Here's a loooooooong write up of my first Maiden show which just so happened to be on The X Factour!
Fear Factory / Iron Maiden
-Hammerjacks, Baltimore, MD
19 Feb 1996
I can’t believe it’s been that long. I’m sure I’ve recounted this story numerous times, but I’m going to do it again because I think it’s a pretty cool story.
So, I’m 17 years old and a senior in High School and am in a metal band. February rolls around and I start feeling sick. I was rushed to the ER on Valentine’s Day only to find out that I had mono AND strep throat. Needless to day, I knew I would be bed ridden for awhile. All I did for about 4 days was sleep. It’s easily the sickest I have ever been in my life. I lost weight because I couldn’t eat anything, it was really bad. I was running a fever no cowbell for cure for almost a week.
Now, I had a tape player in my room back then, years before I ever owned a stereo with a CD player. Since I had a radio on this thing I would set it to DC 101 which was the only rock station I could get back then, and would sometimes just randomly turn it on to hear what they were playing. What happened on this night I will never forget.
I went upstairs to my room to go to bed, it was probably 7 PM or thereabouts, and I switched on my radio as I often did. Mere seconds after doing so I heard it: “Appearing live at Hammerjacks in Baltimore on Tuesday, February 19, with full sound and stage, the legends Iron Maiden”.
It took me about 3 seconds to realize what I had just heard, and when I did I started screaming like a 5 year old on Christmas. Naturally, since I had been so sick, my entire family converged on my room since they though something terrible had happened, haha. They were relieved to know that I was still alive and had heard “the news”.
Now, this sounds kinda lame now I guess, but back then I never paid much attention to when metal shows would come through town. I was too young to go to Jaxx and most club shows, and the Washington Post never printed ads for shows in Baltimore. This was obviously before every one was online, so I really had NO idea Maiden was supposed to play in the area. If it wasn’t for the chance hearing of that ad I would have never known.
About 4 minutes after hearing “the news” I called the club to verify that I would even be able to get in at all, since I was only 17 and most clubs were either 18 or 21+ at the time. Thank GOD it was 17+ for what reason I will never know, but I am forever thankful it was.
The next morning I went with my Dad to Tower Records to buy the tickets. I just couldn’t believe that I had tickets with my favorite band’s name printed on them. This whole thing seemed surreal. From hearing “the news” to the date of the show would only be a few agonizingly sick days, but I knew I could make it.
Fast forward to the 19th. It was a frigid February day. Since it was President’s Day, we were out of school anyway. My band was to jam at a friend’s house but I never made it for obvious reasons. I ended up writing the lyrics to our 6 original tunes that day. It was pretty cool.
So, the crew heading up to Baltimore consisted of my parents and my two band mates. Everyone knew how sick I was, and they all though it was crazy that I even dared tried going to this, but I was not to be deterred. I was so pumped up at the idea of seeing my favorite band in a club that my 101 degree fever mattered not to me.
We pulled up to the club parking lot and ended up parked under a bridge. I’ll never forget it. The club was demolished a few years later to make room for the Ravens stadium, but I just remember what a seedy and yet awesome location it was. There was already a line outside the venue and I was getting pretty excited. I nearly lost my shit when I saw Steve Harris jot from the club to the bus as soon as well pulled up. I couldn’t believe this was actually going to happen.
This was my first club show. As I said, I was still only 17 and couldn’t get into most club shows back then, it’s only in the last 5 years or so that they’ve made them all ages. Not only that, but I had only been to 4 shows up to this point so the whole idea of actually seeing bands live was so still very fresh and new to me.
We stood in line what felt like forever. It was really cold and I could barely stand. All I could do is pop Cherry flavored Halls since my strep was so bad my breath was atrocious. Now every time I have cherry flavored Halls I think of this night haha. Finally we got in. I managed to buy a shirt which was awesome as it was my first Maiden concert tee. I nearly shat myself when I saw the Eddie backdrop behind the drums for the opening band .
Now, I had no clue who Fear Factory was, other than they were the openers. They made me a fan with their performance that night, they were so good. I just remember them playing a lot of Demanufacture tunes and how fat their guitarist was.
So, FF finishes and me and my buds make our way to the front. Well, not really the front, but right behind the mosh pit area. From what I can tell the club is packed at this point. I have Eric on my left and Rick on my right making sure I don’t fall over or pass out as it was hot in there and I was already sick beyond belief. I had no business whatsoever even being out of the house let alone in a smoky metal bar.
Now, this was the Blaze era of the band. I loved The X Factor when it came out and still do. It’s probably because I associate that album so much with this amazing night. The lights go down and I see the shadows of the band members I have posters of at home standing on stage right. My pulse is probably near 200 at this point, I just can’t believe what’s happening.
Maiden bust right into Man On The Edge and I lose it. I was one with the whole performance. It was loud, it was raucous, it was amazing. Steve Harris, Dave Murray, Janick Gers and Blaze Bayley were there, right in front of me (Nicko was there too but I couldn’t see him). They were larger than life yet at the same time so accessibly close I could reach out and touch them. It was incredible.
I only actually remember small things about the actual Maiden show since it flew by so fast. I remember Blaze singing his tunes really well, but how awful he was on the Bruce stuff. Especially Clairvoyant and Hallowed Be Thy Name. They played 6 X Factor tunes and this was again before set lists were available before shows so each tune they played received a “holy shit, awesome!” response (as opposed to the current holier than thou, they better play “x” song mentality that lots of spoiled metalheads seem to have these days).
Blaze pointed at me during Lord of the Flies and told me to “come on!” (his version of scream for me I guess). I’ve come to realize that too was a stage mannerism of his after hearing countless bootlegs, but on that night I really thought he was pointing me out. I remember the sweat taking away like all of his hair, dude was nearly bald by the end of the show. I remember Janick climbing to the top of the stack of amps at the end of Iron Maiden. There was no Eddie, no pyro, just 5 dudes and the METAL. It was surreal. I never expected to be there and yet I was.
Thankfully, Eric and Rick did their jobs since I was close to passing out a few times during the show. I left the hall drenched and fulfilled. My dreams for the next few nights consisted of trying to relive as much as my sick brain could remember from the night.
I always enjoy those “cotton ear” post show conversations. Lots of “what” and “yeah, that was awesome” were bantered back and forth on the drive home. The whole drive home we spent just trying to make sense of it all. Both my parents had a great time as well, I think they got as much a kick out of the band as they did of seeing me act so crazy.
I was sick from home for another week, I didn’t tell many where I was that night since I knew it was pretty irresponsible and dumb of me to go, but I just knew I had to.
It would be another 3 ½ years and another pretty cool story until I was to see Maiden again (in Germany on the Ed Hunter reunion tour as I was on vacation) but that’s another story.