For some, a perfect evening is spent in the bubble bath with a glass of chardonnay and the aroma of pink spring flowers wistfully dancing through the air. However, for me, a perfect evening is spent watching Iron Maiden. In Tinley Park, Illinois on August 22nd, year of our lord two thousand and nineteen, this is exactly what I did. For the sixth time.
Seeing a band six times as I have now done with Iron Maiden begs a question – is it possible for a band to keep the excitement going and surprises coming after so many tours? For many bands, that question is a hard one to face. For Iron Maiden? The answer is an empathic “yes!”
The real Iron Maiden experience begins when you enter the gates of the venue. Immediately the eye catches everything a true metalhead loves; namely band merch and beer. The camaraderie at a metal show is like nothing else I’ve ever seen, especially when it comes to the classic bands like Iron Maiden. All around strangers were drinking, smoking, and swapping stories of past metal concerts completely united in the love of the genre. Differences were checked at the door as the palpable excitement built to stratospheric levels.
My excitement grew stronger as I waited in the merch line, secretly jealous of those that had caught Iron Maiden on earlier tour dates this year. As I approached the front, my jaw dropped when I saw they had a “Flight Of Icarus” tour shirt. Flight of Icarus off the Peace of Mind album has always been my favorite Iron Maiden song, and is the very track that launched my life long obsession with metal. I’m also 99% certain that Flight of Icarus was the first song I ever learned on guitar front to back, including solos. There was no other option; this shirt had to be mine.
After waiting in line for merch, I immediately went to wait in another line for Trooper Beer. Metalheads typically love beer, and I’m definitely no exception to this rule. I’d have happily downed 10 Trooper Beers if I had the funds to do so, but 1) I don’t want to see Iron Maiden after drinking to excess and 2) that is money that could go towards more merch. The beer was cold and satisfying, and slightly bitter, much like English people in general. Needless to say, I gulped down every drop.
I sat down in my chair with about 15 minutes to spare before the opener “The Raven Age” came out. Next to me a very intoxicated man quizzed people around him about Iron Maiden history. I’m proud to say that I scored a perfect 10 when he started in on me. My seats were slightly off to the stage left side, but ultimately centered enough so I could see the entire band in one view.
The stage went dark and a moment later The Raven Age appeared playing some extremely loud metal core. I must honestly say, this was the low point of the night for me. Anyone who knows me in real life is aware I’m not really a fan of [insert adjective here]-core. That, however, wasn’t really my issue with the band. My real issue was this band committed one of the gravest sins any live touring act can possibly commit: they revealed everything about their band within the first song. This is more than simply saying “all of their songs sounded the same;” what I really mean is that any notion of nuance or intrigue was thrown out the window pretty much immediately. I had no real curiosity about that band after the first few minutes of their set. Their musicianship was fine, and so was their performance. Overall, it just didn’t resonate with me.
30 minutes and one pee break later, Doctor Doctor began blaring over the sound system. Once the UFO classic was finished, a very proper sounding Winston Churchill could be heard proudly giving a speech about honor and bravery. Churchill’s speech could only mean one thing: Aces High.
Iron Maiden exploded onto the stage with a full size British Spit-Fire ballon flying over them. Bruce ran at full speed to the center of the stage and jumped as he clasped his hands onto the mic stand. His voice boomed as he began rattling out the lyrics to Aces High, a massively energetic up tempo song about the Battle of Britain during WWII. The rest of the night carried on with similar spectacle and excitement.
This Iron Maiden setlist, which primarily favored the older material, might have actually been my favorited setlist of all the tours I’ve seen. The set list can aptly be divided into 3 categories: 1) concert staples 2) old classics 3) surprises. As the tour was called “The Legacy of the Beast,” Iron Maiden really did try to cover as much ground as possible and it came off brilliantly.
The concert staples such as Number of the Beast and Fear of the Dark were as fun to see as ever. Bruce can still hit the incredibly high scream at the beginning of the Number of the Beast and sounds just as good as he did back in ’82. This version of “The Trooper” might actually have been the most energetic and pulse pounding version I’ve ever witnessed. A giant Eddie came out and harassed Janick Gers as expected, however this time Bruce had a short fencing match with the lovable mascot. Bruce bellowed out “Scream for me, Chicago!” And we all knew what was about to happen: Iron Maiden’s classic song “Iron Maiden,” from the album “Iron Maiden.” Steve’s bass solo on “Iron Maiden” was as epic as could be and the crowd loved it. The final song of the night was “Run to the Hills” and it couldn’t have ended in a more perfect way. Fist pumping glory ensued as Iron Maiden sang of Custer’s last stand.
Old classics are always amazing when it comes to Iron Maiden. How could they not be? Many of these songs are over 30 years old but they still sound fresh and exciting when Iron Maiden plays them live. 2 Minutes to Midnight as well as Aces High were both incredible to see, especially because the former is one of my top 5 favorite songs of all time. Iron Maiden also busted out “The Evil That Men Do” which never ceases to get my blood boiling in the zestiest of ways. Another up tempo banger Iron Maiden displayed was “The Wicker Man” which I’ve seen them do on 3 separate tours now, but I seem to enjoy it more and more each time.
The most exciting category is easily “Surprises.” Iron Maiden heavily featured the Piece of Mind album with tracks like Where Eagles Dare and Revelations, but my favorite song of the night was easily Flight of Icarus. As I said earlier, this is my absolute favorite Iron Maiden song and seeing it live with a giant floating Icarus was surreal. Bruce even brought out a flamethrower for the Flight of Icarus that added to the insanity in the best way possible. The inner 12 year old in me was losing his mind and crapping his pants (though that second reaction might have happened anyway). A few other “dream setlist” Iron Maiden songs made it into this category. Finally I was able to see The Clansman live, which as Bruce stated loudly “This is a song about freedom, and if you put it on social media, make sure you spell it with a “C.” The biggest surprise though came in the form of For the Greater Good of God from the A Matter of Life and Death album. Unexpected, yes, but I was very happy to see a track from Iron Maiden’s darkest album played live.
The setlist was truly incredible, but so were the other elements of the performance. Each member of the band command the stage perfectly, and their individual personalities really came through. Dave, Janick, and Adrian really played off of each other well and each had stand out guitar moments. Steve is an absolute titan on stage and looks to be in amazing shape. Bruce flys around the stage like a monkey and still has the energy of a 25 year old. Nicko mostly sat behind his drums, but had a lot of really interesting improvised fills.
The sound at Tinley Park was also fantastic. I heard every musician clearly and it was very well balanced. Tinley Park has always been a great venue for rock and metal acts and continues to be one of my favorite places for a concert in the entire country.
Iron Maiden truly is a cut above the rest, both live and in the studio. While they perform, you can tell they truly care and love what they do. This isn’t just “another gig” for them, but something that they put everything into night after night. That’s why they demolished bands that are literally 1/3 their age and will stand the test of time as the greatest metal band. Up the Irons.
