Metallica

While I do wish Maiden would have some spontaneity in the setlist from night to night, they always do a fantastic job of gutting half or more of the setlist between tours. Some bands just play the same stuff but in a different order.
 
I mean, maybe, but they certainly still keep me excited so I think they’ve still succeeded with their blueprint.

No doubt. They probably put more effort than Metallica to achieve less in terms of money & brand value but they keep us excited with the combination of consistent good releases and best of tours.
I suspect they keep their setlist the same night in and night out due to stage production consistency.
Thus I'd like a more flexible stage production model with less background & inflatables if it's to have some surprises and excitement setlist-wise.
Of course, as you said, their model is one of the most successful so why changing it?
But still, they don't get bored to play the same songs in the same order night after night after night?
 
No doubt. They probably put more effort than Metallica to achieve less in terms of money & brand value but they keep us excited with the combination of consistent good releases and best of tours.
I suspect they keep their setlist the same night in and night out due to stage production consistency.
Thus I'd like a more flexible stage production model with less background & inflatables if it's to have some surprises and excitement setlist-wise.
Of course, as you said, their model is one of the most successful so why changing it?
But still, they don't get bored to play the same songs in the same order night after night after night?
Yeah I understand that for sure. That said, I like how Maiden seem to be playing for the individual. Metallica might play a mind blowing set one night full of fan favorites that Joe loves, but he’s going to see the show that comes on the next night, and man… four St Anger songs? Where’s his favorite, “My Friend of Misery”, which they were playing for the past three nights in a row?

With Maiden, it doesn’t matter if Joe goes to see them in Berlin, or Washington, or London. Maiden will be bringing him the same show they’ve brought everyone else because you deserve to see the stage production they’ve created. There are cons to this approach, without a doubt, but I still think it’s great. Obviously it depends on the kind of fan you are of a band and each of us will like different approaches to setlist design.
 
Before Death Magnetic I was not a big fan of Metallica, but during that tour I started to respect their hardwork. I love their style of management, it is pure fan favourit style and ofc, it brings them lot of money.

I dont know if any band have such a connection with fans as they. Hats off for that.
 
Metallica is at a point where they could never release anything new ever again and it wouldn’t matter. They play all over the world whenever they want to, they mix up the setlist ALL THE TIME, thus keeping old fans super happy, and they have an insane social media presence that releases almost every live show recording in some capacity. They could be a cabaret act until they retire and no one would care because they keep people excited in other ways.
Like most of the classic bands.
No doubt. They probably put more effort than Metallica to achieve less in terms of money & brand value but they keep us excited with the combination of consistent good releases and best of tours.
I suspect they keep their setlist the same night in and night out due to stage production consistency.
Thus I'd like a more flexible stage production model with less background & inflatables if it's to have some surprises and excitement setlist-wise.
Of course, as you said, their model is one of the most successful so why changing it?
But still, they don't get bored to play the same songs in the same order night after night after night?
The stage production is one of the reasons, yes. Less backdrops and other stage proprs? Please no, this is an important part of the whole show. A very seccessful model indeed. Even in their early days, Maiden were not a band that changed songs between tours/shows that much (this was the most in the 80's) - they always have a fixed core of main songs for a tour and I like that. Plus they always play most of their new album songs. Maiden always keep us excited with everything, as far as I'm concerned.

Metallica should put way more effort into their stage sets imo.
With Maiden, it doesn’t matter if Joe goes to see them in Berlin, or Washington, or London. Maiden will be bringing him the same show they’ve brought everyone else because you deserve to see the stage production they’ve created. There are cons to this approach, without a doubt, but I still think it’s great.
^ This is probably the main reasons I like this approach. When a tour has 2 or 3 legs, I would like them to change a couple of songs, especially during album tours. For History/Hits tours too and maybe it's even more recommended then.
 
To me it has always been more about the songs than the stage props and design. That's precisely why I don't really see the point in seeing bands like Maiden, Megadeth, or modern Dream Theater multiple times during the same tour leg. It's going to be the same show over and over again. Yes, you can look at that cool Icarus backdrop for 3 straight years, but isn't it meant to be a concert of a band playing songs, not an art gallery? With Metallica, you can go to just any of their shows and be surprised by the setlist and experience something unique.
 
Like most of the classic bands.
I don't think most classic bands can sell out football stadiums on the power of their songs alone without releasing new material every 3-5 years. Some of the classic rock bands that have literally been around since the 60s, sure, but there is no other metal band that could do what Metallica does without pimping new material.
Metallica should put way more effort into their stage sets imo.
But they don't have to. People are willing to pay to see them and it is literally all about the music. There is something truly raw and impressive about the fact that they can play anywhere, any time, with an unfixed setlist, and people will absolutely love it.

