I was at the Gradisca d'Isonzo gig yesterday, and it was a blast! We drove 300 km from Croatia, returned home at 4 a.m., I was pretty groggy at work today because of the trip, but don't regret a single moment!
The admission was free, as the show was organized by the local youth association. There were two warm-up bands, and the one that immediately preceded Blaze was a decent local Maiden cover band, so that was a nice surprise.
Blaze's show was terrific! A lot of songs from the new album, and the rest was a cross-section of his career so far. A very good set.
The crowd was a bit strange - a total of maybe 100-150 people, about 20 or so were Blaze fans in the first few rows, and I guess the others were casual rock or Maiden fans. And there were a few children and a two mothers with small babies - I don't know why you would bring a baby to a loud event like this.
As Forostar said, the band is good, and the drummer had a few hiccups here and there, but the guitarist did a splendid job with the Wray and Slater solos and was having fun the entire time. Blaze was also in good shape and good spirit, did a nice performance. He not only sings his lyrics, he is fully invested in them, emotionally, like an actor on a stage.
Also, this is the first time I paid attention to the lyrics from his later albums; he really is a science fiction and philosophy enthusiast.
To repeat what Forostar said, go and see Blaze if you can - it's a great performance, you won't be sorry.