The 2011 Tour Thread! (SPOILERS)

[Mkoh]

Spoiler

I didn't find Blood Brothers or Dance of Death nearly as disappointing as you said, though they definitely were better in 2010 (partly due to the novelty factor, partly because it was such an exceptional gig then).  The Trooper was disappointing as always; it's always cool to see Bruce wave the flag and it does get the crowd fired up, but it's never worked for me live.  On the other hand, The Wicker Man was really great and worked perfectly after The Trooper (also completely surprised me by being included, especially at that point).  With The Talisman, what really surprised me was the intro.  On record, it always feels slightly dull, a bit forced and "not part of the song".  Live, it was one of the most atmospheric moments of the gig, and in a way I enjoyed it even more than the main part of the song (which was also great, despite Bruce's slight problems).

Wild Wind was good, but I really would have preferred Starblind or Avalon instead.  My guess before the gig was that they wouldn't play more than 1-2 new epics, and both Avalon and Starblind are too complicated to go well with the mainstream crowd.  The Evil That Men Do was a nice addition since I hadn't seen it live before (except for the new songs, the only Maiden song I hadn't seen live before).  Fear of the Dark didn't live up to the magical performance in 2010 at Sonisphere.  In daylight, it just isn't the same as with darkness and fog.  The final five songs were highly unsurprising and exactly the same as last time, big minus to Maiden for that.

And Satellite 15?  Best fucking intro ever.  Last fall, I thought it might be too long for an intro, but I was dead wrong.  It simply worked.  Mars, Bringer of War was great last time and better even than Churchill's Speech, but Satellite 15 beat them both hands down.  The Final Frontier also rose in my eyes, though as an actual starting song Aces High and The Wicker Man are better.

To a certain extent, I'd agree with you that the gig was "routine".  My biggest gripe with it was that of the 16 songs, I'd seen 11 before (three gigs, two tours).  There was very little "new" to the gig.  There really wasn't anything exceptional about it, either.  Last time I saw Maiden at the venue, it was the biggest gig they had done in Finland up to that point, and last Sonisphere was completely exceptional with the storm and all.  That showed in the performance of the band, who weren't quite as much into it as at earlier gigs.  Then again, I can't call it routine in that it felt rehearsed or that the band was just doing their job: there were little touches that kept it far from that.  E.g.  Bruce calling out "albatross" pointing at a seagull in the sky in the middle of The Evil That Men Do, which was referring to his speech before Rime in 2008. 

That being said, it was still an awesome gig.  It's hard to give it full credit simply because the 2010 Sonisphere show in Pori was so exceptional, but so far definitely the best concert of 2011.

Spoiler

With DoD, I didn't mean the performance was disappointing - not at all! Just that it didn't click the same way with me as it usually does, and that disappointed me. I wouldn't say the problem lied with the band. Wicker Man was also good, but I think it would have worked better elsewhere on the set. I agree with The Talisman though, the intro worked better, but it hasn't ever really sounded forced to me. I can see how FotD couldn't just really be the same, but with it I wasn't really bothered by how much better it could be; I've never experienced it in dark. Next time I'm going to see Maiden a couple of times (when they come to Finland they'll probably have an outdoor concert once again) and then at a smaller venue someplace else, to experience the lightshow and probably much more intense atmosphere.
As for WTWWB, despite the great experience, I too could have probably had another epic instead (in a perfect world, I would have had it and the other epics). Starblind, preferably, but Isle would have been awesome too, seeing as they are my favourites from TFF. Yet I had little expectations for WTWWB and high for DoD. Perhaps their surprising impacts were because of that, I don't know. I should probably keep the setlist as a surprise next time, I think that was something that greatly affected my experience.

When it comes to the setlist and whether the gig felt "routine", I think you are spot on.

 

[Mosh]

Bruce's nemesis, the laser, returns:

Spoiler

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gyd8Rfg0f4&feature=feedf

 

[rokyronnie]

did Bruce said something about that after the song ?

