Tap_Legion
Trooper
Here's some pics I took from the S.A. show...Not the best of the bunch...I'll post more if they don't get used for publication...
Some Steve Harris Pics: San Antonio...
- Thread starter Tap_Legion
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Bassmaster1984
Prowler
Great shots. Can't wait to see them Monday night here in AZ
Cristiane McBrain
Prowler
Awesome pics, thanks for sharing them!
Dr. Eddies Wingman
Brighter than thousand_suns
According to Blabbermouth.net, Bruce wasn't very pleased with a pot-smoker in the crowd ... (it is mentioned on the Maidenfans main page)
"Would you please put that fucking shit out?" Dickinson can be heard saying on the tape. "My lungs are trying to work up here, dude," he added.
I assume this was an indoor venue? If so, I understand Bruce - at least if this guy was standing close to the stage.
How was the show, Tap_Legion? Were the band in good form? (Remember spoiler tags if you mention song titles
)
"Would you please put that fucking shit out?" Dickinson can be heard saying on the tape. "My lungs are trying to work up here, dude," he added.
I assume this was an indoor venue? If so, I understand Bruce - at least if this guy was standing close to the stage.
How was the show, Tap_Legion? Were the band in good form? (Remember spoiler tags if you mention song titles
)
As a singer, Bruce probably isn't much on smoking either way. However, he has made statements against pot smokers in the audience several times before.
D
Deleted member 7164
Guest
Hmm...wonder if anyone recalls the "Queen Victoria" speech of his.
Invader
Ancient Mariner
That was quite an ironic speech, if you ask me. Bruce is ranting about how drugs are bad and all the (American*) audience is just cheering at the very mention of them. Sort of gave the feeling that he didn't get his point across very well.
* I didn't mean this as an insult, but from my experience, the use of illegal drugs is much more ingrained in American society than in European, or at least Scandinavian. Call it generalisation if you will, but drugs are more socially acceptable in America if you ask me.
* I didn't mean this as an insult, but from my experience, the use of illegal drugs is much more ingrained in American society than in European, or at least Scandinavian. Call it generalisation if you will, but drugs are more socially acceptable in America if you ask me.
I wouldn't say that all illegal drug use is "ingrained" in American society. Among many metalheads, smoking pot is considered acceptable. I've never been to an outdoor Maiden show where the smell of pot wasn't all around - heck, last night at the Albuquerque show, the dude next to me was smoking it. (Then 5 minutes later, he got violently ill and missed most of the show. I wonder if there was more than pot in that joint he smoked.)
Many people in the US do at least "experiment" with drug in their youth. It's probably at least two-thirds of all people. But only a tiny percentage continue to use anything harder than pot for very long. I'd guess that maybe one in ten adults smoke pot on a regular basis ... not meaning every day, but perhaps a few times per month. But most adults abstain for various reasons - drug tests at work, not exposing their kids to drugs, etc.
There have been some studies and polls which suggest that smoking pot is becoming more socially acceptable in the US. For instance, right here in Denver, the voters passed a measure in the 2004 election to make pot legal here by city law. (Meaningless in reality, because it's still illegal by state and US law, which supercede city law.) However, a 2006 ballot item to make it legal by state law - therefore, the whole state of Colorado voting on it instead of just Denver residents - failed. This suggests that urban culture likes getting high, while rural folks don't.
As to Bruce onstage - he made what I'd describe as sarcastic remarks about smoking pot at the Denver show in 2005 ... "Is that as loud as you can scream? All that weed you're smoking is making you too mellow!" (Or something to that effect.) But despite Albuquerque stinking of pot last night, Bruce never mentioned it. However, the winds last night were strong and gusty - so much that it was creating problems with the backdrops onstage. (Which Bruce did mention at one point, saying they had people working to fix the backdrops.) So even though I could smell it from my 13th row seat, Bruce may not have smelled it onstage ... the wind was really whipping around the band up there.
The only item of interest to report from Albuquerque is about retirement rumors:
Bruce said that since they keep see more and more people in the crowds every year, the band is not quitting anytime soon - even asking rhetorically, "Why would we?"
Bear in mind that part of Bruce's job is to fire up the crowd, and such statements from the stage may not mean much. But it's still encouraging.
Otherwise, the Albuquerque show was exactly as expected: FUCKIN' GREAT.
