RUN FOR YOUR LIVES 2025 Tour Thread *SPOILERS INSIDE*

harrisdevot said:
I was on the stands that night and from there, it sounded terrible. Anyway, I hate his crunchy sound, and I'm all into Dave's smooth sound.
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Fair enough - I like H's tone, it's 'chunky' while not being too dirty.
But I think it varies a lot from where you're stood. I think his tone is great if you don't have the issues of a large arena to compromise it - so it could be his tone is fine but the translation through the PA has degraded it a bit..

His tone on 2MTM on Nights of the Dead live album does sound terrible, like it's coming through a telephone. But I put that down to the mix, not his actual tone. You can kind of tell it should sound good but just had all the balls taken out of it by the mix. Thanks, Tony Newton
 
naranja said:
They're still very good live but I was watching Revelations live from 2005 and I think they were just untouchable live from 1999 to about 2008 or so. The reunion era was the absolute peak of their live performances, Bruce was unbelievable.
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I think they were still on the top until LOTB part 1, in 2019. LOTB part 2 was clearly the beginning of the end, for me. I remember feeling sad during the show I've been to in 2022, when I realized how much the band's performance had worsened compared to 2019.
 
naranja said:
They're still very good live but I was watching Revelations live from 2005 and I think they were just untouchable live from 1999 to about 2008 or so. The reunion era was the absolute peak of their live performances, Bruce was unbelievable.
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Bruce was ridiculously good vocally in both Accident of Birth and chemical wedding tours. So he was on fire for the upcoming chapter with IM.
 
I think a lot of people here need to realize that as a whole Maiden are still performing at a very high calibre - not just compared to bands of the same age, but many heavy metal bands of younger age too.

The issue with Bruce not reaching high notes on Aces or a few others? So fucking what
The various static vs AI animation screens? So fucking what
Simon not performing Nicko's parts exactly as Nicko performed them? So fucking what

I've only been lucky enough to see Maiden live twice (2016 & 2024) where I live, and I would give me left AND right nut to see them again. And then all you folk out there who have seen them every tour for 2 decades keep whinging about really trivial topics - stop taking yourselves so fucking seriously, go to the gig, enjoy the atmosphere and maybe just accept that it's still awesome to see Maiden rip out a set like this one, at their age, in this economy, without backing tracks, without boring weak backdrops..
Not fair at all to hold them to the standards of mid 2000's, even though at times I think they're just as good anyway
 
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Lego said:
It's perfectly valid to be both -
A: Grateful that Iron Maiden is still an active, touring band delivering relatively energetic live shows (especially when compared to some of their peers)
and
B: Disappointed that some of the decisions made for this recent tour have resulted in some traditional Maiden "hallmarks" being left behind, whether it's Nicko's feel behind the kit, physical big Eddie, drapes, more intricate lighting rig, etc.

Remember, this is a band that is not known for change. Yes, they've had lineup shifts in the past, but the last one was TWENTY-SIX years ago. Yes, their stage setup has evolved over the years, but they have ALWAYS had a very "stick-to-your-guns" old-school theatrical attitude when it comes to how they present their shows visually.

They're also in some ways always going to be victims of their past successes, especially now that they're older and very much towards the end of their career. The 1999 - 2011-ish era, arguably their absolute peak in terms of performance quality, is still very fresh in the minds of many fans.
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Man, it really feels weird to be stuck in between the "Maiden sucks now" camp and the "Just shut up and enjoy the show" camp.
 
Forgot to mention this after Vienna... To me it stuck out how bad this stage setup is for stadium shows. I was basically 1/3 of the floor from the left stand (think inner edge of the left screen), approximately 20 meters from stage at Ernst Happel in Vienna. I couldn't see 10% of the stage thanks to the stage right Bruce ramp, which is built at 90 degrees. Same goes for the people on the other side of floor for stage left. So, 66% of the audience on the floor had their direct view to the stage blocked in some way.

I know they are "stick to your guns", but why not putting the ramps at 45 degree angles, so more people could see the whole stage. Sticking with the old setup not only blocks the view to more than 60% of the audience, but also looks like they are playing in a shoebox. I expected better from them in this regard.
 
Aggelos said:
went to the second Paris show. Probably my last one.
Aces high was fucking terrible. And I mean fucking terrible. A disaster.
The fast past of Hallowed was also bad.
Simon might keep the tempo better but he sounds so fucking different. I don't like the change, they should have at least tried to find someone who can play the songs sounding similar to Nicko.
The decline is obvious. Tour after tour they sound worse and this time, compared to the previous tour it was fucking obvious.
Do they still have it? Yes, but they need clever choises on the setlist.
Should they plan ahead for more than a tour? Nope. They shouldn't.
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Such a shame that you didn`t enjoy it, and as a result are done with Maiden live. Having seen the show twice i struggle to believe it was that bad but i respect your opinion as you were their on the night and performances do vary.

I can`t agree with your opinion on another tour though.
 
andreljbernardo said:
I think they were still on the top until LOTB part 1, in 2019. LOTB part 2 was clearly the beginning of the end, for me. I remember feeling sad during the show I've been to in 2022, when I realized how much the band's performance had worsened compared to 2019.
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Lego said:
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Man, it really feels weird to be stuck in between the "Maiden sucks now" camp and the "Just shut up and enjoy the show" camp.
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If there is another tour we know where we stand if we are in one of the camp`s. The `Enjoy it ` camp (i am a member) will go and love it and the `Maiden Suck` camp will save their money and sit at home and watch Netflix instead. :lol:
 
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It depends on the concept and the setlist. If the do a reunion tour, I'm pretty sure they will sound fantastic.
Bruce can't sing Aces High, but he can sing every reunion song, no problem. In general, if they make correct choices, they still have at least 10 years. They're still a very good live band, we don't have to overreact. Of course, some songs are too difficult for them nowadays. I mean Ian Gillan retired Child in time 35 years ago or so, but he's still touring. They can retire Aces or Hallowed and still tour.
 
I went to the concert in June, it was a good experience.

Setlist was great and finally got to hear Rime Of The Ancient Mariner. I think the screen was a good upgrade most of the time, I seemed to like the more static screen pictures over the videos though. Clever use of the screen during Hallowed Be Thy Name, I liked it.
 
Aggelos said:
The decline is obvious. Tour after tour they sound worse and this time, compared to the previous tour it was fucking obvious.
Do they still have it? Yes, but they need clever choises on the setlist.
Should they plan ahead for more than a tour? Nope. They shouldn't.
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I don't feel there is a decline compared to the previous tour. And to me they sound overall better now than in 2022. Bruce for sure, since 2018. I agree that the setlist choices should be clever (Iron Maiden, Fear, Trooper and Number are the mandatory songs for them), but let's not forget that some songs have always been hard, not just now. Aces is a mistake to play now, but it sounds better than 2022. I doubt they plan more than one tour ahead anyway. They should release a video from the tour of one song (like they always have done so far) so that the majority of the fans to hear exactly how good they sound, including Simon's kit because it needs to.
2M2M said:
I think a lot of people here need to realize that as a whole Maiden are still performing at a very high calibre - not just compared to bands of the same age, but many heavy metal bands of younger age too. Not fair at all to hold them to the standards of mid 2000's, even though at times I think they're just as good anyway
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Well said.
 
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