This gig got transferred from the main hall downstairs to the much smaller room upstairs at the Garage. It was still very good though. The venue gets packed with 150 in there and it was pretty packed to the brim. Support band was Transworld ID, an AOR band from Finland that I've never heard of. Strangely the lady singer was from Sheffield but had been in Finland for 14 years! Weird..
The BF boys played just last year here at the Borderline and I was surprised they were back so soon but glad for it. They just sound so good live. Pekka is a funny dude too with some typical Finnish humour. They played all the songs we expected. Every song has a catchy chorus hook to hang on to. The crowd also was well into it too with some tall dudes even jumping around at times.
BF put on a great show though I guess they would have preferred to pay the big hall downstairs. We'll come in droves next time chaps !
Showing posts with label Live. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Live. Show all posts
Thursday, 21 June 2018
Sunday, 17 September 2017
Serious Black Live at the Underworld
Well I haven't been to a gig since the Stone Free Festival back in mid June. I've missed a fair few gigs for various reasons but to be honest it's been good to get a break for live music to renew the appetite again so to speak. From now on in till December it's going to be pretty busy for me on the live music front and what better way to start it off with than Serious Black.
Sadly not many other people thought so and the attendance was around 70 at its height. Obviously SB hasn't made headway in the UK power metal scene like some bands but that doesn't mean they don't have everything it takes to be a reasonably successful act as far as power metal goes.
Two supports bands were listed. First was a female fronted melodic metal band called My Own Ghost whom I've never actually heard of. I couldn't quite make out if they were English or from somewhere else as the chubby front gal didn't have much of an accent . Anyway they were OK and I've heard worse on the hallowed Underworld stage. Still not really my cuppa and the songs didn't seem to garner much excitement but were reasonably pleasant.
Main support was the Herman Frank band. I must admit I didn't like the sample I heard from his album but the Accept man was on fire and really rocked the riffs out hard. he does look a bit weird though with straggly sideburns and fisherman's cap. I had forgotten that mic for hire man Rick Altzi was the singer in the band. They played well and Rick's voice was somewhat good if a little hoarse at times. I don't know the songs at all, but they are simple chugging or speedier roaring affairs. Simple rocking Accept style heavy metal. Not rocket science and a decent warm up although the samey-ness of the same old Accept riffs gets a little tedious by the end. Herman is fun to watch on stage though with his funny movements and antics despite his age!
Finally at 9.15 the lights went down and it was time for Serious Black to show us what they can do live. Of course I've already seen them live before supporting Gamma Ray but this was a chance to shine all of their own. To say that the band has gone for the theatrical look for the new album would be the understatement of the year. Urban looks like King Diamond without the falsetto and make up basically and the album is not far from classic KD either.
The band sounded killer as they tore into the opener Akhenaton from the debut album. That's all well and good but I far prefer the latest two albums and I was looking forward to hearing that material and I wasn't disappointed in the least. Mr Nightmist with it's superbly catchy hook was the first track aired from Magic followed directly by the title track from the last album. That was absolutely superb and had everyone singing the chorus well about 40 of us down the front! What a song though and Urban sounds superb on that tune.
I should also point out that Bob Katsionis was absent on this tour for some reason. They had instead hired ex Obscura guitarist Christian Muenzer who I almost didn't recognise at first due to his shock of blond hair. The guy had totally black hair last time I saw him on this very stage with Obscura a few years ago. But then the more I looked at him, I recognised his style and even Urban introduced him as Chris and said he'd had a collision of some sort with a bottle of blond dye etc!
The band were hitting their stride mid set and there was no stopping them. the songs continued to flow between all three of their records with Castor Skies particularly going down well as the super energetic Lone Gunman Rules. The next song actually surprised me. I wasn't expecting to hear This Machine is Broken which is almost my fave song from the last album. I was very glad indeed when they played that one. It was followed by Now You'll Never Know which is one of the catchiest choruses on the latest album. Everyone enjoyed that one I think, very melodic indeed.
Setting Fire To the Earth was awesome as was the KD worship of Burn Witches Burn! the band played until just before 11pm their curfew and considering the paltry attendance, played with smiles on their faces and didn't play a shortened set as some bands might have done and rush to get off stage. A very full set list, a solid performance, playing songs with so many memorable melodies for the 70 who bothered to turn up to enjoy. Urban did comment on the low attendance from the stage but he said even though there are not many people here we are the RIGHT people haha. Made me chuckle. He also mentioned that last time he played the Underworld he was in Tad Morose and I was there that night too in 2003 I think it was. Guess what? there were only about 60-70 that night too! Guess you're just not that popular here Mr. Breed! Chin up mate!