To me it has always been more about the songs than the stage props and design. That's precisely why I don't really see the point in seeing bands like Maiden, Megadeth, or modern Dream Theater multiple times during the same tour leg. It's going to be the same show over and over again. Yes, you can look at that cool Icarus backdrop for 3 straight years, but isn't it meant to be a concert of a band playing songs, not an art gallery? With Metallica, you can go to just any of their shows and be surprised by the setlist and experience something unique.
There's really something to be said for both. If the band has a full production, like Maiden, and I know I'm only seeing one show then I love the locked setlist/focus on the stage mindset.
 
There's really something to be said for both. If the band has a full production, like Maiden, and I know I'm only seeing one show then I love the locked setlist/focus on the stage mindset.

Agreed. I have always liked Maiden's attitude of "every punter gets to see the same show", even though that made seeing the same show several times on the same tour quite repetitive. I think I definitely overdid it by attending 5 gigs on the 2011 leg of The Final Frontier tour (funnily enough, I did not felt the same after 4 gigs on the Somewhere Back in Time tour in 2008 :lol: ).

That being said, I take my hat off to Metallica and their willingness to shake things up a bit offering exclusive things to their fans.
 
I saw The Book of Souls six times (4/2) and it never felt fully old to me. I got a little tired of one or two tracks but seeing Powerslave and TBOS live, every fucking time, man, that energy.

Never forget the reaction we all had in Vegas when Bruce ripped the heart out. So cool.
 
To me it has always been more about the songs than the stage props and design. That's precisely why I don't really see the point in seeing bands like Maiden, Megadeth, or modern Dream Theater multiple times during the same tour leg. It's going to be the same show over and over again. Yes, you can look at that cool Icarus backdrop for 3 straight years, but isn't it meant to be a concert of a band playing songs, not an art gallery? With Metallica, you can go to just any of their shows and be surprised by the setlist and experience something unique.
I meant it's important for Maiden's show. Yeah, it's about the music (like Maiden said during NPFTD tour), but I think with the imagery of heavy metal (especially with the album covers) they go together almost inseparable. That's why Metallica had busy stage sets in 1986 and in 1991. The Marshall amplifiers stage sets were mostly in the 70's (although there are some amazing stage sets) and in the early 80's - after that almost every band tried to incorporate the imagery of their albums into the stage design. And this continues today, but to a lesser extent.

Kudos to Metallica for everything they do with their setlists, but I'm not sure I want to see this approach in Maiden. And yes, I think Maiden should change 1 or 2 songs more regularly between legs of a tour (for example in 2004, in 2011 and in 2014).
But they don't have to. People are willing to pay to see them and it is literally all about the music. There is something truly raw and impressive about the fact that they can play anywhere, any time, with an unfixed setlist, and people will absolutely love it.
I agree. They always play big sold out shows and sound great live.
 
I generally love Metallica's work ethic, their willingness to play pretty much any song at any given time, and the constant flood of special releases, re-releases, and live content. I'd love if Maiden emulated them a little more in that way. The only issue I have with Metallica is I don't generally care for their music.
 
Well, this was unexpected:


Apparently new album called "72 Seasons" coming April 14, 2023.

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Metallica’s 12th studio album, 72 Seasons, will arrive on April 14, 2023, on the band’s own Blackened Recordings. Produced by Greg Fidelman with Hetfield & Ulrich and clocking in at over 77 minutes, the 12-track album is the band’s first full-length collection of new material since 2016’s Hardwired…To Self-Destruct.

Speaking on the concept of the album title, James said: “72 seasons. The first 18 years of our lives that form our true or false selves. The concept that we were told ‘who we are’ by our parents. A possible pigeonholing around what kind of personality we are. I think the most interesting part of this is the continued study of those core beliefs and how it affects our perception of the world today. Much of our adult experience is a reenactment or reaction to these childhood experiences. Prisoners of childhood or breaking free of those bondages we carry.”

And a massive world tour that last two years and sounds insane:

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Yeah, I'm a little concerned about the price, but it's an intriguing idea. Might go see my first Metallica show(s) since 1989...
 
An unexpected surprise indeed. It was about time though.

Strange album title and the cover is meh (like for the previous album). Again a 77 minutes long album.

The lead single on the other hand is a great song - short fast rocker with a typical NWOBHM vibe (every part of the song) and it reminds me of Metallica from 1983. Catchy riff, verses, chorus and wild solo. It's like ''Hardwired'' from the previous album. I also like this song a lot.

The last album was good so I'm looking forward to the new one.


Edit: The tour is insane -> 2 Nights. 2 Different Sets. 2 Different Opening Bands. In The Round!
 
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Those tickets will cost fortune. 2 sets and great opening bands.
Yeah, it's gonna be ridiculous. At least when I buy them on Wednesday I know that I have almost two full years to pay them off. :D

Metallica + Panthrax Society + the progeny of Eddie Van Halen all on the same stage is pretty crazy.
 
Those tickets are probably 150 euros onwards, much more for their golden circle type of stuff.
 
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