Legacy of the Beast Tour 2018 - CONTAINS SPOILERS

[Black Wizard]

Btw, let us not forget that Icarus was adviced by his father also not to get close to water.

Spoiler

Bruce Dickinson's FOI show for the rest of the summer:

If things stay the way they are in the UK then he'll need that.

 

[Xennon]

If things stay the way they are in the UK then he'll need that.

exactly, you put it into the right context, it is burning in UK today.

 

[Mosh]

It wasn't that bad for most of that tour, was it? This was pretty extreme.

Not just the tour but also the album was probably his weakest performance out of the five reunion albums IMO. It wasn't as bad as in the video posted but even En Vivo wasn't a great performance. I thought Bruce was starting to sound pretty weathered during this time.

 

[Travis The Dragon]

Couple of details I hadn't noticed on previous gigs (maybe I missed them):
-SOTC: Adrian playing guitar melody before the last chorus along with Janick
-FOTD: Bruce sniffing the cross
-TETMD: Adrian's tap harmonic during intro riff
-HBTN: Rope falls down

Bruce sounds great on Aces High there!

 

[Hermod]

Most shows are not sold out. The few sold out ones are exceptions.

Confused as five of the seven listed above are?

 

[Hermod]

I don't know, Bruce has always sounded great to me. I think there's a lot of nitpicking about his performances. I think he's incredible, even with a few minor stumbles here and there. The whole greatly outweighs the sum of the parts with Bruce.

Exactly! Bruce is 60 in a couple of weeks FFS, and in remission from mouth cancer, he's never going to sound like a 30 year old is he?

When was the last time any of us saw a gig (an energetic heavy rock/metal one that is) when the singer hit every note perfectly etc?

 

[Xennon]

Exactly! Bruce is 60 in a couple of weeks FFS, and in remission from mouth cancer, he's never going to sound like a 30 year old is he?

When was the last time any of us saw a gig (an energetic heavy rock/metal one that is) when the singer hit every note perfectly etc?

Well, after seeing Bruce and Axl Rose one after other in 2 days, I should underline that Bruce is simply legendary. He is just epic, glorious, whatever that rocks. So lucky that we have all his works, and lucky that he is even stronger after the cancer.

 

[Hermod]

Well, after seeing Bruce and Axl Rose one after other in 2 days, I should underline that Bruce is simply legendary. He is just epic, glorious, whatever that rocks. So lucky that we have all his works, and lucky that he is even stronger after the cancer.

 

[Black Wizard]

exactly, you put it into the right context, it is burning in UK today.

The hosepipe bans might prevent him from doing that though.

 

[Forostar]

Confused as five of the seven listed above are?

That's not all tourdates.

 

[Meliegree]

I can't. He might not be holding the notes as long as he used to, but he still sounds fine.

This is Bruce struggling badly

This is probably the worst I've heard of Bruce since his worst gigs in the 80's. Listen to The Wicker Man. His voice is completely gone. At one of the choruses, you can hear him scream (trying to clear his voice?) while the audience sings the line.

God. That's some first class crap right there. Thanks god now he sound way better.

 

[jazz from hell]

but even En Vivo wasn't a great performance. I thought Bruce was starting to sound pretty weathered during this time.

???
Bruce is fantastic on En Vivo! As is the whole band.

 

[srfc]

I never said he never had a bad night. I said he never sounded bad, that's quite different. A bad Bruce night is when his singing is average. There's where the nitpicking comes in: LAD, for example, is not nearly as bad as people make it out to be. I've heard some go as far as to say Bruce butchered certain songs live, which (the way I see it) is simply not true.

Exactly.

Some people nitpicking Bruce, the shows from the other day for example, need to listen to some BALZE!!!!11 performances to get a reference point for what a bad performance is.

 

[srfc]

Guys, there’s nothing wrong with criticizing your favorite musicians. Bruce is human just like everyone else and has had bad nights. That doesn’t say anything about his abilities as a vocalist nor does it take away from his accomplishments. It’s delusional to pretend he has never had a bad night in almost 40 years of being a touring musician.

I've seen him live 25 times over the space of 25 years, he was not up to his usual standards on only one of those gigs*, and even then it was better than bad performances I've seen from the likes of Halford or Ozzy. Those are good stats.

* and I think he was throwing a tantrum that night rather than his voice being a problem.

 

[I_Am_Goonce]

There is an intense debate that has split the Metal legions into two very vehement factions and that has lasted several decades now: Priest or Maiden? Some reasonable fans have managed to keep a level-headed, measured approach by saying both are great bands in their own right, blah blah blah... Fuck that. I like Judas Priest, they're pretty cool. But I'm a Maiden guy all the way. And over the last two nights I was reminded as to why.