Anyway the show was good and Serious Black deserve more success but I guess they won't find it in the UK but I'm sure they will have more fans on the continent on the rest of the tour. I do hope they come back though maybe on a tour with Sabaton or something that's what everybody else does to get exposure haha!
Akhenaton
Older and Wiser
Mr. Nightmist
Mirrorworld
Trail of Murder
I Can Do Magic
Heartbroken Soul
Serious Black Magic
The Life That You Want
Castor Skies
Lone Gunman Rules
This Machine Is Broken
Now You'll Never Know
As Long As I'm Alive
Setting Fire to the Earth
Burn Witches Burn!
I Seek No Other Life
High and Low
Sadly not many other people thought so and the attendance was around 70 at its height. Obviously SB hasn't made headway in the UK power metal scene like some bands but that doesn't mean they don't have everything it takes to be a reasonably successful act as far as power metal goes.
Two supports bands were listed. First was a female fronted melodic metal band called My Own Ghost whom I've never actually heard of. I couldn't quite make out if they were English or from somewhere else as the chubby front gal didn't have much of an accent . Anyway they were OK and I've heard worse on the hallowed Underworld stage. Still not really my cuppa and the songs didn't seem to garner much excitement but were reasonably pleasant.
Main support was the Herman Frank band. I must admit I didn't like the sample I heard from his album but the Accept man was on fire and really rocked the riffs out hard. he does look a bit weird though with straggly sideburns and fisherman's cap. I had forgotten that mic for hire man Rick Altzi was the singer in the band. They played well and Rick's voice was somewhat good if a little hoarse at times. I don't know the songs at all, but they are simple chugging or speedier roaring affairs. Simple rocking Accept style heavy metal. Not rocket science and a decent warm up although the samey-ness of the same old Accept riffs gets a little tedious by the end. Herman is fun to watch on stage though with his funny movements and antics despite his age!
Finally at 9.15 the lights went down and it was time for Serious Black to show us what they can do live. Of course I've already seen them live before supporting Gamma Ray but this was a chance to shine all of their own. To say that the band has gone for the theatrical look for the new album would be the understatement of the year. Urban looks like King Diamond without the falsetto and make up basically and the album is not far from classic KD either.
The band sounded killer as they tore into the opener Akhenaton from the debut album. That's all well and good but I far prefer the latest two albums and I was looking forward to hearing that material and I wasn't disappointed in the least. Mr Nightmist with it's superbly catchy hook was the first track aired from Magic followed directly by the title track from the last album. That was absolutely superb and had everyone singing the chorus well about 40 of us down the front! What a song though and Urban sounds superb on that tune.
I should also point out that Bob Katsionis was absent on this tour for some reason. They had instead hired ex Obscura guitarist Christian Muenzer who I almost didn't recognise at first due to his shock of blond hair. The guy had totally black hair last time I saw him on this very stage with Obscura a few years ago. But then the more I looked at him, I recognised his style and even Urban introduced him as Chris and said he'd had a collision of some sort with a bottle of blond dye etc!
The band were hitting their stride mid set and there was no stopping them. the songs continued to flow between all three of their records with Castor Skies particularly going down well as the super energetic Lone Gunman Rules. The next song actually surprised me. I wasn't expecting to hear This Machine is Broken which is almost my fave song from the last album. I was very glad indeed when they played that one. It was followed by Now You'll Never Know which is one of the catchiest choruses on the latest album. Everyone enjoyed that one I think, very melodic indeed.
Setting Fire To the Earth was awesome as was the KD worship of Burn Witches Burn! the band played until just before 11pm their curfew and considering the paltry attendance, played with smiles on their faces and didn't play a shortened set as some bands might have done and rush to get off stage. A very full set list, a solid performance, playing songs with so many memorable melodies for the 70 who bothered to turn up to enjoy. Urban did comment on the low attendance from the stage but he said even though there are not many people here we are the RIGHT people haha. Made me chuckle. He also mentioned that last time he played the Underworld he was in Tad Morose and I was there that night too in 2003 I think it was. Guess what? there were only about 60-70 that night too! Guess you're just not that popular here Mr. Breed! Chin up mate!
Anyway the show was good and Serious Black deserve more success but I guess they won't find it in the UK but I'm sure they will have more fans on the continent on the rest of the tour. I do hope they come back though maybe on a tour with Sabaton or something that's what everybody else does to get exposure haha!
