» Iron Maiden 2008 07 26  
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Reviewed by Thomas
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Headliner: Iron Maiden
Special guests: Lauren Harris, Avenged Sevenfold
City: Gothenburg, Sweden
Venue: Ullevi Stadium
Date: 26 July 2008
Iron Maiden set length: 120 minutes

Iron Maiden

Somewhere Back In Time, the early days part two if you like. The second part of the trip down memory lane from Iron Maiden, and this time with the whole eighties era in focus. If you have seen Iron Maiden earlier you know pretty much what to expect; their moves around the stage, the poses, Steve Harris' one foot on the monitor, the manic kicking around from Janick Gers, all of the "scream for me" from Bruce Dickinson and his waving about with Union Jack dressed in a red army-coat during The Trooper. All felt familiar and perhaps nothing was out of the ordinary this time either, it was just so damn well performed, and it was a so well staged show, but what can you expect from one of the worlds absolute best live bands? It is hard for me to maintain a professional objectivism towards Iron Maiden, they simply cannot fail in my eyes, especially live, but it must take a fool to not see the greatness they possessed this magic evening.

After a splendid opening with Aces High and 2 Minutes To Midnight, the first magic moment appeared with Revelations, and for the first time the crowd really screamed their lungs out together with Dickinson in the mighty first melodic part of the song, truly a goose-bump moment. However, nothing this evening came close to the grand Rime Of The Ancient Mariner, this was mighty enough to make a grown man cry. The theatrical move to have the huge light-rig that was swaying up and down combined with creaking sounds like a ship at sea and a stage filled with smoke really put the final touch to this epic piece. Moreover, to hear Powerslave live and to see Dickinson dash back and forth on stage in a feathery mask was truly a moment to remember.

The setlist was perhaps as one could expect, great of course, and contained many songs obligated by the band to perform. My only real objection was Can I Play With Madness?, that I would rather have seen replaced by Infinite Dreams. The old classics from Iron Maiden might perhaps have been played to boredom by now, at least that is your opinion before the show starts, but when played you simply love it, especially when you see how many in the crowd they gets going and by the ambience they create. The Trooper, Run To The Hills, The Number Of The Beast are all songs we don't need to hear one more time, we all now them by heart so well by now, but perhaps that is why they turn out so great live on the other hand. One exception though is Hallowed Be Thy Name, I don't think I can ever get tired of that one, especially when it comes to being performed live, since the might it possesses can never be worn out.

Heaven Can Wait might not be the best song Iron Maiden has done, but oh my bloody god how mighty it can become when nearly sixty thousand people sing along to the football-refrain in that one. Let us not forget Fear Of The Dark either, you get some pretty decent singing along in that one to. Just by looking at the audience Bruce Dickinson can get them to chant, something he knows and uses, but perhaps the crowd chanted more than what he expected. Therefore, it is safe to say that this was a success from beginning to end, and I think it was as well for the band as for the crowd.

And oh yes, in case you where wondering: Eddie was of course there. At first, in the song Iron Maiden a giant mummy-Eddie stuck out from the back of the stage, and for the second time in The Clairvoyant, when Cyborg-Somewhere-In-Time-Eddie entered the stage, so you can safely say that everything was in perfect order this evening. Up The Irons!

9 chalices of 10

SETLIST:

Churchill's Speech (intro)
Aces High
2 Minutes To Midnight
Revelations
The Trooper
Wasted Years
The Number Of The Beast
Can I Play With Madness?
Rime Of The Ancient Mariner
Powerslave
Heaven Can Wait
Run To The Hills
Fear Of The Dark
Iron Maiden
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Moonchild
The Clairvoyant
Hallowed Be Thy Name

Related links:
www.ironmaiden.com