Days of Future Past

I went to a concert the other night, the mighty Iron Maiden. These guys have been so influential in my life in many ways. Musically and professionally in my other life as a coach. The show was sublime as to be expected from these dudes. They are real professionals and every show of theirs I have been to has been amazing. I first saw them in 1992, as a teenager and remember wagging school that day and managing to get right up the front centre stage. These days I am far too old for that sort of shenanigan and got VIP fan club tickets instead which offered an excellent view of the proceedings. I think an Iron Maiden show is something everyone should experience in their lives, even if the genre isn’t their favourite. The guys clearly enjoy what they are doing and are always joking around on stage with each other. Despite this every song is performed flawlessly. The crowd was really interesting, with a huge cross section of people, from families with kids and mum and dad, full on bogan munters with mullets shading their necks and even an elderly Indian couple.

Well worth the price of admission for sure. Someone recorded the whole show and put it up on YouTube as well.
I wasn’t a big fan of the support group, they were a bit chugga-chugga-scream for my tastes, but they were certainly competent at their schtick. The highlight of their set was a cover of Dio’s Holy Diver.

Here’s an excerpt of a review by Sarah Kidd at AmbientLightBlog:

‘Changeover occurred swiftly, thousands of eyes glued to the stage as roadies and techs bustled about under a cover of darkness. The intro music of UFO’s ‘Doctor Doctor’ and Vangelis’ ‘Blade Runner’ theme set the tone, 80’s style animation of their beloved mascot Eddie coming into view on screen before a loud bang announced the arrival of the band as they sprung into view, Bruce Dickinson running out with arms outstretched. Straight into ‘Caught Somewhere in Time’ and ‘Stranger in a Strange Land’ from the 1986 album Somewhere in Time, the duo of songs immediately had their fans hanging on their every move.

And how could you blame them? Sure, Iron Maiden may have softened those razor-sharp edges a little over the passing decades, but their delivery, their tenacity, their camaraderie is utterly faultless. Not once, even for a second do they ever appear to be a band dialling it in for a quick buck. This is a group of men who love what they do, and the more the fans give them, the more they give back. It is a truly symbiotic relationship, and it is one that creates such an atmosphere that even if they aren’t at the top of your list, an Iron Maiden show is something everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime.

Dressed as somewhat of a crossover of Bladerunner and Mad Max, Dickinson was the charismatic frontman he always is, regaling the crowd with jokes about how they themselves were the true hobbits “short in stature and hairy feet” and how flying from Perth to the other side of Australia was to fly over the “Gafa” aka the greater Australia of fuck all. His hair now shoulder length, his grin ear to ear it was easy to see why he has always been so popular.

But the proof is in the pudding as the English would say, does Dickinson still have the vocals to be leading Iron Maiden on another world tour? Unequivocally yes. It is astounding how good he sounds. In fact, the entire group are at the top of their game, not only musically but with their stage presence. From Dickinson sprinting back and forth and traversing stairs with ease to Janick running rings around Eddie in a cat and mouse game, none looked tired for even a nano second.

Iron Maiden love to curate a show, their mix of tracks and backdrop banners each lovingly paired and presented, the past melding into the present as they moved into ‘The Writing on the Wall’ and ‘Days of Future Past’ from their latest album Senjutsu, [which translates as ‘sage techniques’ which is a specialised field of jutsu that involves the natural use of energy, rather befitting really for a band that feeds of the energy of their audiences].

What struck about these tracks live is just how well they melded with their previous material; this is not to say that they sound like a rehash of old, but a continuation of their spirit with lyrics that express what they have seen and their thoughts on what the future may hold for all.

This was never expressed better than by Dickinson himself as just before ‘Death of the Celts’ he spoke of how man has consistently tried to destroy others, and how dictatorships never work, “for you can kill humans, but you can never kill language, culture or family.” The beautiful backdrop of the soft greens of a battlefield gave way to some of the best solos of the evening, a touch of a jig undulating in the background as Gers held his guitar aloft with ease, Murray, Smith, and Harris all contributing to a sound that just enveloped you.

Cameras gave those in the back the chance to see some of that impressive finger work up close, the birds eye view of McBrain on the skins always a sight to behold. It was impeccable, immaculate, inspiring; here was a band staring down the barrel of a fifty-year career and still bringing the goods.

Nostalgia hit like a freight train as ‘Can I Play with Madness’ brought the arena to its knees, hundreds of voices singing along to every word, Dickinson urging them to scream louder. The set list was missing some of the more esteemed tracks of any Maiden fan such as ‘Run to the Hills’, ‘Number of the Beast’ and ‘Hallowed be Thy Name’ so fans jumped on the popular classics with fervour and who could blame them, for nothing beats the sound of thousands of people singing along to their favourite song.

Dickinson had once again changed his top, the rest of the band remaining in their homage to the traditional metal look of long hair and black jeans as the band once again went back in time for ‘Alexander the Great’, Dickinson looking like the cat who got the cream as he ran to the top of the riser above McBrain, leaned over the edge and banged the gong with relish, his mischievous smile as he did once again reminding all of just how much he loves what he does. He ended the song by holding the last note perfectly for an incredible amount of time, so long that it made some fans down front stop for a moment and stare at him in reverence.

‘Fear of the Dark’ was a deserved highlight of the show, the spooky backdrop of Eddie in a tree (similar to the album cover but updated), and smoke bubbling over the edge of the riser and down onto the floor setting the tone as Dickinson slowly moved forward like a seasoned actor, face covered, hand outstretched before all hell broke loose and everyone sang in unison, the fast paced iconic riffs fuelling their voices.

‘Iron Maiden’ closed out the set – multiple jets of fuel ignited in flame framing the band – the fans knowing there would be an encore but screaming for one regardless. No one wanted this to end, the musicianship, the heavenly guitar solos, the several versions of Eddie that had graced the stage already and even at one point had a gun fight with Dickinson (so cheesy and yet so good!) – why would anyone want this to be over just yet!?

The three-song encore once again melded the past with the present – the entire theme of this The Future Past world tour – and what a trio of goodness they were. ‘Hell on Earth’ gave way to the cherished ‘The Trooper,’ undeniably one of the most instantly recognisable opening riffs of all time, as Eddie leered in his red and white uniform and watched the mosh pit pop off. To close, a bittersweet ‘Wasted Years,’ a song with lyrics to live by every day.

Pics, sticks, drum skins and even sweatbands were thrown to waiting hands by the band as they exited with smiles and waves, their genuine admiration for all in attendance reflected back at them tenfold. The biggest cheers saved for the last member to leave; Nicko McBrain, drummer extraordinaire and the oldest member at seventy-two, his teddy bear dressed in an Eddie skin suit still sitting atop the bass drum as he left.

Will Iron Maiden ever return to the shores of Aotearoa remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure, they left all last night with treasured memories that will never fade, and a whole new generation of musicians with something to aspire to.

For Iron Maiden are, and forever will be, one of the true icons of metal.”

Not bad for a bunch of pensioners.