Maiden's Biggest Missed Opportunities Live

I remember when Steve was having his back troubles around the time of the DoD tour (spinal compression due to the weight of his bass, if I recall), and said in interviews that the total show count per tour would go down, "every show was precious," and we'd get a live album for every tour.

To me, that "live album for every tour" idea should've been a drastic change to approaching their live set. The back catalogue songs should've been meticulously selected to make every live album a must-buy item--basically a few must-play hits, but the rest are deep cuts (Alexander, like the Future Past Tour is doing ATM), and lesser played songs (Killers, Still Life, etc.). Then, pick a different set of rarer songs on the next tour, and rotate out some hits for other hits.

Instead, we got live albums that featured the same songs over and over and over again: Hallowed, Trooper, FotD, RttH, NotB, etc., to the point I bought them just for the packaging and to see how some of the new songs sounded live. Might not have gone down quite as well night after night (which I'm sure is why they went the safe route), but would've made for some brilliant live albums.
 
CA Bryers said:
I remember when Steve was having his back troubles around the time of the DoD tour (spinal compression due to the weight of his bass, if I recall), and said in interviews that the total show count per tour would go down, "every show was precious," and we'd get a live album for every tour.

To me, that "live album for every tour" idea should've been a drastic change to approaching their live set. The back catalogue songs should've been meticulously selected to make every live album a must-buy item--basically a few must-play hits, but the rest are deep cuts (Alexander, like the Future Past Tour is doing ATM), and lesser played songs (Killers, Still Life, etc.). Then, pick a different set of rarer songs on the next tour, and rotate out some hits for other hits.

Instead, we got live albums that featured the same songs over and over and over again: Hallowed, Trooper, FotD, RttH, NotB, etc., to the point I bought them just for the packaging and to see how some of the new songs sounded live. Might not have gone down quite as well night after night (which I'm sure is why they went the safe route), but would've made for some brilliant live albums.
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While I agree they should have played/rotated more deep cuts over the years (since the Reunion), I think they couldn't ''easily'' drop the classics after the Reunion (especially the ''Big 5''). Now they can. Plus we have great versions of them in the early 2000's.

I'd even say we're lucky to get all those History/Hits tours since 2000 - some of them could have had more deep cuts... or the album tours, but the room wasn't enough, especially since Maiden are playing a lot of new songs.
 
To me the biggest missed opportunity has then the history tours.

Don’t get me wrong I loved LotB but back when they released the early years part 1 dvd and then toured to support it I was over the moon that the entire set would only include songs from the first 4 albums.

I thought they were going to continue like this, ie early years part 2 dvd and then a tour featuring only songs from the next 3/4 albums and so on.

When they did somewhere back in time they bogged it up as bringing the live after death die back but why play moonchild and evil that men do when they were not part of the era and popped up again in the next history tour.
 
AncientMariner_Essex said:
To me the biggest missed opportunity has then the history tours.

Don’t get me wrong I loved LotB but back when they released the early years part 1 dvd and then toured to support it I was over the moon that the entire set would only include songs from the first 4 albums.

I thought they were going to continue like this, ie early years part 2 dvd and then a tour featuring only songs from the next 3/4 albums and so on.

When they did somewhere back in time they bogged it up as bringing the live after death die back but why play moonchild and evil that men do when they were not part of the era and popped up again in the next history tour.
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The initial plan was to release Maiden England on DVD later in 2008. SBIT was sold as a World Slavery Tour revival but including the rest of the 80’s as well. I assume they saw the success of this and decided to revive Maiden England. It has only been in recent years that they have said that it was solely a Powerslave revival. It’s not true.
 
Ascendingthethrone said:
The initial plan was to release Maiden England on DVD later in 2008. SBIT was sold as a World Slavery Tour revival but including the rest of the 80’s as well. I assume they saw the success of this and decided to revive Maiden England. It has only been in recent years that they have said that it was solely a Powerslave revival. It’s not true.
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So you have a source for this, you are speaking the truth :rolleyes:
 
AncientMariner_Essex said:
So you have a source for this, you are speaking the truth :rolleyes:
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To tie in with forthcoming 2008 releases on DVD of the classic ‘LIVE AFTER DEATH’ and ‘MAIDEN ENGLAND’ concert videos (more details coming soon) this tour, aptly entitled ‘SOMEWHERE BACK IN TIME’, will revisit the band’s history by focusing almost entirely on the 80′s in both choice of songs played and the stage set, which will be based around the legendary Egyptian Production of the 1984-85 ‘Powerslave Tour’. This will arguably be the most elaborate and spectacular show the band have ever presented, and will include some key elements of their Somewhere In Time tour of 1986/7, such as the Cyborg Eddie.

