Invader
Ancient Mariner
After digesting the gig for the whole of today, I decided that I would write some kind of review of the gig, because it was a memorable two hours and I am quite sure that I will not see another gig by any band, Maiden or otherwise, that will surpass this one. I will add as a disclaimer that I kept myself completely isolated from Maiden on the internet for two months before the gig so as to avoid knowing the setlist and other related details. In hindsight, it was an excellent decision that I recommend to everyone, but because of this self-imposed exile I do not know about Maiden's other gigs and some parts of this review may seem ”old news” to people who have seen Maiden earlier this year. Also, it's long, very long... The context of the whole day was important for the experience of Maiden's show, so I explained both in detail.
Iron Maiden at Sonisphere Festival, Pori, Finland: 8th August 2010
Iron Maiden played at several Sonispheres in 2010, including Sweden the day before. This meant that the Finland show was not expected to be very unique in relation to Maiden's earlier gigs or to other gigs of the tour, unlike the Somewhere Back in Time concert that they held at the sold-out Olympiastadion to a record 42,000 people two years earlier. I was expecting merely an ”average” Maiden show, and the bar was high for Maiden to surpass their performance from two years ago. On the day of the concert, around 4 PM, however, it slowly became clear that this would be no ordinary Iron Maiden show. In fact, it was not even sure there would be an Iron Maiden show.
What I am talking about, of course, is the storm that hit Pori out of the blue on Sunday afternoon. The storm was called a tornado by some sources (including Alice Cooper and Bruce himself), but it was not that; it was simply a very violent and intense thunderstorm with rain and hail, lasting little over five minutes. In that short time, however, it managed to injure 40 people of which two were serious, knock down t-shirt and food stands, cripple the second stage, and destroy the equipment of all the bands still scheduled to play. The day had already gone very well with Slayer and Anthrax getting hugely positive responses; in fact, it became a widely circulated joke that Slayer caused it with Raining Blood. The storm subsided as quickly as it began, and we found ourselves completely soaked and shivering. The crowd, however, would not have their spirits crushed, and instead I saw most people taking the storm with great humour and laughing. It was most likely the sheer unexpectedness and ferocity of the storm that made people take it well; most had probably never experienced such a storm in their lives, at least in Finland.
General confusion followed the storm, but eventually it was announced that Mötley Crüe cancelled, and Iggy and the Stooges had to resort to an acoustic four-song set because their amps were destroyed. Iggy's performance was taken surprisingly well by the audience, who were by now realising the extent of the damage and the possibility that no one would be able to perform. Iggy's performance was followed by an hour of waiting, while the presenter tried to keep people patient and calm. It was an agonising wait, because no one could even be sure that Maiden would be able to play, and this was fuelled by rumours of another storm coming. Eventually, it was announced that both Alice Cooper and Iron Maiden would be delivering full sets. And, to convince the crowd, none other than Bruce Dickinson entered the stage to deliver the news, greeted with almost as much enthusiasm as if Maiden itself had taken the stage. Bruce's speech (”We aren't going home before you're going home”), combined with the good news, provided a much-needed energy boost to the audience, who were suddenly fired up again. Immediately following Bruce, Alice Cooper took the stage and performed an hour-long set, to generally positive response. It was clear, however, that the majority was waiting for Maiden.
Alice was followed by another one and a half hours of waiting, but no longer was the waiting full of desperation and uncertainty, but excitement and expectation. We had seen Bruce, we knew Maiden were going to play, and the extra waiting and uncertainty only added to the energy of the crowd. For the last 15 minutes before the start of the gig, ”MAIDEN” was chanted almost continuously in one part of the field or another. By the time Doctor Doctor started, people were going mental.
The beginning was somewhat disturbed by sound problems, which is understandable given that they did not have time for a sound check. This was further complicated by Bruce slipping rather violently on the still-wet stage when jumping off a monitor at the beginning of The Wicker Man; the man, however, hardly missed a beat, and if I had not seen him fall I would scarcely have noticed it from his singing. At the end of the song, roadies rushed onto the stage to dry the floor, but Bruce took even this with good humour: ”Oh look, the laundry's arrived” and ”even the floor is sweating.” They fussed about for a few songs before Bruce asked them to go away. Wrathchild as an old song and El Dorado as a new song did not seem to get quite the response they deserved, and considering the attention the latter got over the internet, I would have expected everyone to know the lyrics. At some points, however, it felt like I was the only one singing along.