Anyway...I think that guy has missed the right place, a gig with Iron Maiden is not the right place for him, he better go to an mental institution, really...

 

[Mosh]

I don't think so. In the description box there are the exact times he yells at the guy though.

I agree, I don't get why people have to give Maiden and the fans a hard time when all they are doing is trying to put on a good show. I was reminded of this Foo Fighters concert from about a week ago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXeEJFC_SK4

 

[Night Prowler]

That was a badass rant.

 

[Duncan]

Well, I'll be seeing Maiden in Glesca tomorrow   - I'll try and get something resembling a review up the next day.

 

[Duncan]

Ok, a bit later than intended, but here goes  (I hope the spoiler tags work!)...

Spoiler

The show was absolutely fantastic.  I can't remember exactly the order of the songs, but the setlist was something like:

The Final Frontier
El Dorado
Two Minutes to Midnight
Coming Home
The Trooper  [There's probably not many folk who could pump up a Scottish crowd by waving a Union flag, but Bruce managed it.  It struck me that the venue was also where the votes were counted for Glasgow in the Scottish election just a few months ago, the Scottish Nationalists winning Glasgow seats for the first time].
Wicker Man
Dance of Death
The Talisman
Blood Brothers [Bruce's speech was interrupted by someone throwing a Scotland flag onstage, followed by the crowd all singing Flower of Scotland (The Scottish national anthem), which he seemed to enjoy greatly]
Where the Wild Wind Blows
The Evil That Men Do
Fear of the Dark
Iron Maiden

Alas, I had to leave before the encores to get my bus home, but I think those were the songs of the main set.

The performance was tight, and - as has been noted before - WTWWB and The Talisman sounded much heavier live than they do on the record.  Bruce was struggling a little with some of the higher choruses, and was maybe a little flat during El Dorado, but was otherwise spot on, and the band nailed the songs, absolutely ripped them.  Dance of Death, which is one I'm not that fond of generally, was one of the highlights.

Some people may be a little bored with the setlist, but this was only the second time I've seen them, the first being when they played Glasgow on the AMOLAD tour, so it wasn't a problem for me.

All in all a great night.  Oh, and Adrian Smith is the single coolest person on the planet.

 

[TheNew#2]

Glasgow:

Spoiler

This show was my first time ever seeing Maiden and I must say they were absolutely fantastic. I was ever so slightly disappointed at the fact that the setlist was identical to that of all the other European shows, especially when taking into account that the UK shows were initially presented as an intimate homecoming, etc. The fact that Bruce also said 'We've got 14 albums to choose from tonight...' also made the setlist seem a little disappointing. However, despite this, as one can imagine, the band were brilliantly rehearsed and were, in my opinion, utterly flawless. I think DoD and WTWWB could have worked better with the crowd, but actually it was nice to have a break from the madness in the pit at the front, and just stand there and take in the music and the embiance whilst singing along. Indeed the front was incredibly sweaty, meaning the fans on stage, blowing cold air onto the crowd, were greatfully accepted to say the least. I was totally exhausted by the end of the main set, so much so that I reverted towards the back for the encore, which also expanded the perspective of the show for me and in fact made my Maiden experience even more enjoyable. For me the higlight of the night was Dave's solo on FOTD; mind blowing. 

 

[Jupz]

Awesome!

 

[Tron]

Glad you enjoyed it, my first show was dublin last year... i thought it was amazing there and DoD was my highlight.
Sad to hear it wasnt a barn stormer this tour.
How was Bruce? The level of complaints about his voice on IM.com has me a wee worried as even though they rave about him getting old every tour it always gets to me    Bring on Manchester and Belfast!!!

 

[Black Wizard]

There's probably not many folk who could pump up a Scottish crowd by waving a Union flag, but Bruce managed it.  It struck me that the venue was also where the votes were counted for Glasgow in the Scottish election just a few months ago, the Scottish Nationalists winning Glasgow seats for the first time.