Steve Harris comments; “On the last tour we opened the show by playing our new album ‘A Matter of Life and Death’ in its 80 minute entirety. We thought we needed the challenge and it proved the right thing to do. However, it can be hard on the fans playing so much new material and we really appreciated the superb support they gave us. So now l guess it’s payback time. It’s tremendous to be able to use the profile of the DVDs to do what is effectively an 80′s show.

Source. https://web.archive.org/web/20130602192105/http://www.metalhammer.co.uk/news/iron-maiden-tour-plans/
 
Another big missed opportunity live, but not songs-wise:

Not using a different stage set for the 2010 tour. It was a ''Reunion'' celebration tour, so maybe a modern BNW stage or something totally new. Oh, a different tour name too. The surprise for the 2011 leg of the tour would have been saved. A bit like the 2 tours in 2003 with different stage sets.
 
Ascendingthethrone said:
To tie in with forthcoming 2008 releases on DVD of the classic ‘LIVE AFTER DEATH’ and ‘MAIDEN ENGLAND’ concert videos (more details coming soon) this tour, aptly entitled ‘SOMEWHERE BACK IN TIME’, will revisit the band’s history by focusing almost entirely on the 80′s in both choice of songs played and the stage set, which will be based around the legendary Egyptian Production of the 1984-85 ‘Powerslave Tour’. This will arguably be the most elaborate and spectacular show the band have ever presented, and will include some key elements of their Somewhere In Time tour of 1986/7, such as the Cyborg Eddie.

Steve Harris comments; “On the last tour we opened the show by playing our new album ‘A Matter of Life and Death’ in its 80 minute entirety. We thought we needed the challenge and it proved the right thing to do. However, it can be hard on the fans playing so much new material and we really appreciated the superb support they gave us. So now l guess it’s payback time. It’s tremendous to be able to use the profile of the DVDs to do what is effectively an 80′s show.

Source. https://web.archive.org/web/20130602192105/http://www.metalhammer.co.uk/news/iron-maiden-tour-plans/
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Yep. Derek even did a reworked version of Eddie supposedly for the 2008 Maiden England rerelease, which used to be up on his website.

Sadly it's gone now, and this is the largest version of it I've been able to find:

eb2db4b3577e9034a460c13b05165fe8.jpg
 
Well indeed there are some stuff I'd change.

Iron Maiden: Almost every song from the band's debut always make their comeback now and then (SW and CTH could be played a bit more though). My only complaint here goes regarding the times Phantom of the Opera is played. Yes, it has been featured in several setlists every now and then but in my book this track is so amazing and iconic it should've been include on almost evey tour.

Killers: in fact I never understood why did the guys played Prodigal Son that little. Supperb song that has its own vibe. It would be super cool if they'd put it on the setlist for the next tour. Besides that Purgatory and Genghis Khan also should have been played a bit more in future tours and why in the hell Killers hasn't been played for more than two decades now?

The Number Of The Beast: It may have maiden's worst chorus but other than those 18 seconds everything in Invaders is top notch IMO. I sure think MITRM is the perfect openner for the show but they should feature Invaders every now and then (i.e. openning the encore).

Piece Of Mind: On this one I think the guys really nailled it. Almost everything in POM is fantastic as far as I'm concerned. The only exceptions are Sun And Steel (still a good song) and Quest For Fire (great instrumental, awful vocal melody and lyrics). That being said it puzzles me why the band played so little times awesome tracks like Still Life and To Tame A land in the following 40 years.

Powerslave: Oh... we're entering the tricky part. Any of the 3 songs that were never played live from this album have more than enough quality to make it to the setlist (as did the other 5). Flash of The Blade, the Duellists and Back In The Village? Really? All killer tunes! But I'd go with the latter... Back In The Village is such a well crafted song with so much adrenaline.

Somewhere In Time: By now all these songs but one have been played live. And Deja Vu once again has all it takes to get in the list. So it would be cool if they played it at least a handful of times. But my big gripe here is Loneliness Of The Lone Distance Runner being played just once. This thing is simply put on my top 10 Maiden tunes of all time.

