of section 3 and couldn't see because of the wings Maiden always use. Anyways, this guy next to us from Poland Springs knew one of the security guards, and they displaced us to the pit, along with many other people who couldn't see past the wing. I was third back from Davey for most of the night, while my mom stood at the back barrier of the pit for taking pics. Amazing energy, from both the band and the crowd. Everyone in the pit was super nice, amazed that someone my age (17) knew all the words to every song. I caught one of Davey's picks at the end of the set before the encore. By the end of the encore, I had made my way up to the barrier. I took my shirt off and waved it at 'Arry. He gave me a funny look cause the shirt was from '91. I held out my hat, hoping to catch something, and Steve tossed a wristband in it, when this asshole next to me grabbed the wristband outta my hat. I was really fucking bummed, but other than that it was the perfect night. The band played flawlessly, and was having a lot of fun. I thought it would be hard for Maiden to top their Toronto show in March, but they fucking delivered. I really hope they learned on this tour that most of America is still in love with Maiden, and that the more they play the more people will come. I really hope the new album tour next year isn't another bullshit 11 show tour with 4 of those shows in Canada like they did in '06.Sweet that you got in the pit. We were gonna try but decided not to with all the security. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mansin Humanity Posted June 23, 2008 Author Share Posted June 23, 2008 Here we have a few pictures.The TrooperNumber of the BeastMummy Eddie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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