BloodOnTheBassistsHands
Educated Fool
I hope he does this tour in Canada. If not, I'd seriously consider flying to Europe to see it once.
CA Bryers
Ancient Mariner
Pretty sure you'll be booking a flight to Europe. Blaze and his management have been pretty conservative with touring for the last many years, sticking relatively close to home for the most part. The last time he came to NA was in 2011, I believe, and that was when he was only flying himself and hiring local bands to back him.
I'd love to see this tour also. I wish he'd do a live album from it, but when I asked him about doing a live album from the 25th Anniversary shows, he said he wouldn't be interested in making one and would rather stick to primarily his solo stuff on live albums.
That's a nice set list. Other than missing The Educated Fool it checks off all my favorites from the Blaze era of Maiden.He almost did that two years ago. Played seven out of 8 Virtual XI songs, 5 X Factor songs and a Blaze Bayley tune.
Blaze Bayley Setlist at Rockland, Sala Gruva
Get the Blaze Bayley Setlist of the concert at Rockland, Sala Gruva, Sweden on April 12, 2024 from the Iron Maiden 30th Anniversary Tour and other Blaze Bayley Setlists for free on setlist.fm!www.setlist.fm
It was a great gig.
Despite not being a big fan of X Factor - just too relentlessly dark for my tastes - I would definitely go see Blaze live if he were in the area.
BloodOnTheBassistsHands
Educated Fool
Yep, I know. For what it's worth - he played in Canada and the US in 2017 and 2019. I went to both shows (two years apart) in Toronto, which were at The Rockpile (a dive bar well outside of the downtown core). It has max capacity of 500, but I'd guess maybe there were 150 each night. Fully understandable why he hasn't come back since the pandemic.
CA Bryers
Ancient Mariner
Better turnout than my show in 2011--maybe 20-25 people there. Fantastic show otherwise, though.
I think he's doing much better now than in the 2010s. At least financially speaking. I don't really like his new albums (haven't heard the latest one yet), but people in general seem to appreciate them, and it looks like the interest in Blaze's gigs is bigger than 10 years ago. I'm happy for him, although he doesn't play in my country anymore. Such a shame, I absolutely loved seeing him live in 2014/15. When it comes to performing live, he never disappoints.
CA Bryers
Ancient Mariner
Since he got Absolva and Mark Appleton managing him, he's probably doing the best he has (financially speaking) in his whole solo career. Even in the era of the much-lauded original BLAZE trilogy of albums, there were stories of the band drawing low double-digits for attendance. I don't foresee his career or fortunes ever skyrocketing much beyond where he's at now, but at least he's not struggling anymore and drawing healthy club crowds. I'm happy for him too.