Akhenaton
Older and Wiser
Mr. Nightmist
Mirrorworld
Trail of Murder
I Can Do Magic
Heartbroken Soul
Serious Black Magic
The Life That You Want
Castor Skies
Lone Gunman Rules
This Machine Is Broken
Now You'll Never Know
As Long As I'm Alive
Setting Fire to the Earth
Burn Witches Burn!
I Seek No Other Life
High and Low
Saturday, 3 June 2017
Fates Warning Live
Never seen the cult American prog metal legends before so I thought let me give them a shot. I used to own and like Parallels but I've never fully been able to really get into this band for some reason. It just never clicked with me and even the latest album which everyone sings the praises of never managed to float my boat in the end though it does sound very good indeed. But I gave them a good chance to see if things may change in the live setting.
There was a support band called The Riven with a nice young blond lady at the front. The bass sounded like Maiden but the music has a blues pop/rock flavour. Not bad but nothing really for me to get excited about and check more of. It's always nice to watch a pretty, young blond gal head banging and dancing though!
Fates W, after quite a long time of waiting around, finally took their positions and launched into the opening cut From The Roof Tops. You could immediately tell these guys were seasoned pros as they played so tight and skillfuly. The mastery on their respective instruments was there for all to see. Life in Still Water was particularly catchy and well received from the surprisingly busy Underworld. Special mention for the crowd actually which topped 300 no doubt. I was expecting about 150 die hard progsters but I guess it being a Friday night helped and the crowd was very healthy indeed.
Even Ray commented from the stage that the band was very pleased with the crowd and that it was more than double the last time they played this same venue ten years back. It seems their stock is rising a bit. Their material is played with quite a lot of emotion and mood or darkness shall we say compared to other prog metal bands who go for technical wankery etc. These guys know how to pace and create mood whilst still showing off their skills. Front man Ray Alder was in fine voice and I guess that has something to do with giving up smoking as was pointed out to me by a friend at the gig.
Not being fully aware of what song is what slightly dampens one's enjoyment of a gig but with Fates Warning you can just wallow in the atmospheres they create and the somewhat stop start riffage which they sometimes employ. I couldn't point out highlights but the skill and performance level of the band is very good no doubt. I just can't personally connect with any of the tunes in any big way which is my problem I guess. I can't fault the band's skills or delivery but I guess their material doesn't quite have the catchiness that I'm really looking for in my metal music.
The band played for around 90 minutes and gave their devoted followers their money's worth that's for sure. FW will probably always remain a cult prog metal band but you can't deny so many decades worth of experience and musical skill. I've seen them once now so that will be it with me and FW. I'll leave them to their appreciative and vociferous fan base...
From the Rooftops
Life in Still Water
One
A Pleasant Shade of Gray, Part III
Seven Stars
SOS
A Handful of Doubt
Firefly
The Light and Shade of Things
A Pleasant Shade of Gray, Part IX
A Pleasant Shade of Gray, Part XI
The Ivory Gate of Dreams: VII. Acquiescence
The Eleventh Hour
Point of View
Encore:
Monument
There was a support band called The Riven with a nice young blond lady at the front. The bass sounded like Maiden but the music has a blues pop/rock flavour. Not bad but nothing really for me to get excited about and check more of. It's always nice to watch a pretty, young blond gal head banging and dancing though!
Fates W, after quite a long time of waiting around, finally took their positions and launched into the opening cut From The Roof Tops. You could immediately tell these guys were seasoned pros as they played so tight and skillfuly. The mastery on their respective instruments was there for all to see. Life in Still Water was particularly catchy and well received from the surprisingly busy Underworld. Special mention for the crowd actually which topped 300 no doubt. I was expecting about 150 die hard progsters but I guess it being a Friday night helped and the crowd was very healthy indeed.
Even Ray commented from the stage that the band was very pleased with the crowd and that it was more than double the last time they played this same venue ten years back. It seems their stock is rising a bit. Their material is played with quite a lot of emotion and mood or darkness shall we say compared to other prog metal bands who go for technical wankery etc. These guys know how to pace and create mood whilst still showing off their skills. Front man Ray Alder was in fine voice and I guess that has something to do with giving up smoking as was pointed out to me by a friend at the gig.
Not being fully aware of what song is what slightly dampens one's enjoyment of a gig but with Fates Warning you can just wallow in the atmospheres they create and the somewhat stop start riffage which they sometimes employ. I couldn't point out highlights but the skill and performance level of the band is very good no doubt. I just can't personally connect with any of the tunes in any big way which is my problem I guess. I can't fault the band's skills or delivery but I guess their material doesn't quite have the catchiness that I'm really looking for in my metal music.
