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

Can't see them taking an orchestra on tour, pretty expensive and a logistics nightmare. I could see them doing a one off show, probably at the very end of the tour.
This. It would effectively double the workload and would thus require a larger crew. Imagine having to pack up all the orchestra instruments, deal with their sound and mics before and during the show, have to deal with 40 more passports, pay hotels for 40 more people for each night of the tour, have 40 more people on the payroll, etc etc. It wouldn't anymore be just 6 guys on the stage, it would be 46. Find the room for all of them, get them to sync up, to be in tune, etc. Very difficult to pull off on a almost daily basis for, let's say, two months.
 
Pink Floyd did that for Atom Heart Mother tour. Financial disaster for years to come. Actually, Floyd were not doing well ($ wise) at all, for the better part of the 1970s, money started rolling in post Wish You Were Here and significantly at Animals tour. And then other problems came (partners/promotion ripping them off). /offtopic

And please no Empire and no orchestras on a standard Maiden tour / show. If they want to do performances that's fine. Maiden's metal show is an institution, has been for the last 30-40 years, no place there for Broadway, fanfare and jazz. IMHO
 
Well, you're bringing up a difficult task here. You're right, if somebody samples Bruces voice and plays it on keys, that could be very interesting. I can imagine something like the layered Bruce parts in Book of Thel, but played live, maybe more in an experimental kind of band. It's a fine line, because sampling can be absolutely great - sometimes, if it makes sense, even if it ISN'T played live (e. g. something like this www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kj6zNmzbO8E).
However, in the context of Powerslave, that's not the case IMO. Backing vocals in a live rock band as Maiden should be sung live or (if they can't do it) be left out. I think that backing tracks that are just there to beef things up but have no essential function, even in a more experimental band - Meshuggah do that unfortunately - are cheating. I mean, Maiden themselves say they don't like "playing" with playback - but where does that start?
I could go on and ramble for ages (I would certainly bring up the subject of click tracks that I hate with live bands) and I would never be able to proof my points, because ultimately it probably comes down to taste, also I've got to go, so I'll stop here. But I'm interested in the opinions of you guys. @Forostar, what's your standpoint?
@jazz from hell


A few examples of simulating/playing (along) (with) vocals on stage.

Epica let their big choirs run from tape/minidisc. This masks the (own) abilities of Simone's lead vocals somewhat since she sings along during many of these parts but no one on stage acts as if they sing along. Usually there are no extra microphones for backing vocals. Only when there is a guest vocalist.

Blind Guardian also have their choirs played on stage but band members sing along. But their voices sound so soft (and the tape sounds loud) that I wonder why they sing a long. I can only hope that people do not have the impression that the band members do all the vocals because then it would border to cheating. Acting as if band members really contribute to the vocal aspect of a show, I don't like that.

Dream Theater. I read a review that says that John Petrucci playbacked his own backing vocal during a concert of this tour. Some other forum members (some have seen other shows themselves) deny this, or even if it happened, they deny its importance. Still, I doubt if the man's voice can be heard for real, or that it really contributed when the tape is way louder. And that's the point.

Now let's see how Maiden's Powerslave fits in this context. In 1984 and 1985 live shows the Powerslave backing vocals were left out. I never forget my first listening session of the album Powerslave, which was a while after having heard Live After Death. It was a "wow, this is great"-moment during the chorus of the title track. Why they were left out, or why other band members did not do backing vocals, we can only guess. But.. they weren't done.

Fast forward to 1997, 1998 and 1999. Bruce Dickinson played Powerslave with his band. And the "choir" returned. Choir? Well, they turned up in the shape of two backing vocals. Eddie Casillas and Adrian Smith did the job. An awesome result if I may say so. Check here. Apparently someone came up with the idea, someone had the wish to make the chorus a little more epic, a little more bombastic.

So, in the Spring of 1999, the "choir" was still present in Bruce's set. A few months earlier, Bruce and Adrian returned to Maiden. The Ed Hunter Tour happened. Powerslave returned or stayed in the set, depending from which point of view we're looking. ;-)
The backing vocals were gone. Perhaps Steve didn't want to do it, or perhaps it didn't work after trying in rehearsals, anyway, the approach turned out the same as in the World Slavery Tour.

