Iron Maiden.

Nynex Arena

Tuesday 9 December 2003

I thought it would be prudent to wait until I have had the chance to properly listen to their new album "Dance Of Death" before writing my review of this concert. I have to admit to making a fairly basic error of judgement: in preparation for the Robert Plant concert I spent ages downloading, then making and listening to an album that was a pile of shit and then attending a concert that was no better. I didn't want to make the same mistake here, although to be honest I was too lazy to be bothered. I soon wish I had, because the majority of stuff played at the concert was new stuff and it was of a high standard. I therefore resolved to buy myself a couple of Iron Maiden albums as part of my Xmas treat, and my opinion has been confirmed, I am very pleased with "Dance Of Death". Iron Maiden are one of my long standing favourites, but they stem from a very much more recent vintage than the likes of Deep Purple and Yes, their first album coming out as recently as1979 or 1980, which is pretty much when I bought it. Unlike the other two afore mentioned groups and pretty much most of those I have seen, they still see themselves as young and current, hence the regular issuing of new albums and the playing of an inordinately high amount of stuff from them. It also accounts for Bruce Dickinson's long and rambling attack against the music press in the concert, whereas Ian Gillan and Jon Anderson have long ago given up bothering: they know full well that they are on to a good thing. Of course it's all fanciful wishful thinking because Iron Maiden are not young and fresh and "with it" and never have been, apart from a brief spell in 1980 at the height of the NWOBHM. They have always been one of the leading lights of heavy rock, but this is a quite narrow genre, much loathed outside its own cosy environs. They undoubtedly owe much of their current resurgence to the spectacular success of The Darkness, the best group since Iron Maiden appeared. Iron Maiden are one of the prime exponents of "mech eng" rock, in other words, pretentious overblown "Boys Only" type rock appealing only to sad, single blokes of a Grammar School type background: in my younger days Genesis and Graf Zeppelin were the main exponents, today it is The Darkness and the reawoken Iron Maiden. None of this remotely bothers me of course, it's very unfashionability is a prime reason why I like it so much and tonight's concert was a brilliant exposition of mech eng rock at it's best. I can't think of a single one of my friends and acquaintances who would be seen dead at a concert like this, but more fool them, they will never know what a treat they missed. First of all my gripes: there was too much of the new stuff. Good as it is, Iron Maiden have got a huge back catalogue of great stuff and they could easily have substituted one or two new tracks with some classics. Secondly, the venue: as ever the main stress of the evening was finding my seat, the directions and signs are totally useless and the so called attendants are more of a hindrance than a help. I sat through the entire support act in the wrong seat, all in all a dollop of stress that I didn't need after all the problems I had suffered even getting there, which needn't be gone into here. Thirdly, I feel that Iron Maiden rather short changed us with the length of their set. Now onto the positive: the stage set was grandiose, a type of medieval castle, and Bruce Dickinson's antics and costume changes brought to mind Peter Gabriel in Genesis, although I doubt if Peter Gabriel ever had a tenth of the energy. The sound quality was excellent, just about loud enough, and my view was good if a little side on and far away. The playing was good too, but I was a little bemused about what Janick Gers was doing. They were always a two lead guitar band but obviously didn't have the heart to dispense with his services when the original guitarist Adrian Smith returned to the fold. It looked like he was out on a limb because he seemed to be spending the evening striking classic rock poses rather than playing the guitar. There's no doubt that the evening was a big success though, so much that I was inspired to buy two albums and in due course I may well seriously consider a "live" DVD. Like all the best concerts I have been to: Deep Purple, Yes, Bad Company, Motorhead and ZZ Top, they recognised exactly who their audience was and gave them exactly what they wanted, if just a touch too much of the new stuff. (23.12.03)