07-SMS:A1L
Educated Fool
Some critics claim that by 1998, Iron Maiden was past their prime, citing that they were out of breath and no longer at their best. However, they proved the naysayers wrong by delivering their longest performance ever that year. On April 22, 1998, they kicked off the Virtual XI World Tour with a marathon 3-hour show at the Oval in Norwich, performing as 'The Angel and the Gamblers.' Interestingly, this was the same venue where they first performed the live classic 'Fear of the Dark,' marking the start of their Fear of the Dark tour as 'The Nodding Donkeys' on June 2, 1992.
Personally, I find the most interesting part of this setlist to be the second encore. While the main set and the first encore followed what would later become the Virtual XI setlist (with Fortunes of War only surviving past the first two shows, and Don’t Look to the Eyes of a Stranger sticking around a bit longer), the second encore featured four songs from The X Factor album. The first song, Lord of the Flies, was a song that came and went throughout the tour, being performed at roughly two-thirds of the shows. The second and third songs, Blood on the World’s Hands and The Aftermath, made their only appearance outside of the X Factor tour during this show. After this, they were never performed by Iron Maiden again. The fourth song, Sign of the Cross, wasn’t part of the setlist during the tour's first week, but it would later become a staple of the Virtual XI tour, replacing Don’t Look to the Eyes of a Stranger, which was dropped after a week. The fifth song, Murders in the Rue Morgue (the first time it was played live since 1984), was included in the setlist for eight shows, and its inclusion was a thrilling surprise for fans. After nearly three hours of playing, the band had to decide what song to end with—and what better choice than... Wrathchild! It made its only appearance during the Virtual XI World Tour at this show. This was also probably the only time in Maiden history were it was used a set closer.
Photos:
Setlist:
Personally, I find the most interesting part of this setlist to be the second encore. While the main set and the first encore followed what would later become the Virtual XI setlist (with Fortunes of War only surviving past the first two shows, and Don’t Look to the Eyes of a Stranger sticking around a bit longer), the second encore featured four songs from The X Factor album. The first song, Lord of the Flies, was a song that came and went throughout the tour, being performed at roughly two-thirds of the shows. The second and third songs, Blood on the World’s Hands and The Aftermath, made their only appearance outside of the X Factor tour during this show. After this, they were never performed by Iron Maiden again. The fourth song, Sign of the Cross, wasn’t part of the setlist during the tour's first week, but it would later become a staple of the Virtual XI tour, replacing Don’t Look to the Eyes of a Stranger, which was dropped after a week. The fifth song, Murders in the Rue Morgue (the first time it was played live since 1984), was included in the setlist for eight shows, and its inclusion was a thrilling surprise for fans. After nearly three hours of playing, the band had to decide what song to end with—and what better choice than... Wrathchild! It made its only appearance during the Virtual XI World Tour at this show. This was also probably the only time in Maiden history were it was used a set closer.
Photos:
Setlist:
- Futureal (Live debut)
- The Angel and the Gambler (Live debut)
- Lightning Strikes Twice (Live debut)
- Man on the Edge
- Heaven Can Wait
- Fortunes of War
- The Clansman (Live debut)
- When Two Worlds Collide (Live debut)
- 2 Minutes to Midnight
- The Educated Fool (Live debut)
- Don't Look to the Eyes of a Stranger (Live debut)
- Hallowed Be Thy Name
- Afraid to Shoot Strangers
- The Evil That Men Do
- The Clairvoyant
- Fear of the Dark
- Iron Maiden
- The Number of the Beast
- The Trooper
- Sanctuary
- Lord of the Flies
- Blood on the World's Hands
- The Aftermath
- Sign of the Cross
- Murders in the Rue Morgue (First time played live since 1984)
- Wrathchild
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