Iron Maiden!!!!!!!!
Wow. This is my first time posting in almost a year! But I have to get down the details of the best concert I’ve ever been to.
Dream Theater & Iron Maiden.
The bands were playing at the DTE Energy Theater in Clarkston, MI. Which is pretty much the coolest outdoor venue. I’d been here twice for Crue Fest, but this time we actually got seats! The tickets were a gift to my dad for his birthday. He’s listened to Maiden since they started, so I grew up listening to them as well. My two brothers also went. And just like Crue Fest, we took the wrong merge. But this time we were able to fix it instead of going half an hour out of the way.
Anyways, onto the bands. Dream Theater was the opening act. And holy hell, they were fantastic. And I wasn’t even a huge fan to begin with. I only know a couple of the songs they played: “As I Am”, “Panic Attack”, and “Constant Motion”. There were a few others but I didn’t catch the names. The play between the bassist and guitarist was impressive, and I got really excited when the keyboardist broke out a keytar. The vocals were excellent, as well as the drums. However, I didn’t know many of their songs, and about half way through I was wanting them to finish up so Maiden could take the stage.
When they started playing an Iron Maiden song over the loudspeakers, we knew it was about ready to begin. As the song ended, Star Wars-y music started playing alongside videos of outerspace [Maiden's new album is the Final Frontier, so the music and stage reflected this theme]. The curtain was pulled down, revealing the stage set-up.
The band then took the stage, opening the show with ‘The Wicker Man’. At this time, almost every seat was taken, and the entire lawn behind us was filled with people. Right away, I was amazed by the band’s energy. It was pretty impressive for a bunch of guys in their 50s. Bruce Dickinson was moving non-stop almost the entire night, jumping in the air, climbing up on the bunker, etc. He would talk to the audience between almost every song in that charming British accent of his.
The level of musicianship in Iron Maiden is incredible. All three guitarists played perfectly, taking turns soloing. Steve Harris was, as my brother would say, slappin’ the bass like a madman. Nicko was crazy on the drums, despite the technical difficulties. Once he started playing the wrong song, and then later on broke part of the drum kit. My favorite was Janick Gers, because he was so much fun to watch. While the rest would mostly just run back and forth or stand on the speakers, he would repeatedly swing the guitar around his neck and body, run around in circles, jump in the air, and chase the roadies that came onto the stage. Oh, and he was harassing Eddie, which was awesome. And I can’t forget Bruce, whose vocals were spot-on the entire night.
They played for almost two hours. The setlist included: The Wicker Man, Ghosts of the Navigator, Brave New World, Dance of Death, Blood Brothers, Fear of the Dark, El Dorado, Hallowed Be Thy Name, Iron Maiden, Running Free, These Colours Don’t Run, The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg, Wrathchild, The Number of the Beast, No More Lies, and Wildest Dreams. I think they may have done one or two other songs but I can’t remember.
Some specific highlights of the show were: Bruce dedicating ‘Blood Brothers’ to their fallen brother Ronnie James Dio; Eddie coming out during ‘Iron Maiden’ and playing guitar; the sliding back drop that changed with almost every new song; and the fact that they played almost every one of my favorite songs.
Low points: The douchebags behind me that kept dumping beer under our seats, where my Maiden flag and cell phone were at; and the no camera policy. Also, not really a low point, but I wish that they had played ‘Journeyman’ and ‘Run to the Hills’.
All in all, this was the best show I’ve ever seen. I really hope that this isn’t Maiden’s final tour and CD, because I really want to see them again!
More photos: http://www.facebook.com/#!/dani.elizabeth69
Videos [will be up in the next couple days]: http://www.youtube.com/user/HippieVampire69