Seventh Son of a Seventh Son: Another album where all songs have more that it takes to be played live. And if there was ever an album that deserved to be played form start to finish this is the one. I also love AMOLAD but the concept like format of Seventh Son almost asks for it. That being said the live debut of both The Propechy and Only The Good Die Young are largely overdue. And if its true I prefer the former I understand the back vocals are kinda tricky but it's nothing Adrian or a recording wouldn't easily solve.

No Prayer For The Dying: Yup, they really played Hooks In You instead of Fates Warning, Run Silent or Mother Russia, tracks that IMO are way, way better. TBH I really love each one of these and although I think the album's closer is a great tune I'd give both Fates Warning and Run Silent Run Deep at least a handful more than deserved live appearances.

Fear Of The Dark: Well, a divisive as hell album and there's no sugar coated way to put things out so, bearing in mind it's just my opinion here's how I see things. BQOBD, ATSS and FOTD are the three absolute must plays from the record. Now, despite disliking From Here To Eternity I really get why they'd put it in the setlist: it has an arena sing along like chorus and it was one of the first two singles. Now Wasting Love is simply put on my top 5 worst Maiden songs of all time and I would never pick it especially to be played live. And it puzzles me why Maiden chose to play it instead of good songs that fit way more a live show in Childhood's End and Judas Be My Guide.

The X Factor: Another divisive record but this time I´m on the other side of the fence. IMO there's not a single tune here I don't like but I understand some of them don't work out quite well live. That being said both Judgement Of Heaven and Look For The Truth deserved to make some appearances: love 'em and both have great sing along sections. Plus there's also Judgement Day but in this case the disrespect for this excellent tune extends to the point the band even left it out of the album. Other than that I'd love seeing Bruce singing Fortunes Of War.

Virtual XI: The only track left out was Como Estais Amigos, and while not being a favorite it's an enjoyable tune that would be really emotional when played live (especially in Argentina... it would be spine chilling). But no... they instead picked stuff That IMO is as boring as repetitive like DLTTEOAS, WTWC and especially the "let's repeat 'Don't You Think I'm a Saviour' for a hundred times and 9 minutes" thing. I like they give The Clansman a spin once in a while and Futureal could get more playing time.

Brave New World: By now everyone who has read some of my posts knows that, while loving the title track's intro and crescendo I really dislike its chorus and the repitition cicle that follows. Ironnically I think that very same refrain has that FOTD (the song) like appeal so yeah, it ends up working out well live. On the other hands I think Dream Of Mirrors is quite boring ( with some horrible passages alongside some good ones) and The Mercenary is a bit lackluster. That being said Out Of The Silent Planet has been played too little IMO, a song I really like and one that was released as a single. The Thin Line Between Love And Hate is also easily one of my favorite tracks from this record and has never been played live for no apparent reason.

Dance Of Death: I thik all the songs picked for the Dance Or Death Tour are really good. Ironnically my favorite two tracks from the lot were never played live. And while I understand Face In The Sand's double bass and massive orchestration would have been a pain in the neck I' still think there's no reason for leaving out the furious yet folk flavored Montségur.

A Matter Of Life And Death: No songs left playing live here and it doesn't bother me the least since, in my book, every track from this record goes from good to masterpice. The only recovered tune was the excellent For The Greater Good Of God and rightfully so (my favorite from the album) but IMO it would be great to get monsters such as These Colors Don't Run and The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg on the bill once again.

The Final Frontier: Once again there's not a single tune here I dislike. However Isle Of Avalon and especially The Alchemist also deserved a bit of playtime IMO.

The Book Of Souls: I really think Maiden picked the best tracks from this one for the promotional tour. Nonetheless When The River Runs Deep would be played at least a couple of times. Other than that, if the band ever pulls a Maiden alongside an orchestra Empire Of The Clouds is simply put a must play.

Senjutsu: Seven tracks out of Maiden's last full length were already played live and once again there's nothing on this one I dislike ( I tend to find The Darkest Hour a bit boring with the passing of time though). That being said Lost In A Lost World would be great.
 
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Ascendingthethrone said:
The initial plan was to release Maiden England on DVD later in 2008. SBIT was sold as a World Slavery Tour revival but including the rest of the 80’s as well. I assume they saw the success of this and decided to revive Maiden England. It has only been in recent years that they have said that it was solely a Powerslave revival. It’s not true.
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SBIT was sold as Powerslave, SIT and SSOASS. It’s right there on the posters and the backdrops - the three Eddies from those three albums. I was there. It was never pitched as purely a Powerslave or Live After Death thing. I was massively disappointed they didn’t open with Caught Somewhere Back In Time or play Infinite Dreams.
 