The union flag isn't particularly relevant. The crowd were cheering it because it's part of the show. I know that some of the Irish moronically booed him once when he waved the union flag but I'm sure the French, Indians, Australians and Americans all cheer because it's part of the show as well. If Bruce waved a Skull & Crossbones or a Battle Flag of the Confederacy then we'd all cheer just the same, simply because it's Bruce waving something at us. If he'd brought out an England flag then we'd have all booed last week but he would only do that as a joke and I'm sure 99% of Scottish people would get the joke. Anyway, independence isn't as popular as Mr. Salmond likes to tell us it is.


The Glasgow show was good but I think the SECC made a silly mistake in making it an all-standing event. I got stuck at leven with the sound desk after going to the toilet after Airbourne and the crowd back there was so boring. Most of the people back there would have been in seating if it had been there. This meant I spent most of the set trying to make my way forward and never actually managed to find the fun part of the crowd.

I had a much better time in Aberdeen the following night. Partly because I didn't have to go on my own as I had in Glasgow and partly because the crowd was a lot more fun. I was closer to the front throughout the entire concert and my experience was a lot more enjoyable as a result. Bruce mentioned at one point that it's been so long since Maiden had played in Aberdeen that certain members weren't even in the band yet (i.e. him, Nicko, Janick, maybe Adrian). They hadn't played in Aberdeen for thirty years and the atmosphere in the city was fantastic because of this. The weather was great, pubs were packed, Iron Maiden shirts everywhere, and complete strangers were even acknowledging me just because I was also wearing an Iron Maiden t-shirt! Compare that to Glasgow who get most of the arena tours where the city was in everyday mode. Aberdeen in the last few years has had Muse, Paramore, Pendulum and Foo Fighters but Glasgow has had nearly everyone. It's something the city rarely experiences so the atmosphere was a little bit like Graduation Week or Cup Final Day.

I hope it's not another five years before Maiden's next UK tour, but that hope is probably in vain. There might be a chance to see them at a one-off show somewhere in England next year if they do another history tour.

 

[Rikstewart]

Breaking my Maiden cherry tonight in Manchester, I've waited 22 years for this because until now I've never had anyone to go with  , gonna be enjoying tonight's show with the singer/rhythm guitarist from my band and on Saturday night we are debuting Run to the Hills at a gig, gotta a feeling it's gonna go down a storm 

 

[Black Wizard]

I've waited 22 years for this because until now I've never had anyone to go with  ,

I go to gigs by myself quite often. Last week I went to see Judas Priest and Iron Maiden by myself and a fortnight before that I even went to Sonisphere by myself. It's actually pretty good because I can do my own thing and don;t have to metaphorically hold anyone's hand.

 

[Jupz]

I agree, I like going by myself too.

 

[Rikstewart]

I've considered it before but never wanted to feel like a dick sat/stood on my own, the guy I'm going with tonight does it all the time, last year he flew to Dallas and saw Rush, Anthrax/Megadeth/Slayer and Kings of Leon all in the same venue over a few nights, we thought he was mental for doing it!

 

[levi95psn]

Went to my first Maiden gig last night in Nottingham... 27/07/2011, best night of my life! 

 

[Jason2103]

I'm also a fan of going to concerts alone, nobody should let that stop them. Went to Heavy TO on my own last week, I wasn't going to let the fact that my friends aren't into metal make me miss Anthrax/Mastodon/Megadeth/Slayer!

 

[Black Wizard]

Going alone isn't ideal but it beats missing the show. It's not my first choice but since only a few of my friends like a few of the same bands as me I'm often left with no choice but to go anyway. In November I'm going to Birmingham by myself to see Iced Earth and I've never even been to Birmingham before.

 

[seely]

Went to my first Maiden gig last night in Nottingham... 27/07/2011, best night of my life! 

Yeah I was there, anaged to get to the fourth row and stay there. Painful, but worth it!

 

[HallowedMark]

Maiden Nottingham last night 27/07/2011. 4th time seeing Maiden and as far as im concerned, just keeps getting better and better.