Virtual XI tour cancellations

C

CrimsonEmotions

Trooper
Although the album sucked, I would like to have seen the Virtual XI tour, but the second half wound up getting cancelled before they came to Milwaukee. The official word was that it was due to Blaze's allergies, but has there been any confirmation that low ticket sales were the real reason?
 
We had a thread here on the forum recently about Iron Maiden and their integrity. And perhaps more importantly, Steve's integrity. I think he would have wanted to go out and give the fans a show no matter the turn out...

Now if it was really allergies or not...who knows? But at least some of those shows were rescheduled.
 
I don't think there ever was any other word other than "dust allergies" or whatever it was that supposedly took Blaze out for a bit on that tour--we'll probably never know, since neither side has gotten even close to an interview pissing match like Bruce vs. Maiden, so I can't imagine there will be a "tell-all" Maiden book or update of the official Maiden biography that will say otherwise.

I've gotten over my disappointment for the missed Minnesota show, even though I'd won a contest for free tickets, backstage, loot, and "Heaven Can Wait" onstage singing rights. The place they were set to play was a pretty small venue with a low ceiling, so almost certainly not even the walk-on Eddie would show up, so it could be they just decided some of those places weren't worth the trouble. The Chicago one was a mid-sized venue and they played a great show. Strange to say that was the roughest show I've been in, where up front my girlfriend (at the time) got punched in the ribs a few times by a guy who thought he was punching me...crowdsurfers kicking people as they went overhead, etc. :facepalm:
 
I think he had an "allergy" to singing tracks written for Bruce, multiple nights a week. It killed his voice.
That said, I have fond memories of seeing them in Wolverhampton, UK, on this tour. It was a great night.
 
Gerald Wiley said:
I think he had an "allergy" to singing tracks written for Bruce, multiple nights a week. It killed his voice.
That said, I have fond memories of seeing them in Wolverhampton, UK, on this tour. It was a great night.
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I'd call that accurate. It's pretty obvious that singing well outside his vocal capabilities was what resulted in his voice being blown partway through the tour, and I wouldn't be surprised if it came to a head midway through the US tour where they gave him a week (or whatever it was) to recuperate and finish the tour.

Why Steve refused to tune down to accommodate his limited range is beyond me, since Steve isn't stupid and that should've been obvious. It was more or less setting Blaze up for failure.
 
CA Bryers said:
Why Steve refused to tune down to accommodate his limited range is beyond me, since Steve isn't stupid and that should've been obvious. It was more or less setting Blaze up for failure.
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Stubbornness. Also a word that would accurately describe Steve's entire career in Maiden, for better or worse.
 
One for the musicians amongst you... How easy is it for a band like Maiden to tune down to suit a singer? Are we talking about detuning the bass and each guitar by a tone? Certainly on the bass, that would result in a very floppy E string. I would think for Steve and the guitarists the feel of the instruments would be significantly different.
 
I can't speak for bass, having only played one for literally about half an hour, but it's certainly doable on a guitar. It's not something a decent pro guitarist can't handle. Adrian gave a couple of tips on playing in a lower tuning in a guitar tips video I saw, and you can use thicker gauge strings if you play in lower tuning a lot. It changes the overall sound, though. Bands that play in D Standard or C Standard most of the time sound darker and more moody.
 
I heard Blaze picked up his allergies while playing in Arizona. As someone who has lived there and is not a native, I will say: the dust is killer. I kept getting sick while I was there and realized that it wasn't a cold, it was constant inhalation of disgusting desert dust particles.
 
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