The band played for around 90 minutes and gave their devoted followers their money's worth that's for sure. FW will probably always remain a cult prog metal band but you can't deny so many decades worth of experience and musical skill. I've seen them once now so that will be it with me and FW. I'll leave them to their appreciative and vociferous fan base...
From the Rooftops
Life in Still Water
One
A Pleasant Shade of Gray, Part III
Seven Stars
SOS
A Handful of Doubt
Firefly
The Light and Shade of Things
A Pleasant Shade of Gray, Part IX
A Pleasant Shade of Gray, Part XI
The Ivory Gate of Dreams: VII. Acquiescence
The Eleventh Hour
Point of View
Encore:
Monument
Kiss - Live at the O2 Arena
Back at the O2 again so soon after the 2 Maiden shows to see Yank giants of rock, Kiss. To say I am not a huge fan of Kiss would be an understatement as I don't own even one Kiss album and I'm not that familiar with many of their classic songs. I sort of know them in my brain if I hear them again but I can't really recall them without hearing barring about 4-5 of them.
Anyway I still went to my second ever Kiss show as I had the day off still from the weekend and it's fun to see this larger than life band and have another party before reality kicks in the next day. I had a seat on the upper deck but to my surprise the O2 was very very far from sold out unlike Maiden who sold the place out twice in a row. I'd say the whole of the upper deck of the O2 was not even half full at show start time. The lower deck was almost full and the floor standing was pretty full so I'd guess the crowd at around 12-13,000 in a venue that holds 20,000. Maybe it was the fact that it came so close to two sell out Maiden shows and it was also a mid week date so the attendance was less than expected.
A support band called The Dives were listed. It turns out it's Paul Stanley's son's band. Nepotism in full force and effect though I guess Maiden know all about that! I checked The Dives out on youtube. Not my cuppa so I entered the venue after they had finished and sat ready for the world's hottest band to lick me up if you pardon the expression. I actually moved from my allotted seat to a spot much closer to the stage on show start since there was so much space.
The crowd was excited and ready to party, make up was on, platforms were donned, guitars were strapped and the band was already firing on all cylinders as they started off with Deuce with Gene singing. Now Gene has a voice that's as rough and ready as they come but he surprised me with how good he sounded. He sounded rough but good if you catch my drift. The rest of the band were sounding good and the stage show was full of pyrotechnics and loud bangs etc as songs reached fever pitch.
We had about 30 seconds of silence for the Manchester concert victims as Paul made a heartfelt speech about the events that night. But the show was about partying and having fun and letting go of everyday troubles. Songs were made to be sung along with and danced to with a larger than life band on stage giving it the big one all night. Songs came and went and were lapped up. Gene spat blood, breathed fire, Paul flew into the crowd. Every old Kiss cliche was there in full effect make no mistake. You wanted the best and you got the best, that's Kiss. Fave songs of the night for me were Crazy Crazy Nights as usual, love that no matter what. God of Thunder was crazy with Gene being a maniac. War Machine was heavy and cool. Psycho Circus was very catchy with Paul singing from a plinth in the crowd which he flew to on a pulley from the stage. Last song of the main set was the awesome sing along Rock and Roll All Nite which everyone sang with of course.
Then we had the encore of two stone cold Kiss certs with I Was Made For Loving You and Detroit Rock City before the outro tape played God Gave Rock and Roll To You and it was all over. I would've actually liked to have heard that live as the last song of the night. Anyway Kiss are still a solid live band. However Paul's voice is more or less shot. He sounds very hoarse at times or plain weak. Maybe it was the last night of a long tour but his heyday is long gone it seems. All that screaming and singing takes its toll in the end. Still I don't think Kiss fans care too much, people just wanna have fun at a rock n' roll show and Kiss gives'em what they want and then some!
Don't know If I'll ever see Kiss again but if it's the last then it leaves a good memory of a band that's all about having fun and rocking out and not giving a fuck every night for two hours!
Rock and Roll
(Led Zeppelin song) - on tape
Deuce
Shout It Out Loud
(Moment of silence for… more )
Lick It Up
I Love It Loud
Firehouse
(Gene breathes fire)
Shock Me
(Tommy on lead Vocals)
Guitar Solo
Flaming Youth
Bass Solo
(Gene spits blood, flies into the air)
God of Thunder
Crazy Crazy Nights
War Machine
Say Yeah
Psycho Circus
(Paul flies into the crowd)
Black Diamond
(Paul returns to main stage)
Rock and Roll All Nite
Encore:
I Was Made for Lovin' You
Detroit Rock City
God Gave Rock 'n' Roll to You II - outro tape
Monday, 29 May 2017
Iron Maiden - Live at the O2 Arena - May 27-28, 2017
Well if the legends that go by the name of Iron Maiden are playing twice in a row you might as well make the most of it and see them both times. Splash the cash, bite the bullet and be a good sucker haha! It'll be a couple of years at least before I get a chance to see them again that's for sure and probably it'll be closer to 3 or 4 years before another chance so make hay while the sun is out as they say or some such thing!
