RUN FOR YOUR LIVES 2025 Tour Thread *SPOILERS INSIDE*

FTB said:
Simons snareroll sounds much better on murders in London
Click to expand...
His best yet. And probably his overall best, songs like Wrathchild, Phantom, parts of Killers and Powerslave sounded extra powerful and fast. The whole band was on fire, despite some technical issues (Bruce again), even Bruce on Aces. Let's hope they release something from this special show. As Bruce said, it's a homecoming for Steve and for all of them after 50 years. He was emotional. The crowd was lively for nowadays.

Is it just me or Simon's cymbals are mixed very low in the mix? Why?

Nicko wasn't there, but I understand him. I really wished he was part of this show.

steve.jpg
srfc said:
I'm in two minds about the studio tempos of the songs, at times it felt tighter but at other times you were missing the live speeding up.
Click to expand...
The comments about the tempo are a rightful criticism. My real complaint. They were understandable last year, but now? And what would happen in a possible studio recording. I will always prefer and miss Nicko's drumming and fills, but we just have to get used to Simon's drumming, that's it. When you make a decision and create art, any criticism is fair. It is as valid as about Maiden's stage show because of their tradition, the setlist(ofc) and Bruce's singing Aces again.
 
Last edited:
onurb said:
qqOlBfT.png

ZhliDeC.png
Click to expand...
In wich song did he wore that tshirt? Because during the rest of the show he has the other black tee
 
Ascendingthethrone said:
I woke up early, it’s too hot so I am sharing my thoughts.

Pros
  • I thought the band were on fine form. There were a few fluffs and technical glitches, but they recovered well.
  • The setlist is mostly excellent. It has a nice flow.
  • The song of the night was Powerslave. It was so heavy!
  • My other highlights were The Clairvoyant, Phantom, Murders, Rime and 7th Son.
  • If the last tour was a ‘Smith Showcase’, this show was a ‘Monument to Murray’. He was incredible all night. I think we often forget how good he really is.
Cons
  • My mate said I did not look impressed during Hallowed or Aces High. Bruce just can’t sing them anymore. He needs to swallow his pride and choose easier songs. He was straining more on Rime than I thought he would too.
The weather was great and I had a fun day with my friends.

P.s. I recommend that everyone should wear good quality earplugs. I have custom moulded ones from work and they just make everything quieter and more audible. Plus I can hear this morning!
Click to expand...
Watched the videos and I thought Hallowed was passable. Aces wasn't and I still stand by opinion that it's a moronic decision to play it.
 
Anybody who tries to spin it that the London gig was bad is a dirty dirty liar. I have a lot of gripes with the venue and I think there were a few technical difficulties (though the acoustics are so bad in the stadium that I couldn't always hear very clearly) but the band were on fucking fire, I really think this might be the most energised I've seen them.

The setlist might be a bit "safe" and conservative, but it clearly works as the audience response was very good, I noticed multiple mosh pits going on in the standing area, everyone in the the block next to me were all on their feet for the entire gig, my block stayed seated for the most part but everyone around me was singing and enjoying every song, including a few girls probably around their early teens, it's good to see Maiden haven't lost their appeal to the younger generation. Highlights for me were Killers (though I think Bruce sang one verse twice?), Powerslave, Seventh Son and Rime. Bruce's performance on the two epics was unreal, and I'll give another shout-out to Dave for being the highlight of the three guitarists, he was really fired up and his guitar tone was excellent.

Steve did seem to get a little emotional when Bruce mentioned it being their fiftieth anniversary, and so he should, the boys have done good this past half-century. I did also notice his dazzlingly white teeth :D

While the Stadium is good for the atmosphere, it really doesn't work as a concert venue. The sound was very echoey and I couldn't always hear the band very clearly. The open air also kind of hindered the stage show, as Bruce pointed out, the sun didn't set until around Rime of the Ancient Mariner and it didn't get properly dark until the end of the setlist so it was hard to fully appreciate the stage show. Also the phone signal fucking suuuuuucks, I spent ages wandering around trying to bring my tickets up on the Ticketmaster app with no luck, I had to go to the ticket office so they could print one out for me and I missed half of Halestorm's set. At least I got a physical ticket as a keepsake.