It's sad some people still aren´t giving Blaze the credit he deserves. Blaze was chosen to be the vocalist so don´t blame him if it didn´t sound as a carbon paper Bruce copy.
Besides: his baritone voice fits like a glove on the dark X Factor album. I prefer the album version of Sign Of The Cross any day of the week and twice during the weekend.
 
BludBrutha said:
SBIT was sold as Powerslave, SIT and SSOASS. It’s right there on the posters and the backdrops - the three Eddies from those three albums. I was there. It was never pitched as purely a Powerslave or Live After Death thing. I was massively disappointed they didn’t open with Caught Somewhere Back In Time or play Infinite Dreams.
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I was there too. Twickenham. I quote the band in a later post where they say it will be focused on the 80’s. But yeah, the focus was on those 3 albums.
 
MindRuler said:
It's sad some people still aren´t giving Blaze the credit he deserves. Blaze was chosen to be the vocalist so don´t blame him if it didn´t sound as a carbon paper Bruce copy.
Besides: his baritone voice fits like a glove on the dark X Factor album. I prefer the album version of Sign Of The Cross any day of the week and twice during the weekend.
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Agreed--the Blaze era's failure, particularly in the live arena, is 1,000% on Steve. He picked him, and certainly had to have had the musical know-how at that point in his career to know his choice had a much smaller range, and that person had no business singing songs in their original key. To me, it's the most baffling thing the band has ever done. Not picking Blaze--I love his albums--but not detuning the Bruce material.
 
BludBrutha said:
Love to know what the other guys in the band really thought of Blaze getting the job.
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In the beginning I think all of them were positive:
Says Nicko: "Well, at the time, he was the frontrunner... listen, don't get me wrong man, we listened to thousands of people. We had people sending in CDs and tapes and pictures and resumes and stuff. Now, as far as Michael Kiske... we really wanted to have more of an English singer. Geoff Tate was bounded about, and it was like, 'well, he's an American, this is an English rock band'. So there was a little bit of bias in that respect.
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We did two tours together. The thing here with Blaze is, there were nights when he sang his cotton socks off, and it was brilliant, and there were a lot of other nights where it wasn't so hot. But those two records, those tracks that we had on those, The X Factor and Virtual XI. And then, of course, we had that amazing promotion scheme around the football teams and stuff... Steve was in his glory! So, you know, yeah we did two great albums. Love him or hate him... you know what we are saying about the history of Maiden? That was part and parcel and I don't think about it any other way."
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bravewords.com

NICKO MCBRAIN Reflects On BLAZE BAYLEY's Time Fronting IRON MAIDEN - "There Were Nights When He Sang His Cotton Socks Off, And It Was Brilliant... And There Were A Lot Of Other Nights Where It Wasn't So Hot"; Video

In this new video interview for TVMaldita, Aquiles Priester and Gilson Napolini talk to drummer Nicko McBrain about about a number of topics, including his history with Iron Maiden. During the lengthy chat, Nicko is asked to discuss Iron Maiden's Blaze Bayley period, if Blaze was the best choice...
bravewords.com bravewords.com
 
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BludBrutha said:
Not hiring someone who could sing the existing catalogue in 95.
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It wasn't Blaze's fault. I wouldn't say a missed opportunity because whoever the singer was, the versions of the classics with Bruce would never be surpassed. No one can be like him. And some nights (and with an official release) the performances of most of the classics with Blaze (with some exceptions ofc) were fairly good. Remember that most of the live versions are not perfect. I don't know if with a different vocalist they would have released a live album/video from that era, or if the albums were successful Bruce would have ever returned (probably yes), but I'm sure most of the fans enjoyed those live shows with Blaze back then. The one thing they would have done was to pick better songs for his voice, but then again, you can't leave the big classics out of the set. The two albums with him are great and in the end that's more important to me. We always have the great live versions with Bruce.
TheTalisman said:
Not hiring Kevin Shirley to record the Live Chapter in 2017 and Nights of the Dead in 2019.
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I agree, although the sound of Live Chapter is pretty good imo. But Kevin is the man for the live releases (especially for the drum and rhythm sound).
 
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