Then in 2008 and 2009 the song popped up once again. Someone must have suggested that the chorus could need a bit of extra bombast. What we hear is some kind of choirish keyboard, played by Michael Kenney. You'll notice that after the last chorus, the keys continue and are played along until the end.

In 2016 we have something, some of us think is not played by Kenney, and some of us think he does play it. First I thought he plays it because the whole (all exact notes) did not sound exactly the same as on the original album, but now I am not sure anymore. Judge yourself here:
1984, from Powerslave album: click
2016, from The Book of Souls World Tour: click

In any case, it is something that's not portrayed as being sung by someone on stage. In my opinion, compared to the Blind Guardian and Dream Theater backing vocal "performances" the Powerslave samples (even if they are not played) are not a big deal. Still, I prefer real sung backing vocals.

I do agree with @The Mid-Distance Runner that I rather see Maiden playing all their own parts as in Aces High and Caught Somewhere in Time, but at least, the band does not act as if they are playing these parts. I indeed think that Bruce liked the extra echo effect of his intro thing in If Eternity Should Fail but I also think that the original vocals served as a cue. It helped Bruce with starting his lines. He could have used in ear audio, but -as noted by Brigs- he probably liked the extra echo effect to be heard for the audience.
 
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They could do it on a small scale like Rush.

Yes something like that. A small chamber orchestra (approx. 25 members: 3 first violins, 3 second violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos, 1 double bass, 2 flutes, 2 bassoons, 2 clarinets, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, a percussionist and a pianist). They could fit that behind Nicko on a typical IM stage.
 
That would honestly be all they need for what they would want to do. They don't need to bring in the LSO or anything like that.
 
If Bruce syncs himself up right, I think it works quite well. But if it isn't timed well, it does sound quite messy.

I suppose it's meant to work in a similar way to the ghostly multiple voices heard in the IESF studio outro, but I agree, the recorded and live vocals ended up in conflict rather than the live vocals ringing out over background ones. At times it was confusing trying to follow the live ones, which is what I ideally want to hear in the opening song of a new tour, especially after all that Bruce has gone through.
 
It's way unrealistic to expect Empire in the 2nd leg, and more unrealistic to expect an orchestra to follow the band. If, and only if, they indeed played Empre (which would be on the encore, as The encore), i'm betting 10$ they would tape the "not-a-eletric-guitar-bass-or-a-drum" instruments and follow with their live presentation as usual. But even this is waiting for the angels to return. Maiden will play this song only in a special orchestra concert, like the one Metallica and Scorpions did. This is as much of a fact as they'll play Alexander only at their final tour or the final show of the final tour.

About what @matic22 said, I agree with the possibilities. I can't see they dropping any of the new album songs, because it's obvious how they loved them live (I don't like DoG, but Bruce's allowed to have his fun time. And it's a fun song. I have a better time hearing DoG than an average fan would have hearing Brighter Than a Thousand Suns, Ghost of the Navigator or another deep cut. The band can't prepare their set thinking only about the fans who wants to hear a B-Side of 198X. The bulk of their money comes from Wrathchild and everyone knows it :D). I can see Children being replaced by Brave New World, Blood Brothers being replaced by The Evil That Man Do (although a small piece of me is screaming "They'll retain this song on this new leg". It's a possibility) and Wasted Years probably being replaced by Sanctuary. But I strongly think WY will stay put and, again, I have a feeling that Blood Brothers will stay as well. If Powerslave is dropped, then Brave New World enters in his place and another song goes to replace Children (i don't think it'll be Revelations, although I could hear this song in a loop for hours). Maybe 22, like said before, or AtSS (it'll be the 25th birthday of FOTD as well, it would make sense to do something like A Matter of the Beast tour and play one not-so-shallow cut). Coming Home will be played only if they drop ToaC, both songs are similar in lenght and tone, and i don't see ToaC being dropped. Nicko fought for it and, honestly, it's one of the best songs live. Awesome riff, catchy chorus, nice backdrop and a really inspired Adrian's solo.