Speaking of, I thought the screens were impressive but possibly could've been used better. I liked the little interactive moment in Iron Maiden when Eddie smashes up the stage and I liked Bruce being chased by the spectre in Hallowed Be Thy Name, but I'd say for around a good third to half of the set the screens showed a mostly static backdrop and I'm not sure they added anything more than the physical backdrops they've previously used.

The elephant in the room feels like Aces High. The constant cycle of petty criticism against it in this thread has made me stop visiting because I'm just so fucking done with it all, and I hadn't watched any live footage so I could make my own decision, now having finally witnessed it for myself I simply cannot agree with what's been said. Is it a very demanding song for Bruce? Yes, and it shows, it especially pales in comparison to his stellar performances on ROTAM and Seventh Son. Should it be the encore opener? No, I thought the same back in 2013. Is it the ear-bleeding embarrassment y'all are making it out to be? Absolutely fucking not, and the rest of the stadium clearly didn't think so as it got a great response and everyone was singing along with it.

In short, the venue sucks, but Maiden do not. As I threw the horns up during the closing notes of Wasted Years I wondered if it might be the last time I do so, but last night gave me a lot of faith that it won't be.
 
Last edited:
Great gig. The band was on fine form. I enjoyed it much more than Birmingham last week. I agree with all the comments about the energy Simon has brought to the band.
Highlights for me were the early songs, MITRM, Wrathchild, Killers and POTO. Powerslave and Rime were also amazing as were Wasted Years and FOTD.
I was in front standing. Sound was brilliant. The crowd went nuts for 'the classics' RTTH, 2M2M, The Trooper and HBTN plus all of the 3 encore songs - including Aces High. Aces High was the first IM song I remember hearing in 1985 - LAD. That got me into Maiden. Fav song for years. For what it's worth Bruce was fine in the context of the gig, 40 years on, and on the back of a massive overall performance.

Crowd was great aside from a few drunk old men being sick or trying to fight people.
Transport however was terrible - took 2 hours to get out of the car park...
Top 3 maiden gig probably - seen them 11 times since 1990. I felt very lucky to see them again on such fine form.
 
Edington said:
Anybody who tries to spin it that the London gig was bad is a dirty dirty liar. I have a lot of gripes with the venue and I think there were a few technical difficulties (though the acoustics are so bad in the stadium that I couldn't always hear very clearly) but the band were on fucking fire, I really think this might be the most energised I've seen them.

The setlist might be a bit "safe" and conservative, but it clearly works as the audience response was very good, I noticed multiple mosh pits going on in the standing area, everyone in the the block next to me were all on their feet for the entire gig, my block stayed seated for the most part but everyone around me was singing and enjoying every song, including a few girls probably around their early teens, it's good to see Maiden haven't lost their appeal to the younger generation. Highlights for me were Killers (though I think Bruce sang one verse twice?), Powerslave, Seventh Son and Rime. Bruce's performance on the two epics was unreal, and I'll give another shout-out to Dave for being the highlight of the three guitarists, he was really fired up and his guitar tone was excellent.

Steve did seem to get a little emotional when Bruce mentioned it being their fiftieth anniversary, and so he should, the boys have done good this past half-century. I did also notice his dazzlingly white teeth :D

While the Stadium is good for the atmosphere, it really doesn't work as a concert venue. The sound was very echoey and I couldn't always hear the band very clearly. The open air also kind of hindered the stage show, as Bruce pointed out, the sun didn't set until around Rime of the Ancient Mariner and it didn't get properly dark until the end of the setlist so it was hard to fully appreciate the stage show. Also the phone signal fucking suuuuuucks, I spent ages wandering around trying to bring my tickets up on the Ticketmaster app with no luck, I had to go to the ticket office so they could print one out for me and I missed half of Halestorm's set. At least I got a physical ticket as a keepsake.

Speaking of, I thought the screens were impressive but possibly could've been used better. I liked the little interactive moment in Iron Maiden when Eddie smashes up the stage and I liked Bruce being chased by the spectre in Hallowed Be Thy Name, but I'd say for around a good third to half of the set the screens showed a mostly static backdrop and I'm not sure they added anything more than the physical backdrops they've previously used.

