50th Anniversary Documentary Announcement

Rod's managment has pros and cons. Cons mainly consist of being a bloody Yorkshireman who doesn't like to spend anything, even if is investing in your own band and burning a lot of bridges in the industry. Pros mainly consist of him being there for the band and never putting anything before them and being very dependable.

That said, I would much rather have a Rod type manager then some disconnected corporate bastard, who is only good at skinning the artist and counting money. I see why they stuck with him. Didn't he (or Sanctuary) manage Bruce at the end of 90's?
 
matic22 said:
Rod's managment has pros and cons. Cons mainly consist of being a bloody Yorkshireman who doesn't like to spend anything, even if is investing in your own band and burning a lot of bridges in the industry. Pros mainly consist of him being there for the band and never putting anything before them and being very dependable.

That said, I would much rather have a Rod type manager then some disconnected corporate bastard, who is only good at skinning the artist and counting money. I see why they stuck with him. Didn't he (or Sanctuary) manage Bruce at the end of 90's?
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I think he continued to manage Bruce all throughout his solo career.
 
Nomadd said:
This is why I've always criticized Rod Smallwood and his mentality. He's not about how to invest more and earn much and much, but just how to cut the costs and earn a lot less than he should. IF IRON MAIDEN HAD BETTER MANAGEMENT, THEY'D BE EVEN BIGGER. PERIOD
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I agree with you, and even himself has recognised that sometimes he hasn't taken the best decisions. He became an almost father figure to the band, and he is (and still is) very old school, the reason why in 1986 he and Andy brought Merck Mercuriadis into the fold (something that did help Maiden but didn't end up well in the long run).

One of Maiden's greatest achivements was protecting the band in the 80's, building bridges with almost the entire music business (media, promoters, CEO in record labels), but the downside of this is that when you present the band as perfect human being (and belive that) you can see when something is wrong...

All in all I think he's more good than bad, but he does has his errors, as all of us do
 
Diesel 11 said:
Iron Maiden is the biggest metal band in the world after Metallica, their merch is everywhere, their records are widely hailed as classics, and their concerts are still packed full. Legitimately, how much bigger do they need to be?
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You're right, but Rod should tend to do more for the band's media presence, especially in North America. I've got the impression they completely bagatellize that market.
 
Nomadd said:
You're right, but Rod should tend to do more for the band's media presence, especially in North America. I've got the impression they completely bagatellize that market.
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I've heard Bruce criticise US adlidiences many times, for their lack of energy and involvement during live shows. So I wouldn't be surprised if the band and Rod intentionally avoid trying too hard in America. They are successful everywhere else anyway so they are in a position of strength, strategically. They don't need to push in America for financial reasons so why would they put energy into an audience that gives little back?

I don't know their mindset, obviously but I can understand why they wouldn't give a fuck.
 
Cat Milk Supreme said:
I've heard Bruce criticise US adlidiences many times, for their lack of energy and involvement during live shows. So I wouldn't be surprised if the band and Rod intentionally avoid trying too hard in America. They are successful everywhere else anyway so they are in a position of strength, strategically. They don't need to push in America for financial reasons so why would they put energy into an audience that gives little back?

I don't know their mindset, obviously but I can understand why they wouldn't give a fuck.
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Rod — and by extension, the band — know they can’t really compete with Metallica and other major acts in the U.S. these days. The metal market there is just too broad, too competitive, and demands too much.

Maiden is a traditional band. Sure, they made a bit more of an effort on the last tour with the addition of the screens, bringing something slightly more special. But unlike Metallica or other big names, they still rely on backdrops — and the North American market expects more of a spectacle.

Which brings me to the other point. What Bruce says really resonates with me. I’ve experienced it firsthand. I was genuinely surprised, for example, when I saw Roger Waters live in the U.S. Now, anyone familiar with his shows knows he puts on a stunning visual performance during the songs. And yet, I saw people casually getting up to buy a hot dog or a soda, not even glancing at the screens or taking in the atmosphere. I have also seen this on other shows by other big names in music, so yes, I would say that the american audience needs something that Maiden don't (whether they don't want or can't) provide... But of course, they still care about that market and are now putting more effort on merchandising (which in my opinion is getting a bit lame but that's my taste)
 
Luisma said:
Rod — and by extension, the band — know they can’t really compete with Metallica and other major acts in the U.S. these days. The metal market there is just too broad, too competitive, and demands too much.