So, my bet is

If Eternity Should Fail
Speed of Light
Afraid to Shoot Strangers
Tears of a Clown
The Red and the Black
The Trooper
Brave New World
Death or Glory
The Book of Souls
Hallowed Be Thy Name
Fear of the Dark
Iron Maiden
--
The Number of the Beast
The Evil That Man Do
Wasted Years
 
It's way unrealistic to expect Empire in the 2nd leg, and more unrealistic to expect an orchestra to follow the band. If, and only if, they indeed played Empre (which would be on the encore, as The encore), i'm betting 10$ they would tape the "not-a-eletric-guitar-bass-or-a-drum" instruments and follow with their live presentation as usual. But even this is waiting for the angels to return. Maiden will play this song only in a special orchestra concert, like the one Metallica and Scorpions did. This is as much of a fact as they'll play Alexander only at their final tour or the final show of the final tour.

About what @matic22 said, I agree with the possibilities. I can't see they dropping any of the new album songs, because it's obvious how they loved them live (I don't like DoG, but Bruce's allowed to have his fun time. And it's a fun song. I have a better time hearing DoG than an average fan would have hearing Brighter Than a Thousand Suns, Ghost of the Navigator or another deep cut. The band can't prepare their set thinking only about the fans who wants to hear a B-Side of 198X. The bulk of their money comes from Wrathchild and everyone knows it :D). I can see Children being replaced by Brave New World, Blood Brothers being replaced by The Evil That Man Do (although a small piece of me is screaming "They'll retain this song on this new leg". It's a possibility) and Wasted Years probably being replaced by Sanctuary. But I strongly think WY will stay put and, again, I have a feeling that Blood Brothers will stay as well. If Powerslave is dropped, then Brave New World enters in his place and another song goes to replace Children (i don't think it'll be Revelations, although I could hear this song in a loop for hours). Maybe 22, like said before, or AtSS (it'll be the 25th birthday of FOTD as well, it would make sense to do something like A Matter of the Beast tour and play one not-so-shallow cut). Coming Home will be played only if they drop ToaC, both songs are similar in lenght and tone, and i don't see ToaC being dropped. Nicko fought for it and, honestly, it's one of the best songs live. Awesome riff, catchy chorus, nice backdrop and a really inspired Adrian's solo.

So, my bet is

If Eternity Should Fail
Speed of Light
Afraid to Shoot Strangers
Tears of a Clown
The Red and the Black
The Trooper
Brave New World
Death or Glory
The Book of Souls
Hallowed Be Thy Name
Fear of the Dark
Iron Maiden
--
The Number of the Beast
The Evil That Man Do
Wasted Years

I just hope they don't add TETMD. If they want to play something from SSOASS, I hope it's The Clairvoyant (or Infinite Dreams (not gonna happen)). The 2014 version of TETMD is one of Bruce's worst performances of that song.
 
So, my bet is

If Eternity Should Fail
Speed of Light
Afraid to Shoot Strangers
Tears of a Clown
The Red and the Black
The Trooper
Brave New World
Death or Glory
The Book of Souls
Hallowed Be Thy Name
Fear of the Dark
Iron Maiden
--
The Number of the Beast
The Evil That Man Do
Wasted Years
Realistic... but a bit unimaginative, isn't it? I guess the band knows it is one of their last tours and they have it in them to make a few last efforts in terms of song choice.
I can see a kind of boxset being released (Eddie's archive pt 2) and a tour in the vein of Gimme 'Ed till I'm Dead to promote it. I would like them to play "Be Quick..." and "BYDTTS" to illustrate the 90s.
 
I can't see them bringing back ATSS so soon, let alone replacing COTD. Would be another 80s classic there.
 
I can't see them bringing back ATSS so soon, let alone replacing COTD. Would be another 80s classic there.
22 Acacia Avenue? Heaven Can Wait? Die With Your Boots On? ["dream on" mode] Flight of Icarus?
I think it is too soon for "2 Minutes to Midnight" or "Revelations" to come back.
 
22 was the first one I thought of, though Die With Your Boots on is due for a comeback.
 
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