The elephant in the room feels like Aces High. The constant cycle of petty criticism against it in this thread has made me stop visiting because I just so fucking done with it all, and I hadn't watched any live footage so I could make my own decision, now having finally witnessed it for myself I simply cannot agree with what's been said. Is it a very demanding song for Bruce? Yes, and it shows, it especially pales in comparison to his stellar performances on ROTAM and Seventh Son. Should it be the encore opener? No, I thought the same back in 2013. Is it the ear-bleeding embarrassment y'all are making it out to be? Absolutely fucking not, and the rest of the stadium clearly didn't think so as it got a great response and everyone was singing along with it.

In short, the venue sucks, but Maiden do not. As I threw the horns up during the closing notes of Wasted Years I wondered if it might be the last time I do so, but last night gave me a lot of faith that it won't be.
Click to expand...
Great review. I agree with everything except for Aces High. But disagreements are part of being a fan!
 
Poto said:
The first and last verse is the same, with a minor change that Bruce hasn't gotten right at any of the shows.
Click to expand...

To be fair my own memory of the real lyrics is a little hazy, though it was the last verse that felt "wrong", I couldn't remember why.

I did notice he sang "the pilot's boat, his son and the hermit mariner", but I will allow one cock-up in a 13-minute epic :lol:
 
Reflecting on the London show, I had a absolute blast (and at the Dive Bar beforehand). Rear standing but not far from the barrier.

The band played a fantastic homecoming show, the atmosphere in the crowd was excitable. The steam rising from the emptying stadium as I walked away from it was a sight to behold, partly thanks to the hot weather!

Aces High benefitted from the crowd drowning Bruce out where I was standing, and no matter what I think it went down well. So did the rest of the encore. This Maiden setlist more than any other I've seen seems tailored for big outdoor spectacles and 'casuals'.

7th Son and Rime were more impactful indoors at Birmingham when I saw them last week, but the effects and screens were more impactful in the stadium setting. The big POM Eddie positively looked 3D from where I was standing, level with the mixing desk. He looked great.

All in all, delighted I saw 2 shows - one indoors and one outdoors - and that's more than enough for me. Unlike BOS, Legacy and FP tours, I am not feeling compelled to see more and more shows this year. Maybe also because I'm not in my early 30s / mid 30s as well, so maybe 'its me and and not you'. But I feel sated for the year, there's nothing more to explore for me on this tour.

I'd sum up: this tour is more like a birthday party for me: you do it, celebrate it, enjoy it, and then its done :)
 
Regarding wrong lyrics. I have listened so much to the Ullevi 2005 show, that it seems wrong when Bruce sings the right verse at the end of Murders in the Rue Morgue.
 
Ascendingthethrone said:
On the train home. Great gig. Some grumbles but the band were on excellent form. I will post some more thoughts tomorrow.
Click to expand...

It was a very good show. I have seen better ones (AMOLAD tour in 2006, SBIT tour in 2008, and LOTB 2018 were definitely better to me), but if this is the last time I see them live (it was my 36th show), it would be a great ending.

Still puzzled about the choice of Aces High as an encore, as Bruce was struggling a lot with it. Same can be said about Hallowed be Thy Name.
 
Ascendingthethrone said:
I woke up early, it’s too hot so I am sharing my thoughts.

Pros
  • I thought the band were on fine form. There were a few fluffs and technical glitches, but they recovered well.
  • The setlist is mostly excellent. It has a nice flow.
  • The song of the night was Powerslave. It was so heavy!
  • My other highlights were The Clairvoyant, Phantom, Murders, Rime and 7th Son.
  • If the last tour was a ‘Smith Showcase’, this show was a ‘Monument to Murray’. He was incredible all night. I think we often forget how good he really is.
Cons
  • My mate said I did not look impressed during Hallowed or Aces High. Bruce just can’t sing them anymore. He needs to swallow his pride and choose easier songs. He was straining more on Rime than I thought he would too.
The weather was great and I had a fun day with my friends.

P.s. I recommend that everyone should wear good quality earplugs. I have custom moulded ones from work and they just make everything quieter and more audible. Plus I can hear this morning!
Click to expand...

Powerslave was my favourite song and I have Smith and Murray tied as MVPs. I couldn’t help but miss Nicko’s drumming on Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top