Maiden is a traditional band. Sure, they made a bit more of an effort on the last tour with the addition of the screens, bringing something slightly more special. But unlike Metallica or other big names, they still rely on backdrops — and the North American market expects more of a spectacle.

Which brings me to the other point. What Bruce says really resonates with me. I’ve experienced it firsthand. I was genuinely surprised, for example, when I saw Roger Waters live in the U.S. Now, anyone familiar with his shows knows he puts on a stunning visual performance during the songs. And yet, I saw people casually getting up to buy a hot dog or a soda, not even glancing at the screens or taking in the atmosphere. I have also seen this on other shows by other big names in music, so yes, I would say that the american audience needs something that Maiden don't (whether they don't want or can't) provide... But of course, they still care about that market and are now putting more effort on merchandising (which in my opinion is getting a bit lame but that's my taste)
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If they put more effort into US they probably would have been inducted into RnRHoF some years ago. Yoy write a lot about the show - ok! But in the press announcement, Rod and the Boys promised something very special and really big. Do you think they really give the fans an "out of this world" kind of show, or is it just a PR move?
 
I think if Maiden was really keen on the US market, they probably would've done what Metallica did ages ago, i.e. forgo the backdrops and go for an in-the-round stage setup instead. It's a proven formula and it scales up nicely while letting more people be on the front row and get up close and personal with the band. You could even incorporate various Eddies during the show smack in the middle of the stage.

But they chose to stick with what they know and I can't honestly blame 'em for it. Sure, I hate seeing that same stupid box shape of the stage for the 25th year in a row, but it's cost-efficient and they can still put on a great visual spectacle within those confinements, as seen in 2018-19.
 
Nomadd said:
If they put more effort into US they probably would have been inducted into RnRHoF some years ago. Yoy write a lot about the show - ok! But in the press announcement, Rod and the Boys promised something very special and really big. Do you think they really give the fans an "out of this world" kind of show, or is it just a PR move?
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I honestly don't expect them to change that much. As I said in a previous post, Maiden is very traditional and they could have changed their stage shows many years ago and didn´t (yes, yes the Legacy Of The Beast was a slight change but still backdrops and inflatables.. no screens and whatnot)
 
Ruflux said:
Mysteriously he also had his bridges burned with Metallica for whatever reason, although they later reconciled. I've gotten the impression he's really not the easiest guy to get along with over the years.
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Ross Halfin has a big ego, a big mouth and became a bit hard to work for... Of course, being a famous photographer he also demanded respect and in more than a few occassions the Maiden boys didn't make his job "easy" and he had an exchange of words with them and Rod. However, many of his pictures will be seen in what Maiden does this year
 
Re Ross Halfin, I connected with the name because it was in all the Maiden credits and felt an affinity with him, as fans do but then I seen 12 Wasred Years many years ago and I thought "this guys a total prick." So yeah, I can get that he's hard to work with. Total iconic snapper though.

Re Maidens stage set. I really don't give a fuck. It would never occur to me that they have had the same thing for 20yrs unless I read it hear. To me it's just a stage. It makes zero difference to my gig experience. Legacy stood out but aside from that I have no solid stage set memories from seeing Maiden live for the last 30yrs. Legacy was deadly though.
 
Luisma said:
Ross Halfin has a big ego, a big mouth and became a bit hard to work for... Of course, being a famous photographer he also demanded respect and in more than a few occassions the Maiden boys didn't make his job "easy" and he had an exchange of words with them and Rod. However, many of his pictures will be seen in what Maiden does this year
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It's all well and good, I'm pretty sure half of my impression is from Halfin himself admitting he can be a bit difficult sometimes. It's understandable in the sense that he's a professional doing a job and doesn't have time for bands being cute and fucking around, but at the same time he tends to forget that said bands existing is the only reason he has subjects to photograph in the first place.
 
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