Certain shows only come around once or twice in a life time. The
kind of shows that people talk about for the rest of their lives. I got
the chance to go to one of those shows on September 7th in Kansas city.
This week I will be reviewing Iron Maiden with Megadeth in concert.
I had the opportunity to see Iron Maiden once before on their final
frontier tour. It was great don't get me wrong but, no ones wants to go
see Iron Maiden and miss out on the hits. This time it was going to be
different, because it was the Maiden England tour. The Maiden England
tour is for all intensive purposes a greatest hits tour, and Megadeth is
playing with them! I've never seen Megadeth! So by the time we got into
the arena looked for the gas station that was no longer there. Yes, the
Sprint Center actually had a gas station inside the arena, or it used to
before they removed it.
Right at 7:30 Megadeth took the stage and blew peoples minds by firing straight into "Hanger 18". The last song I expected them to open with and it blew the crowd into a frenzy. Following that they played through "Wake Up Dead" and "In My Darkest Hour" before leaving the stage to play a humorous Megadeth related you tube video. I believe the first one was Wayne's World. Then they came back out to play, "Sweating Bullets" and "Kingmaker". Thank god the only song off of the new album, which was terrible. After that they played through, "Tornado of Souls" and then left the stage. The next clip played was Steven Tyler screaming along to "Peace Sells". Which just so happened to be the next song, fancy that. After that they announced they had two songs left, they fired right into, "Symphony of Destruction", and then left the stage for the encore. When they came back out Dave Mustaine gave one of his famous speeches. I had been looking forward to this, but he was fairly well behaved. He said the crowd was awesome and to trust him that he wouldn't say we were awesome if we weren't. With not a lot else said he launched into the final song, "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due". which was unbelievably amazing. Their set may have only been 9 songs and just under and hour, but it was incredible and that was just the opener.
After about half and hour, pretty much right at 9:00 on the nose the band took the stage. The stage was quite the epic it self. Above is one of the many backdrops they had throughout the night. They also had many props, flames, fireworks, costume changes, and even some statues. Throughout the night, Singer Bruce Dickinson charged around the stage like a chicken on acid, which is quite a feat considering he is 55. He is the epitome of a true rock star, posing the entire time he was on the stage, and the voice of a rock god. There is only one man who was ever a better rock front man than Bruce Dickinson, the mighty Ferdie Mercury. There were moments during the show that his singing sent shivers down my spine. He is a singer you just need to see to believe.
The show opened up with a Seventh Son of a Seventh Son set starting with, "Moonchild", "Can I Play with Madness", and "The Prisoner". The energy in the room was unbelievable. The crowd was a great mix of old and young people, just metal heads enjoying the show of a lifetime. Following that they launched into "2 Minutes to Midnight" and the first fire works of the night. After that they played, "Afraid to Shoot Strangers" and blasted into the biggest set of hits in row that I have ever personally witnessed. Hands down one of the best show moments of my life. "The Trooper", "The Number of the Beast", "Phantom of the Opera", and "Run to the Hills. Trying getting over that boost of adrenaline!
After all that the show was only half over. They picked it right up and and went into, "Wasted Years" and "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son". During the later the giant album cover came up from behind the stage and his head lit on fire. Just like in the picture above. After that, "The Clairvoyant" another song from Seventh Son of a Seventh Son started up. Then it was time to let out the blackness on the audience for, "Fear of the Dark" straight into "Iron Maiden". A one-two punch that will leave you speechless. Then the band left the stage for the encore. They played the famous Winston Churchill speech in the background while they took the stage for, "Aces High". During it they had a backdrop of their mascot Eddie flying a plane. Next was the last Seventh son song of the night, "The Evil That Men Do". The last song of the night and the usual closer was, "Running Free". This song is one of the best live songs ever just look it up on Youtube. The thing about Iron Maiden fans is that they are nuts. They would sit around yelling for an encore all night if they could, so they have to play a song every night to let the fans know they aren't coming back. The song of choice for them is Monty Python's, "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life". It leaves the fans in a humorous mood and convinces them to not storm the stage. So it's a win-win for everyone.
Iron Maiden shows really are the stuff of legend. You need to see one to believe it. They use different backdrops all night, costume changes, band members getting attacked by giant monsters in this case a patriot during this show. They use fire, statues, and fireworks. If you can think of it, they do it. Not to mention the music is out of this world. This band on Cd kicks ass. This band live is almost a religious experience. So seriously, if you ever get the chance don't think just go.
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