The first night was sold out in double quick time but I got priority tickets but unfortunately I missed the really closer seats and got some on the top tier but directly in front of the stage. I missed most of Shinedown but it was no great loss really. Brent Smith has a great voice and they have some cool tunes but it's just not a good fit for Maiden at all really. There's general apathy from most of the crowd although they are treated well enough compared to some bands I've seen supporting Maiden. I remember Trivium getting terrible abuse a few years ago when they were more in their metalcore days.
Going back to Shinedown Brent Smith really talks far too much between the songs but I already knew that having witnessed his preachy banter a couple of times before in their smaller gigs. It really gets a little too much to be honest when you're talking for more than 5-6 minutes and not playing songs. I figured I'll see the whole of their set on the Sunday and wasn't worried about the Saturday set as I was with a friend for Saturday. Shinedown were OK but forgettable in the main. The sound wasn't too great for them either being bass heavy and echo-y. Brent's vocals were fine though. The man is a powerhouse singer that's for sure and a commanding front man.
Finally at 8.50pm on the dot the familiar opening to Doctor Doctor starts up through the PA and the Maiden nutters start to get psyched for the old warriors return to London after having last played at this very venue back in 2013. The set list then was about as far removed from now as it's possible to get. Of course this is still the Book of Souls tour that started way back in 2016. Still you know what you're gonna get before you buy your ticket. Songs from Book of Souls and yet more songs from Book of Souls with a few classics in between.
I was quite enthusiastic about that album when it came out but I think hearing the songs live now, I think I may have been a bit over generous in my enthusiasm for it. The set opens with If Eternity Should Fail which in my eyes is just an OK song with an OK chorus. However the band is energised and does a sterling job of convincing you that they really mean business. The first night I sat in my seat over 60-70 meters from the stage it's hard to get over excited or head bang too hard but the second night I was stood 5 meters from the stage and you can see the band is truly enjoying themselves. This feeds into your enjoyment more as the crowd member and helps create a better feeling on certain songs in any case.
The set continues with more songs from BoS of course, With the ripping Speed of Light coming across better live than on record. The first departure into ancient realms occurs with the coming of the hellbent and aggressive Wrathchild played very ferociously which I witnessed at first hand much closer on the second night. All the better for viewing up close on this particular song.
The band continues with another old classic in Children of the Damned. The old bastards in the house which number plenty obviously lap that one up. Bruce sounds great on that epic and very cool it seems that song is a perfect fit for his modern voice and doesn't test him greatly. It seems the song is quite a comfortable song for him to sing unlike say The Trooper which is a real test. Bruce talks in between songs about this and that, etc and obviously about recent events in Manchester etc. Every concert the world over is gonna mention that one.
It's funny when you go to a concert two nights in a row. You wonder will he mention the same things again and he does pretty much but he does change it around a bit. I guess he realises that many people attend both nights so he doesn't want to completely repeat himself all the time with the same old cliches.
They move on from the old school and revert back to BoS material soon enough as we get Death or Glory, a tune which does little for me to be honest but it's OK and nothing I positively dislike. I'd just so much rather hear a classic, but it's the BoS tour and we must hear those songs. The first actually great song from BoS, namely the mid album epic The Red and the Black soon surfaces and is the first long song of the night. The instrumental section is a sight to be hold, the crowd wooaahh woaahs on cue and the melody is captivating. The first night sitting in my seat it was a great sight to see a 20,000 crowd singing as one to that one. That's one thing you miss when you're right up close as I was on the second night. It almost feels like you are in a small crowd of about 500 down the front or something and although you can see the whites of their eyes you somehow miss the full atmosphere behind you. The good thing is I sampled both on consecutive nights. So TRaTB was a real great effort and the first truly cool moment from BoS which every one loved.
We had to delve into classic territory after that with The Trooper and Powerslave. The Trooper has been played thousands of time by now but it still gets you pumped as hell even though I'm sure it's a real test for Bruce and he does sound a touch strained but no one cares and the energy is through the roof. Powerslave's melodic gallop follows and is a song that every Maiden fan loves. Let's mention Mr Harris since we haven't already. Band leader extraordinaire is a truly inexhaustible guy. He runs heer and there pointing his bass machine gunning as usual and mouths near enough all the lyrics at the front rows. The guy is Maiden's spirit personified. His subtle bass licks are of course very prominent and make the Maiden songs the classics that they are.