Many people in the US do at least "experiment" with drug in their youth. It's probably at least two-thirds of all people. But only a tiny percentage continue to use anything harder than pot for very long. I'd guess that maybe one in ten adults smoke pot on a regular basis ... not meaning every day, but perhaps a few times per month. But most adults abstain for various reasons - drug tests at work, not exposing their kids to drugs, etc.
There have been some studies and polls which suggest that smoking pot is becoming more socially acceptable in the US. For instance, right here in Denver, the voters passed a measure in the 2004 election to make pot legal here by city law. (Meaningless in reality, because it's still illegal by state and US law, which supercede city law.) However, a 2006 ballot item to make it legal by state law - therefore, the whole state of Colorado voting on it instead of just Denver residents - failed. This suggests that urban culture likes getting high, while rural folks don't.
As to Bruce onstage - he made what I'd describe as sarcastic remarks about smoking pot at the Denver show in 2005 ... "Is that as loud as you can scream? All that weed you're smoking is making you too mellow!" (Or something to that effect.) But despite Albuquerque stinking of pot last night, Bruce never mentioned it. However, the winds last night were strong and gusty - so much that it was creating problems with the backdrops onstage. (Which Bruce did mention at one point, saying they had people working to fix the backdrops.) So even though I could smell it from my 13th row seat, Bruce may not have smelled it onstage ... the wind was really whipping around the band up there.
The only item of interest to report from Albuquerque is about retirement rumors:
Bruce said that since they keep see more and more people in the crowds every year, the band is not quitting anytime soon - even asking rhetorically, "Why would we?"
Bear in mind that part of Bruce's job is to fire up the crowd, and such statements from the stage may not mean much. But it's still encouraging.
Otherwise, the Albuquerque show was exactly as expected: FUCKIN' GREAT.
Invader
Ancient Mariner
Which was exactly my point, as in Scandinavia/Europe (at least Scandinavia), even this is quite rare. However, especially in Finland (I think also Denmark, but not the rest of Scandinavia so much), alcohol is far more socially acceptable and easy to acquire. Drugs are harder to get and the drinking age is only 18. However, in practice, most people drink pretty hard already when they're 15 or even younger. It's a problem for sure, especially as Finland is one of the most drinking nations in the world.
I think a new thread for this topic might be more useful if someone wants to continue the discussion.
Well, Bruce promised two years ago in the Helsinki gig of the AMOLAD tour that they would come back and play at the Olympic Stadium in two years (which is the biggest venue in Finland), and now they're coming.
And he promised songs about albatrosses and pyramids, and look what we're getting now.
Invader said:Well, Bruce promised two years ago in the Helsinki gig of the AMOLAD tour that they would come back and play at the Olympic Stadium in two years (which is the biggest venue in Finland), and now they're coming. So I think he's pretty reliable.
And on that same Early Days tour, at the Denver show, he promised they'd come back to Denver on the now-current tour. Which they did not do. He is saying things to fire up the crowd. I'm not saying he's lying - I am saying that the band doesn't base their future plans on what he says on stage. I'm sure Bruce is sincere when he makes those kinds of promises, but you can't really believe them.
Another thing he "promised" last night - that Maiden would come back to Albuquerque when they tour for the next new album.
Except ... look at the US tour dates for the DOD and AMOLAD tours. For new albums, they play NYC and LA, maybe one or two other US cities. There's no reason to expect an Albuquerque date for the next new-album tour, no matter what Bruce says now. Especially since Maiden doesn't play Albuquerque often - the last show there was BNW tour, almost 8 years ago. (They were scheduled to play GMETID there, but the show was cancelled.) And remember, the BNW tour was the last time Maiden played the US extensively for a new album; it doesn't fit the pattern they've established since that tour ended.
Eddies Wingman said:
I was at this show. I didn't get the impression that Bruce really cares if others smoke pot, as long as they don't blow smoke in his face while he's on stage. The venue was outdoors, but the smoker that pissed him off was very close to the stage. Earlier in the concert, he joked about smelling it, and said something about Maiden no longer partaking of such things. He didn't complain until the person up front started smoking it like a chimney. I could see the clouds from where I was, quite a ways away. Bruce's complaint was that the smoke messed up his voice, understandable for a 49 year old man who needs to hit those high notes, night after night, while running from one end of the stage to the other.