The first songs still had the audience warming up, but by the time the warmed up, they really were on fire. The show really began with the epic Dance of Death. It being a ”new song” (”only” 7 years old) did not seem to bother the crowd one bit, and this song seemed to have the best band-audience contact of the whole gig. This was followed by The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg, which is mediocre on record, but was excellent live. The emotion Bruce put into the intro and the overall heaviness and energy of the song made me marvel at how different a song can become live. This was followed with another song from A Matter of Life and Death, These Colours Don't Run, which was preceded by one of the best Bruce rants I have ever heard, both live and on bootlegs. ”It's about being a warrior... But it's about today as well. It's about people that believe in themselves, and people who don't fucking quit when the going gets tough, when the typhoon hits, when the rain comes down. When you're wearing the fucking colours of Iron Maiden, these colours don't run!” In the context of that day, it's impossible to describe how these words felt, when just a few hours ago we were doubting whether Maiden would even play.
The true emotional highlight of the evening, however, was the next song, dedicated to Ronnie James Dio: Blood Brothers. Bruce's speech got people chanting ”DIO”, and the song itself had people in tears, including myself. The four songs are probably the most amazing quadruplet of consecutive songs I have ever seen live. The next song, Wildest Dreams, broke the pattern of epics, and was my least favourite song of the set list, but it was followed by a better song from the same album, No More Lies. This did not reach the level of the earlier songs, but a good song nonetheless. Brave New World got a very positive response from the audience and was an excellent sing-along song, paving the way for the next song, a classic.
Now, this concert was special in more than one way. Because of the storm, Maiden started two hours later than they were supposed to, at 10 PM. Usually, Maiden finish outdoor concerts at this time. Summer this far north means that the sun sets very late, 10 PM approximately, so Maiden outdoor concerts are never held in the dark. This time, it was almost dark by the beginning of the set, and by Dance of Death the light was really gone. It was a great experience seeing them in the dark, despite some of their lights being damaged by the storm. The irony, of course, is that Fear of the Dark is never seen in the dark outdoors; however, this time it was. The atmosphere was helped by a mist that had slowly risen during Maiden's show. This meant that Fear of the Dark was, simply put, amazing, far better than it was during the last tour.
Fear was followed by the obligatory Iron Maiden, which was no surprise to anyone, but signalled that the end was near. Eddie appeared, of course, and even played the guitar, as well as battling both Janick and Dave. The band was gone for a short while before the intro to The Number of the Beast, which was good but not amazing. This was followed by Hallowed Be Thy Name, which was great as always; though the song carries a tinge of sadness because it is always among the last songs.
The last song was Running Free, which was a refreshing surprise: I would have put my money on Run to the Hills. It had Bruce's last thank-yous, to the audience, to the crew, to the police who allowed the event to continue past the normal time limits; Bruce went on to call it one of the most amazing concerts of his life: ”You have been pissed on by the gods, and you have pissed on the gods back!” He also promised that they'd be back beyond the Final Frontier, and ”we'll see you real soon.” The song itself was excellent live, far better than I would have guessed. When Maiden finally left, I was still hoping for a third encore, but sadly it didn't come. Despite this, I left the concert in a state of complete bliss.
While it is of course sad for those who were injured (and lucky no one was killed), it is clear that the show would not have been the same without the storm. The uncertainty of Maiden even playing, the extended waiting, the rare darkness, and the whole feel of having persevered through the storm and seeing Maiden combined to create an atmosphere that was beyond my wildest dreams. The band also gave their best and more, and had more energy and commitment that I saw at either of the shows I saw two years ago. No doubt they were also relieved to be able to come and play, not to mention the response they received from the audience. The crowd also didn't seem put off at all by the prominence of ”new” songs in the set list, and were just as much into Dance of Death as Hallowed Be Thy Name.
