Iron Maiden stage sets over the years

[GhostofCain]

The X Factor, Virtual XI and Ed Hunter were crap.
2000's stages better but not good enough the 80's (World Slavery Tour, Somewhere on Tour and Seventh Tour)
Somewhere back in time and Maiden England were dissapointed. Both couldn't beat the 80's stages

Although probably nothing would ever beat the World Slavery Tour stage set, I did like the Somewhere Back in Time take of it a lot. I also quite liked the Maiden England stage set, with all the icy backdrops. The same can be said about the Dance of Death and A Matter of Life and Death stage sets, with both showing excellent examples of how to represent war-related topics (Paschendale for the former and the whole show for the latter).

 

[Randalf]

I also quite liked the Maiden England stage set, with all the icy backdrops.

Me too! Loved the constituency that the icy backdrops brought to the visual landscape. The show was great, but the stage set itself could have been enriched with some 3D elements to break out the boxiness a little bit.

The X Factor, Virtual XI and Ed Hunter were crap.

I agree about the VXI and Ed-Hunter stages being a bit too wild and incoherent mishmash altogether, but I think that The X-Factour stage wasn't that bad. It looks a bit... blank, but on a conceptual level, it is good continuation to the visual world of the representative album and the concept itself lends itself to the stage design and dressing very well.

It's nothing spectacular and the Eddie is damn ugly one, but given that they were playing a lot of smaller gigs back then, it worked pretty well on those venues. It was much more stylistic and effective way of scaling the show down from the late 80's when compared to the 1990-93 stage layout.

 

[The_7th_one]

Visually it works with the lightning. But the stage consisted of a couple of drawn pannels (easy to put on and take off) like the support bands.

 

[Randalf]

Visually it works with the lightning. But the stage consisted of a couple of drawn pannels (easy to put on and take off) like the support bands.

Yeah, that's true. But as they were playing a lot of smaller venues back then, I think it was fairly good production for that kind of places, even if not particularly innovative. A couple of added visual details/tricks would've elaborated it to nice extent.

 

[Kalata]

Stage sets trivia:

During Dance Of Death and Eddie Rips Up The World tours there was a Eddie mask on stage (next to Nicko's drum kit) that was probably inspired by the early incarnations of Eddie (the spitting blood mask from the very early years of the band)!

 

[The_7th_one]

I would like that the band call Dave Lights to work with them again on stage and light design.

 

[Randalf]

Stage sets trivia:

During Dance Of Death and Eddie Rips Up The World tours there was a Eddie mask on stage (next to Nicko's drum kit) that was probably inspired by the early incarnations of Eddie (the spitting blood mask from the very early years of the band)!

I think the main inspiration for that was general castle wall/gate/whatever carvings where you'd quite often see different faces and other imagery. It's one of those little "carved 3D details" that I've always liked in many Maiden stages and just the kind of thing that I wish a couple of stages would've had.

They used the same stage structure for 2005 tour, so whatever reminiscence it might have with the old blood spitting Eddie mask, it's probably unintentional. It does look a bit off there anyway, as if the 2005 wasn't busy, messy and incoherent enough already.

 

[karljant]

Non album promoting tours:

Ed Hunter Tour: The boys tried to recreate the various stages of the video game and given the laters quality one couldn't expect too much. Pretty meh unlike the setlist itself. (16/20)

Give Ed Till I'm Dead Tour: This retrospective tour presented lots of different eras motives and, overall it worked better than their somehow similar 1999 tour regarding visuals and props. Piece Of Mind Eddie's movements are really goofy. Prety decent overall though. (17/20)

Eddie Rips Up The World Tour: First of the "Maiden eras" tours, the stage was strongly influenced by The Beast On The Road's design with some of the other first 4 records references. And The band managed to bring it to the new millenium in a much improved fashion. Still it features the same Piece Of Mind Eddie goofy shrugging shoulders from GHTID. (17.5/20)

Somewhere Back In Time Tour: World Slavery Tour meets Somewhere on Tour with 21st century production and technology... That SIT walking Eddie is simply dope! Do I need to say anything else? (20/20)

Maiden England Tour: Remember when I said that the STOAST stage would be perfect if it wasn't for the fact the icy block platforms failled to look natural being too "plastic"? Well, the band solved that issue in this throwback tour and finnaly presented to us what that stage should've looked like. And yes... it's delightful. Plus the mechanized SSOASS Eddie manages to be even more perfect than the 1988 one. Atonishing. (20/20)