Since were' talking about the instrumentalists let's quickly mention them all. Adrian is "Steady Eddie" of the group, playing rocking riffs with no shenagins and ripping leads with not too much smiling. He's the anchor in the band keeping it real as they say haha! Dave Murray is understated Mr Smiley doing a few pirouettes and generally "Mr Grin features" although out of all the guitarists he's the one who looks the most tired of all the touring maybe. His leads sound a bit one dimensional too at times but he's very much adored by the fans for his genial stage persona. That leaves Janick to act the band clown. Pull shapes, dance, play backing and have the odd solo. He mainly does guitar tricks and acts the complete fool, but you know what there's nothing wrong with that. It's actually funny to watch and he doesn't seem to take everything that seriously. That leaves Mr McBrain on the drums or Mr one foot wonder as some call him but all I know is that the guy is solid. Let's just say he's Mr Dependable. No one complains about Nicko and he does his job with an affable smile and has a whale of a time.
Moving on we have two more BoS songs to get through. The Great Unknown and the title track. The former track is a recent addition to the set list but sadly it's not a great song and seems to pass by without much fanfare at all. Another classic would have been so preferable indeed. The title track however is a monstrous epic and must be played of course in a tour of that name. The song builds and builds and the band sounds great as the song pounds away and then the hammering speedy riff takes the song to a great end from the halfway point onwards.
The song is followed up by the crowd pleaser that is Fear of the Dark. It seems this song is sacrosanct and can never be dropped from the modern Maiden set list. I must admit I have heard it every time I've seen Maiden which is at least 8-9 times and if it was dropped it wouldn't be the end of the world. But you know what - when those familiar opening strains start off it's still magical and the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. It's probably one of the best Maiden songs in a live setting. Just when you thing nahh this shit's getting old you still get that amazing pumped feeling with the energy and woooaahh section and the Fear of the Dark chanting section. Epic!
The main set ends with another song that they seemingly find impossible to omit, which is of course the self titled song from the debut. I can see why they play it as the fans just love it. The energy, the melody and the slightly punky feel. Steve Harris bellows the lyrics with immense gusto on that one. The crowd participation is again extravagant. People just love this song. Personally I'd prefer to hear the return of 11.58 or Aces High but I guess that's for another tour.
The second song in the encore sees a fairly long speech by Bruce on both nights, pontificating the same thing about unity etc and not caring what colour creed or religion we are and that we're all blood brothers that's why we're here. You get the drill! Having said that the band backs it up and the song sounds immensely powerful with the whole arena singing that one back at Bruce. The song itself has emotional melodic sections and very nice delicate solos. I must admit it is one of my fave live songs of the night and well worth to hear it sung by near enough the whole crowd. I actually enjoyed it more from my seat on the first night for this particular song as you can see the whole arena participate.
At the end of Blood Brothers, Adrian quickly starts that melodic motif and you know we've reached the final song of the night which is the very melodic and catchy Wasted Years. Indeed one of the best and most sung with choruses on the night. But the song doesn't have a last song of the night feel about it. The end song should of course be Hallowed but the band has decided to drop it from the set list due to the ongoing court case with regard to copyright infringement. From everything I've read the guy suing Maiden has never said the band can't play the song but it turns out every time they do play it they have to pay a few hundred quid royalties to this guy or something along those lines so they've made the decision to drop it for the time being. I read another rumour on Maidenfans forum saying that Bruce was having difficult singing the song and maybe they used the litigation case as a front for dropping the song. It's probably a bit of both who knows, but all i do know is that the song voted the best Maiden song of all time and my personal fave song by them ever is not currently part of the set list. This is absolutely a shame and it better restored soon as a Maiden gig however great it may be, is incomplete without Hallowed IMO. It may have been played to death but we go to Maiden gigs to hear Hallowed. Simple as. Sort this shit out haha!
Anyway I enjoyed my 2 night stint with the mighty Maiden. They may be knocking on a bit and the movement around the stage is not as rapid and slick as it once was but the ambition and power of delivery is as good as ever. Next time do a greatest newer hits set list with the best songs from 2000 onwards and I'll be there like a shot. Who am I kidding..I'll be there like a shot next time whatever the fuck they play! Up the Irons!