I am convinced that what we experienced there was something totally unique. The phrase ”adversity into advantage” is what this day was all about, and at no point did people start making trouble or leaving in large numbers. Instead, people stuck, stayed patient, tried to make most of the situation, and generally were an admirable example of Finnish ”sisu” (perseverance). The uncertainty and extended waiting made seeing Maiden all the more sweeter, and what followed was an unforgettable experience.
Iron Maiden played at several Sonispheres in 2010, including Sweden the day before. This meant that the Finland show was not expected to be very unique in relation to Maiden's earlier gigs or to other gigs of the tour, unlike the Somewhere Back in Time concert that they held at the sold-out Olympiastadion to a record 42,000 people two years earlier. I was expecting merely an ”average” Maiden show, and the bar was high for Maiden to surpass their performance from two years ago. On the day of the concert, around 4 PM, however, it slowly became clear that this would be no ordinary Iron Maiden show. In fact, it was not even sure there would be an Iron Maiden show.
What I am talking about, of course, is the storm that hit Pori out of the blue on Sunday afternoon. The storm was called a tornado by some sources (including Alice Cooper and Bruce himself), but it was not that; it was simply a very violent and intense thunderstorm with rain and hail, lasting little over five minutes. In that short time, however, it managed to injure 40 people of which two were serious, knock down t-shirt and food stands, cripple the second stage, and destroy the equipment of all the bands still scheduled to play. The day had already gone very well with Slayer and Anthrax getting hugely positive responses; in fact, it became a widely circulated joke that Slayer caused it with Raining Blood. The storm subsided as quickly as it began, and we found ourselves completely soaked and shivering. The crowd, however, would not have their spirits crushed, and instead I saw most people taking the storm with great humour and laughing. It was most likely the sheer unexpectedness and ferocity of the storm that made people take it well; most had probably never experienced such a storm in their lives, at least in Finland.
General confusion followed the storm, but eventually it was announced that Mötley Crüe cancelled, and Iggy and the Stooges had to resort to an acoustic four-song set because their amps were destroyed. Iggy's performance was taken surprisingly well by the audience, who were by now realising the extent of the damage and the possibility that no one would be able to perform. Iggy's performance was followed by an hour of waiting, while the presenter tried to keep people patient and calm. It was an agonising wait, because no one could even be sure that Maiden would be able to play, and this was fuelled by rumours of another storm coming. Eventually, it was announced that both Alice Cooper and Iron Maiden would be delivering full sets. And, to convince the crowd, none other than Bruce Dickinson entered the stage to deliver the news, greeted with almost as much enthusiasm as if Maiden itself had taken the stage. Bruce's speech (”We aren't going home before you're going home”), combined with the good news, provided a much-needed energy boost to the audience, who were suddenly fired up again. Immediately following Bruce, Alice Cooper took the stage and performed an hour-long set, to generally positive response. It was clear, however, that the majority was waiting for Maiden.
Alice was followed by another one and a half hours of waiting, but no longer was the waiting full of desperation and uncertainty, but excitement and expectation. We had seen Bruce, we knew Maiden were going to play, and the extra waiting and uncertainty only added to the energy of the crowd. For the last 15 minutes before the start of the gig, ”MAIDEN” was chanted almost continuously in one part of the field or another. By the time Doctor Doctor started, people were going mental.
The beginning was somewhat disturbed by sound problems, which is understandable given that they did not have time for a sound check. This was further complicated by Bruce slipping rather violently on the still-wet stage when jumping off a monitor at the beginning of The Wicker Man; the man, however, hardly missed a beat, and if I had not seen him fall I would scarcely have noticed it from his singing. At the end of the song, roadies rushed onto the stage to dry the floor, but Bruce took even this with good humour: ”Oh look, the laundry's arrived” and ”even the floor is sweating.” They fussed about for a few songs before Bruce asked them to go away. Wrathchild as an old song and El Dorado as a new song did not seem to get quite the response they deserved, and considering the attention the latter got over the internet, I would have expected everyone to know the lyrics. At some points, however, it felt like I was the only one singing along.