Legacy Of The Beast Tour: What to say about this mammoth of a production? Even the last 5 stage features that I consider to be out of this world dwarf when compared with this stravaganza. The scenario is majestic, the lighting, backdrops and pyros are on a new level, the props relating to the various songs are simply brutal and the Eddie figures are more natural than ever. This stage is something else even for 21st century Maiden standards. Absolute perfection! (>20/20)

 

[THESEVENTHMARINER]

Maiden England Tour: Remember when I said that the STOAST stage would be perfect if it wasn't for the fact the icy block platforms failled to look natural being too "plastic"? Well, the band solved that issue in this throwback tour and finnaly presented to us what that stage should've looked like. And yes... it's delightful. Plus the mechanized SSOASS Eddie manages to be even more perfect than the 1988 one. Atonishing. (20/20)

What? The 2012-14 stage set was dull. The lights, and the Eddies were nice but the rest was so uninspired.

 

[Randalf]

I really liked the visual landscape that the stage set along with beautiful lights and icy backdrops created. While I understand that they wanted to avoid "cardboard aesthetic" with additional props, I think that some 3D elements would've given the stage a bit more organic and less boxy look, by breaking the straight lines a little bit.

No giant cardboard icebergs, but a bit of different shapes would've worked, I guess.

Still loved the show though! The stage was beautifully etheric during the centerpiece song, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. The set had a great flow, but a bit more consistent and thematic flow à la Legacy of the Beast would have worked with this kind of a show too.

But yeah, that's just "fan fiction" and daydreaming. Overall, I think the show was very well done with all the additional pyro and some of their most impressive Eddies to date, but some of that came with the expense of less-innovative approach to stage dressing.

 

[Kalata]

Stage sets trivia:

The only tours where Eddie artworks were part of the stage design are: Brave New World, Give Me Ed... 'Til I'm Dead, Eddie Rips Up The World, Maiden England and Legacy Of The Beast tours!

*the ones for LOTB tour are different. I'm not sure, but there are also some kind of warriors statues on there too (and Eddies) - the pictures are with not a good quality, but I found only them. Can someone try to recognize them...

I can see:

- SIT
- Killers
- TNOTB
- Powerslave
- Trooper
- TBOS
- Senjutsu
- RTTH
- Edward The Great
- HBTN (from LOTB game)
- Clairvoyant (from LOTB game)
- Invaders (from LOTB game)
- GOTN (from LOTB game)
- TWM (from LOTB game)
- DOD (from LOTB game)
- BNW (from LOTB game)
- Transylvania (from LOTB game)
- and the witch doctor from ''Death Or Glory'' backdrop.

 

[Randalf]

You can also count Brave New World tour as one, since the Cloud Eddie was featured in the stage dressing.

 

[Kalata]

Stage sets trivia:

Legacy Of The Beast tour is the only tour where some kind of creatures are part of the stage design (the ones that are in the stained glass windows place for some songs (for IM and TNOTB, to be precise)).

- And of course, it is the first tour with stained glass windows!

 

[GhostofCain]

Stage sets trivia:

Legacy Of The Beast tour is the only tour where some kind of creatures are part of the stage design - and of course, the first tour with stained glass windows!

The "creatures" are quite probably representing gargoyles from the cathedral.

How would you classify the Egyptian jackal dogs (representations of Anubis) that were on stage at some point during the set on the World Slavery and Somewhere Back in Time tours?

 

[Kalata]

How would you classify the Egyptian jackal dogs (representations of Anubis) that were on stage at some point during the set on the World Slavery and Somewhere Back in Time tours?

As a items, I guess...., The ones for LOTB tour are artworks that are part of the stained glass windows.

 

[GhostofCain]

As a items, I guess...., The ones for LOTB tour are artworks that are part of the stained glass windows.

So Anubis is an item and a gargoyle is a creature? I must admit I am confused!

 

[Kalata]

So Anubis is an item and a gargoyle is a creature? I must admit I am confused!

The ones for LOTB tour are drawings as a part of the stained glass windows (thus they are artworks) <-> The pharaohs and Anubis statues are items (they're not a drawing for a backdrop). They're all creatures though.

 

[GhostofCain]

The ones for LOTB tour are drawings as a part of the stained glass windows (thus they are artworks) <-> The pharaohs and Anubis statues are items (they're not a drawing for a backdrop). They're all creatures though.

Unless I am mistaken, the two gargoyles on the walkways are 3D sculptures, not drawings.

 

[Kalata]

Unless I am mistaken, the two gargoyles on the walkways are 3D sculptures, not drawings.

A little misunderstanding has happened. The two gargoyles are indeed statues (3D sculptures), but in my original post I had in mind the creatures that are in (stained glass artworks) place during some songs. Look below:

Spoiler

 

[GhostofCain]

Thanks for the clarification!