Doctor Doctor
(UFO song)
If Eternity Should Fail
Speed of Light
Wrathchild
Children of the Damned
Death or Glory
The Red and the Black
The Trooper
Powerslave
The Great Unknown
The Book of Souls
Fear of the Dark
Iron Maiden
Encore:
The Number of the Beast
Blood Brothers
Wasted Years
The first night was sold out in double quick time but I got priority tickets but unfortunately I missed the really closer seats and got some on the top tier but directly in front of the stage. I missed most of Shinedown but it was no great loss really. Brent Smith has a great voice and they have some cool tunes but it's just not a good fit for Maiden at all really. There's general apathy from most of the crowd although they are treated well enough compared to some bands I've seen supporting Maiden. I remember Trivium getting terrible abuse a few years ago when they were more in their metalcore days.
Going back to Shinedown Brent Smith really talks far too much between the songs but I already knew that having witnessed his preachy banter a couple of times before in their smaller gigs. It really gets a little too much to be honest when you're talking for more than 5-6 minutes and not playing songs. I figured I'll see the whole of their set on the Sunday and wasn't worried about the Saturday set as I was with a friend for Saturday. Shinedown were OK but forgettable in the main. The sound wasn't too great for them either being bass heavy and echo-y. Brent's vocals were fine though. The man is a powerhouse singer that's for sure and a commanding front man.
Finally at 8.50pm on the dot the familiar opening to Doctor Doctor starts up through the PA and the Maiden nutters start to get psyched for the old warriors return to London after having last played at this very venue back in 2013. The set list then was about as far removed from now as it's possible to get. Of course this is still the Book of Souls tour that started way back in 2016. Still you know what you're gonna get before you buy your ticket. Songs from Book of Souls and yet more songs from Book of Souls with a few classics in between.
I was quite enthusiastic about that album when it came out but I think hearing the songs live now, I think I may have been a bit over generous in my enthusiasm for it. The set opens with If Eternity Should Fail which in my eyes is just an OK song with an OK chorus. However the band is energised and does a sterling job of convincing you that they really mean business. The first night I sat in my seat over 60-70 meters from the stage it's hard to get over excited or head bang too hard but the second night I was stood 5 meters from the stage and you can see the band is truly enjoying themselves. This feeds into your enjoyment more as the crowd member and helps create a better feeling on certain songs in any case.
The set continues with more songs from BoS of course, With the ripping Speed of Light coming across better live than on record. The first departure into ancient realms occurs with the coming of the hellbent and aggressive Wrathchild played very ferociously which I witnessed at first hand much closer on the second night. All the better for viewing up close on this particular song.
The band continues with another old classic in Children of the Damned. The old bastards in the house which number plenty obviously lap that one up. Bruce sounds great on that epic and very cool it seems that song is a perfect fit for his modern voice and doesn't test him greatly. It seems the song is quite a comfortable song for him to sing unlike say The Trooper which is a real test. Bruce talks in between songs about this and that, etc and obviously about recent events in Manchester etc. Every concert the world over is gonna mention that one.
It's funny when you go to a concert two nights in a row. You wonder will he mention the same things again and he does pretty much but he does change it around a bit. I guess he realises that many people attend both nights so he doesn't want to completely repeat himself all the time with the same old cliches.
They move on from the old school and revert back to BoS material soon enough as we get Death or Glory, a tune which does little for me to be honest but it's OK and nothing I positively dislike. I'd just so much rather hear a classic, but it's the BoS tour and we must hear those songs. The first actually great song from BoS, namely the mid album epic The Red and the Black soon surfaces and is the first long song of the night. The instrumental section is a sight to be hold, the crowd wooaahh woaahs on cue and the melody is captivating. The first night sitting in my seat it was a great sight to see a 20,000 crowd singing as one to that one. That's one thing you miss when you're right up close as I was on the second night. It almost feels like you are in a small crowd of about 500 down the front or something and although you can see the whites of their eyes you somehow miss the full atmosphere behind you. The good thing is I sampled both on consecutive nights. So TRaTB was a real great effort and the first truly cool moment from BoS which every one loved.
We had to delve into classic territory after that with The Trooper and Powerslave. The Trooper has been played thousands of time by now but it still gets you pumped as hell even though I'm sure it's a real test for Bruce and he does sound a touch strained but no one cares and the energy is through the roof. Powerslave's melodic gallop follows and is a song that every Maiden fan loves. Let's mention Mr Harris since we haven't already. Band leader extraordinaire is a truly inexhaustible guy. He runs heer and there pointing his bass machine gunning as usual and mouths near enough all the lyrics at the front rows. The guy is Maiden's spirit personified. His subtle bass licks are of course very prominent and make the Maiden songs the classics that they are.