The first songs still had the audience warming up, but by the time the warmed up, they really were on fire. The show really began with the epic Dance of Death. It being a ”new song” (”only” 7 years old) did not seem to bother the crowd one bit, and this song seemed to have the best band-audience contact of the whole gig. This was followed by The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg, which is mediocre on record, but was excellent live. The emotion Bruce put into the intro and the overall heaviness and energy of the song made me marvel at how different a song can become live. This was followed with another song from A Matter of Life and Death, These Colours Don't Run, which was preceded by one of the best Bruce rants I have ever heard, both live and on bootlegs. ”It's about being a warrior... But it's about today as well. It's about people that believe in themselves, and people who don't fucking quit when the going gets tough, when the typhoon hits, when the rain comes down. When you're wearing the fucking colours of Iron Maiden, these colours don't run!” In the context of that day, it's impossible to describe how these words felt, when just a few hours ago we were doubting whether Maiden would even play.
The true emotional highlight of the evening, however, was the next song, dedicated to Ronnie James Dio: Blood Brothers. Bruce's speech got people chanting ”DIO”, and the song itself had people in tears, including myself. The four songs are probably the most amazing quadruplet of consecutive songs I have ever seen live. The next song, Wildest Dreams, broke the pattern of epics, and was my least favourite song of the set list, but it was followed by a better song from the same album, No More Lies. This did not reach the level of the earlier songs, but a good song nonetheless. Brave New World got a very positive response from the audience and was an excellent sing-along song, paving the way for the next song, a classic.
Now, this concert was special in more than one way. Because of the storm, Maiden started two hours later than they were supposed to, at 10 PM. Usually, Maiden finish outdoor concerts at this time. Summer this far north means that the sun sets very late, 10 PM approximately, so Maiden outdoor concerts are never held in the dark. This time, it was almost dark by the beginning of the set, and by Dance of Death the light was really gone. It was a great experience seeing them in the dark, despite some of their lights being damaged by the storm. The irony, of course, is that Fear of the Dark is never seen in the dark outdoors; however, this time it was. The atmosphere was helped by a mist that had slowly risen during Maiden's show. This meant that Fear of the Dark was, simply put, amazing, far better than it was during the last tour.
Fear was followed by the obligatory Iron Maiden, which was no surprise to anyone, but signalled that the end was near. Eddie appeared, of course, and even played the guitar, as well as battling both Janick and Dave. The band was gone for a short while before the intro to The Number of the Beast, which was good but not amazing. This was followed by Hallowed Be Thy Name, which was great as always; though the song carries a tinge of sadness because it is always among the last songs.
The last song was Running Free, which was a refreshing surprise: I would have put my money on Run to the Hills. It had Bruce's last thank-yous, to the audience, to the crew, to the police who allowed the event to continue past the normal time limits; Bruce went on to call it one of the most amazing concerts of his life: ”You have been pissed on by the gods, and you have pissed on the gods back!” He also promised that they'd be back beyond the Final Frontier, and ”we'll see you real soon.” The song itself was excellent live, far better than I would have guessed. When Maiden finally left, I was still hoping for a third encore, but sadly it didn't come. Despite this, I left the concert in a state of complete bliss.
While it is of course sad for those who were injured (and lucky no one was killed), it is clear that the show would not have been the same without the storm. The uncertainty of Maiden even playing, the extended waiting, the rare darkness, and the whole feel of having persevered through the storm and seeing Maiden combined to create an atmosphere that was beyond my wildest dreams. The band also gave their best and more, and had more energy and commitment that I saw at either of the shows I saw two years ago. No doubt they were also relieved to be able to come and play, not to mention the response they received from the audience. The crowd also didn't seem put off at all by the prominence of ”new” songs in the set list, and were just as much into Dance of Death as Hallowed Be Thy Name.
I am convinced that what we experienced there was something totally unique. The phrase ”adversity into advantage” is what this day was all about, and at no point did people start making trouble or leaving in large numbers. Instead, people stuck, stayed patient, tried to make most of the situation, and generally were an admirable example of Finnish ”sisu” (perseverance). The uncertainty and extended waiting made seeing Maiden all the more sweeter, and what followed was an unforgettable experience.
But anyway, is anyone from these forums seeing any of those gigs? Seems like I was pretty much the last one to see Maiden here.