The first night started auspiciously as I got into the venue a bit too late, but still not late enough to miss Bland Metal stalwarts Raven Age, a band so generic and faceless that makes you wonder why they are on so many big tours and festivals. Well, wonder no more: the guitarist is Steve Harris' son. Maiden have a habit of taking their offsprings' bands on the road with them, making the nepotism that's rampant in the Trump administration pale in comparison. They came, they played, and then went back to their hotel to play X-Box presumably.

After about 30 minutes, the ritual starts: UFO's Doctor, Doctor starts blaring on the PA and we know what's coming next: Maiden are about to come on. And sure enough, after Churchill's speech, they make the grandest entrance I've seen from any band. As a life-size spitfire replica hangs over them, they blaze into Aces High and the audients lose their collective and proverbial shit.

Over the course of the next 90 minutes or so, they play every major classic and some less obvious tracks, including some from the much-maligned Blaze Bailey era. The scenography is jaw-dropping: every song is illustrated by its own backdrop, and a lot of them feature cool props and theatrics that bring the songs to life and weave them into a coherent narrative in an exciting and clever way.

Now, because of my late arrival I wasn't able to secure a spot near the stage as I prefer, but the show is so huge and bombastic that it didn't matter much. Consequently the pictures in the following link are kind of shitty but they do give an accurate idea of the spectacle:

https://electriceyephoto.blogspot.com/2018/07/iron-maiden-accorhotels-arena-bercy.html

Night two however was a different story. If the show was absolutely identical (save for the Bruce speeches that referenced the world cup and the Icarus icon that didn't work the first night) I managed to secure an early entry bracelet.

So I stood just a little left of center, second row in front of the stage.

Now the problem with the early entry is that I had a lot of time to kill so I used that time to re-read War and Peace. The ending still sucks.

That was the view of the venue when I entered:

And that was the view before Maiden:

Maybe it's because I was closer but Raven Age seems a little less annoying this time. The singer still looks like a total douche canoe, but the other guys were just kids having a blast and that made their performance somewhat endearing. I'm not going to buy their records anytime soon but I no longer wish them severe bodily harm.

https://electriceyephoto.blogspot.com/2018/07/the-raven-age-accorhotels-arena-bercy.html

I'll be 40 in less than two weeks (yikes) and I thought being up front at metal shows was behind me. Well, I guess not. I had a fucking blast, even with all the crazy hairy dudes sweating beer all over me. Maybe I secretly like it? God what a breakthrough!

As I said the show was identical but so much more intense from the second row... Bruce was his usual funny self, addressing the crowd in French throughout, nailing every note and committed to bringing every song to life. The man is a force of nature and the best frontman in metal.

Dave Murray always looks friendly and affable (and possibly a little inebriated) and plays really well.

Adrian Smith, to me, is the one with the coolest leads.

I know people dislike The Prancer and I get it. I happen to enjoy the fun he brings to the show. Jannick dancing around like a ballerina and barely playing his guitar is still more rock and roll than your average metal band member frowning and trying to look all dark and evil.

Nicko was barely visible, for some reason they hid his drum kit behind some sort of camouflage so his head would pop out every once in a while (well, his nose mostly, as it now takes up three quarters of his face). He did mess up a few things here and there on both nights but he and the band recovered seemlessly.

And Steve Harris of course is his usual intense, quiet self. Mouthing every word while playing those galloping bass lines, anchoring the whole operation, even gently mocking Bruce when he begins to ramble on for too long.

That was Maiden concert number eight for me and I don't know how they'll ever top that. But if they want to try I'll be there for sure. Up the Irons!

A shitload more pics in the link below. Some are quite badass, if I may say so myself, but even they don't do the show justice. It's to be seen to be believed, but mostly it's to be heard. Sure, they could have played other classics, other hits, more obscure stuff. But that's the problem with having such a vast repertoire. The show is perfect how it is. The sequencing, the pacing, the visuals, the song selection... This is the best Maiden show and this is the best metal show. Even if you're a casual you will be awe struck and if you're already a fan no doubt you will leave the venue even more of a die-hard than when you entered.

https://electriceyephoto.blogspot.com/2018/07/iron-maiden-accorhotels-arena-bercy_6.html

 

[Black Wizard]

Nice photos Goonce. I hoped you actually watched the show with your eyes as well though.

 

[Forostar]

Cheers for the report. And it is Janick, not Jannick.

 

[Brigantium]

crazy hairy dudes sweating beer all over me

Yes, an added bonus for the ticket price.

 

[Yoav]

The last night show was my 5th Maiden show and the greatest metal show i've ever seen in my life, spectacular, perfect. Bruce sounded powerful, great. My only regret is not to be able to see the show from the flor because i'm recovering from the surgey in my foot. Next time will be in Krakow with my girlfriend and my dad.

 

[GhostofCain]

It wasn't that bad for most of that tour, was it? This was pretty extreme.

He was really good in 2010 and the round the world tour in 2011. He got sick early on during the 2011 European leg and struggled quite a bit on the last shows of the tour (there was no room for recovery).