Since were' talking about the instrumentalists let's quickly mention them all. Adrian is "Steady Eddie" of the group, playing rocking riffs with no shenagins and ripping leads with not too much smiling. He's the anchor in the band keeping it real as they say haha! Dave Murray is understated Mr Smiley doing a few pirouettes and generally "Mr Grin features" although out of all the guitarists he's the one who looks the most tired of all the touring maybe. His leads sound a bit one dimensional too at times but he's very much adored by the fans for his genial stage persona. That leaves Janick to act the band clown. Pull shapes, dance, play backing and have the odd solo. He mainly does guitar tricks and acts the complete fool, but you know what there's nothing wrong with that. It's actually funny to watch and he doesn't seem to take everything that seriously. That leaves Mr McBrain on the drums or Mr one foot wonder as some call him but all I know is that the guy is solid. Let's just say he's Mr Dependable. No one complains about Nicko and he does his job with an affable smile and has a whale of a time.
Moving on we have two more BoS songs to get through. The Great Unknown and the title track. The former track is a recent addition to the set list but sadly it's not a great song and seems to pass by without much fanfare at all. Another classic would have been so preferable indeed. The title track however is a monstrous epic and must be played of course in a tour of that name. The song builds and builds and the band sounds great as the song pounds away and then the hammering speedy riff takes the song to a great end from the halfway point onwards.
The song is followed up by the crowd pleaser that is Fear of the Dark. It seems this song is sacrosanct and can never be dropped from the modern Maiden set list. I must admit I have heard it every time I've seen Maiden which is at least 8-9 times and if it was dropped it wouldn't be the end of the world. But you know what - when those familiar opening strains start off it's still magical and the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. It's probably one of the best Maiden songs in a live setting. Just when you thing nahh this shit's getting old you still get that amazing pumped feeling with the energy and woooaahh section and the Fear of the Dark chanting section. Epic!
The main set ends with another song that they seemingly find impossible to omit, which is of course the self titled song from the debut. I can see why they play it as the fans just love it. The energy, the melody and the slightly punky feel. Steve Harris bellows the lyrics with immense gusto on that one. The crowd participation is again extravagant. People just love this song. Personally I'd prefer to hear the return of 11.58 or Aces High but I guess that's for another tour.
The second song in the encore sees a fairly long speech by Bruce on both nights, pontificating the same thing about unity etc and not caring what colour creed or religion we are and that we're all blood brothers that's why we're here. You get the drill! Having said that the band backs it up and the song sounds immensely powerful with the whole arena singing that one back at Bruce. The song itself has emotional melodic sections and very nice delicate solos. I must admit it is one of my fave live songs of the night and well worth to hear it sung by near enough the whole crowd. I actually enjoyed it more from my seat on the first night for this particular song as you can see the whole arena participate.
At the end of Blood Brothers, Adrian quickly starts that melodic motif and you know we've reached the final song of the night which is the very melodic and catchy Wasted Years. Indeed one of the best and most sung with choruses on the night. But the song doesn't have a last song of the night feel about it. The end song should of course be Hallowed but the band has decided to drop it from the set list due to the ongoing court case with regard to copyright infringement. From everything I've read the guy suing Maiden has never said the band can't play the song but it turns out every time they do play it they have to pay a few hundred quid royalties to this guy or something along those lines so they've made the decision to drop it for the time being. I read another rumour on Maidenfans forum saying that Bruce was having difficult singing the song and maybe they used the litigation case as a front for dropping the song. It's probably a bit of both who knows, but all i do know is that the song voted the best Maiden song of all time and my personal fave song by them ever is not currently part of the set list. This is absolutely a shame and it better restored soon as a Maiden gig however great it may be, is incomplete without Hallowed IMO. It may have been played to death but we go to Maiden gigs to hear Hallowed. Simple as. Sort this shit out haha!
Anyway I enjoyed my 2 night stint with the mighty Maiden. They may be knocking on a bit and the movement around the stage is not as rapid and slick as it once was but the ambition and power of delivery is as good as ever. Next time do a greatest newer hits set list with the best songs from 2000 onwards and I'll be there like a shot. Who am I kidding..I'll be there like a shot next time whatever the fuck they play! Up the Irons!
Doctor Doctor
(UFO song)
If Eternity Should Fail
Speed of Light
Wrathchild
Children of the Damned
Death or Glory
The Red and the Black
The Trooper
Powerslave
The Great Unknown
The Book of Souls
Fear of the Dark
Iron Maiden
Encore:
The Number of the Beast
Blood Brothers
Wasted Years
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