Let's compare the setlist of this album tour and that of the previous one (based on
En Vivo but taking into account that it underwent changes from its original form) and relish on how methodically they are designed.
1. Satellite 15 / The Final Frontier - 1. If Eternity Should Fail
2. El Dorado - 2. Speed of Light
In both cases, the openers of the album. The Necropolis bit tend to create a first pause - which the segue of "TFF" into "El Dorado" managed to avoid - but I think it is a question of equipment (tuning? I haven't checked yet).
3. 2 Minutes to Midnight - 3. Children of the Damned
4. The Talisman (!) - 4. Tears of a Clown
5. Coming Home
An oldie or classic, followed by the slower song from the new album. (!) Remember that "The Talisman" used to be between "TETMD" and "FOTD" when the tour started in Russia in February 2011)
6. Dance of Death - 5. The Red and the Black
The first big complex one.
7. The Trooper - 6. The Trooper
'Nuff said
(a good way to inject some power and speed back into the show)
8. The Wicker Man - 7. Powerslave
9. Blood Brothers - 8. Death or Glory
10. When the Wild Wind Blows - 9. The Book of Souls
The "thick of it", in which the climax is represented by the long, complex song from the new album (or one of those, when there are several on the album, in this case "TRATB" and "TBOS" - "EOTC" not being eligible for live performance).
11. The Evil That Men Do - 10. Hallowed Be Thy Name
(11'. The Talisman - in the first dates of the tour)
A classic that more or less has the same dynamic and crowd-pleasing function as "The Trooper" but a bit longer and/or more complex.
12. Fear of the Dark - 11. Fear of the Dark
13. Iron Maiden - 12. Iron Maiden
The "mandadory" end sequence of any Iron Maiden set: it seems that, while "Iron Maiden" has always occupied this spot, "FOTD" - after being played in the late middle of the set when it was new in 1992/93 - has grown to accompany it "naturally" (like ZZ Top's "Jesus Just Left Chicago" with "Waiting for the Bus" - though in this case, it is more of a technical coincidence they have exploited). Can someone research for how long it has been at this spot? From memory, it must be since "the X Factour" (20 years...).
Encores
14. The Number of the Beast - 13. The Number of the Beast
Another "mandatory" one - with the first comers and classic-oriented members of the audience, but still a shoe-in to get the crowd pleased and excited. The only time it was put aside was in the first leg of the AMOLAD tour. I feel that this song is just "predictable" or "boring" on paper only, not when you are in the crowd.
15. Hallowed Be Thy Name - 14. Blood Brothers
16. Running Free - 15. Wasted Years
This part seems to be where Maiden has been the most original compared to the previous tour, even though each song can be labelled a 'classic' (even "BB" for a lot of Maiden fans - I for one still consider it a rather new song, but it is starting to change
). The only analytical aspect I can make out of these for the moment is that there is one song which is about relatively 'passively' appreciating it ("HBTN", "Wasted Years") and another one which requires more crowd participation ("Running Free", "Blood Brothers"), and that this order has been reversed from one tour to another.
To conclude, this comparison shows how well thought-out Maiden setlists are in so far as they offer a mix of predictability and surprise, while taking into account at the same time the physical capacities of the musicians (see "The Talisman", displaced because it was too much for Bruce's voice at this moment of the concert).
