The Official Book of Souls Tour 2016 Thread (Warning: Spoilers within!)

Chip said:
I totally agree with the logistical problems inherent in it. However, I must argue if you can plan a world tour and make a huge stage set and all the other stuff that goes along with it, couldn't you plan it out so it could be done realistically? As far as the piano not being "metal", I ask then what are they doing producing it on an album with no intention of ever having the balls to pull it off live? I thought this was the #1 Live band going? I won't get into individual; replacements for Tears but I could list about 100 and you could probably give me 100 reasons why they wouldn't play that either. If the fans get what the fans want then the fans want Empire. Florida was a cluster%^&* getting people in and if they didn't cut it short then so be it but it wouldn't have surprised me seeing they were ready to go on at 6PM. (Their own twitter as source)
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Empire is Bruce's baby. IF it ever gets performed live, it will be completely on Bruce's terms, as he wants to hear it. He's already spoken about turning into a larger theatrical piece about the disaster, and it would surely involve an elaborate live show with scores of (expensive) extra musicians.

Tears of a Clown is Bruce's favorite song on the album to sing, according to several interviews, and Nicko demanded they play it because it touched him so deeply.

Maiden do not play just to please us, they play first and foremost for themselves. It's why we love them- because they don't compromise. The argument that their live prowess is undermined by the fact that they recorded a song on an album which would be very difficult to pull off live is completely illogical.

They were not ready to go on at 6pm, they were scheduled to start at 9pm- instead starting at 9:25.
 
I personally wouldn't mind if the piano of Empire was pre-recorded. It would still be worth it.
 
I don't get the hate for Tears of a Clown. I like it, it's a bit different than what we normally get from Maiden. And the guitar solos are terrific.
 
Poto said:
I don't get the hate for Tears of a Clown. I like it, it's a bit different than what we normally get from Maiden. And the guitar solos are terrific.
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+1

Literally brought tears to my eyes on Wednesday night. It's an emotionally powerful song.
 
Brigantium said:
Several points:
Plus Bruce's playing, while not terrible (I've heard him play in person) isn't completely polished, and we don't know if he can sing like that sitting down. I don't remember him spelling it out, but he might well have recorded the vocals separately.
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Bruce recorded the piano on the song using a MIDI-keyboard (http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/vi...-his-epic-song-empire-of-the-clouds-on-piano/), meaning that you more or less capture the structure of each note played digitally, on harddrive. That way you can edit whatever you wish to do afterwards, including how hard each note is hit, the tempo and what kind of sound you want etc. You can just add notes directly in the program too, you don't actually need to play a keyboard. Most likely they then used a VST plugin in Pro Tools (at least that's the program which Kevin Shirley used on The Final Frontier) emulating the sound of an old, classic piano, and inside that software for example they could have picked an 80's synth instead if they wanted to! ;)

But to play piano is not something Bruce wants to do while singing, but maybe he wants do this song live like he performed "Jerusalem" at Canterbury Cathedral in 2011, who knows? :)
 
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Regarding the setlist - I more or less expected the selection from TBOS. I didn't expect Powerslave, which is a treat. I would appreciate more DoD/AMoLaD/TFF numbers (that is: ANY), but I like the setlist anyway. Not "cabaret-y" at all, there are surprises (Powerslave, the choice of the closer) and a good flow of the concert.

Were I not afraid of having a serious panic attack in the middle of the crowd, I would go to the Czech concert in a heartbeat. As it is, I'm just sad about the fact I'll probably miss it. It's just amazing. I hope you all will enjoy it. :)

Bruce sounds amazing. Considering everything, he's a killer. If he keeps up the form for the rest of the tour, there's something to look out for.

EDIT: regarding the last paragraph - after the cancer news and after B's fight against it, there were people wondering whether he'll even be able to sing at all afterwards. There's no such fear now.
 
Chip said:
It IS the masterpiece of the album. People have been asking about it regularly despite interviews they've done.
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I think it got extra attention because it has piano playing, is 18 minutes long and solely written by Bruce. That doesn't mean everyone thinks it's the masterpiece of the album. For me it's The Book of Souls.
 
Brigantium said:
That's a shame, Judas. Would it be any better if you were in a seating area?
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I think not. It's that the concerts are usually in the closed in area and there is a lot of people gathered together, some of them behaving in an unpredictable way (drunk, dancing, asking you for cigarettes, whatever)...

There's a possibility I'll go there anyway, it's just very low. But I don't really mind - there's YouTube and I bet there will be an official video release from the tour, so I'll enjoy it anyway :)
 
Can you guys imagine what would happen on these boards if they played the entire new album except Empire? Like an entire set of the whole album that ends with Man of Sorrows and then the encore was just Iron Maiden and Number of the Beast?
 
I think I might risk the crawling-out, tachycardia and probable diarrhea just for the possibility of seeing The Red and the Black Live. When that 10-minute rif (you know - to do doo doo doo doooo doooo doo doooo to da doo doo doo dooooo dooooo doo doooooo...) comes, I will probably faint anyway...

By the way: When the River Runs Deep would have been great live, I have no doubt.
 
I'm reaching a conclusion here: No matter which songs Maiden choose to play, there'll be complains. I mean, I would LOVE to see Empire being played live, but there only one place that I can see it: At the encore, as the only song. If they do that, others will complain that "there is not enough songs". In the end, a group will always complain.

And about FotD, Trooper, NotB...would you ask for the Stones to not play Satisfaction? Would you ask Purple to quit Highway Star? AC/DC retiring Back in Black and Highway to Hell? "Hey, Page, could you not play Stairway to Heaven? I'm tired of listening to it". Those songs are the symbol of the band, the marks that all the crowd will surely follow, that made them (even more) famous, and, damn it, the song they like to play. Maiden did a big thing by skipping Hallowed on 2012/13/14, RttH on 10/11/16, 2MTM this tour...you don't see other rock/metal bands dropping "hit songs" like that. That kind of song is the core of EVERY band, specially on an album tour. I'm amazed and thrilled that they are actually bringing back 2 gems. Every other band would play safe and execute the famous songs (2MTM and RttH).

About Tears, it's the song to give Bruce a rest. He's a almost 60 years old who had months of chemotherapy (a treatment that affects hard even younger people) thanks to a throat cancer. I agree that they could pick another song, yes, but another on this line (Coming Home, Wasted Years, maybe Afraid to Shoot Strangers or The Pilgrim). I'm just happy that Bruce can sing at 90% of the pre-cancer level and can deliver a nice concert to all of us. Wherever the songs are.
 
Bunch of Maiden fans in Vegas already. Off to see Megadeth tonight but I just can't wait until Sunday to get here already!!
 
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