Hard Features |
Iron Maiden LiveAt The Hammerstein Ballroom, NYC, January 23, 2004by Jonathan Mariante In touring for their latest album, "Dance Of Death", Iron Maiden have decided to only play handful on US dates (a few in New York and LA), perhaps because they did a full scale US tour last summer. I wasn't about to miss them this time...so I managed to catch the first of these dates, on January 23, at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. Arch Enemy were the opening act. They are a thrash/death metal band from Sweden who have been making waves in the metal scene for the past few years. Fronted by blonde bombshell Angela (who MUST be related in some way to wrestling diva Trish Stratus! The two look very much alike!), they put on a fairly good show, cranking out the metal full tilt They played a selection of songs from all their albums, Angela belting out for all she was worth! Arch Enemy seem very influenced by old school thrash metal. While the audience was relatively polite to them (except for a bunch in one corner who shouted "You suck!" at them continually!), giving them applause when appropriate, I think most everyone was just waiting for Maiden. And our boys made it worth the wait! Out they came in all their glory, all three guitars blazing (this was the first time I'd seen them play with all three guitarists), and kicked off the show with "Wildest Dreams", the opening "DOD" cut. The setlist focused heavily on the new album, but of course they played many classics, such as "The Trooper", "Wrathchild", "Can I Play With Madness", "Fear Of The Dark", "Iron Maiden" (where the infamous Eddie finally made his almighty presence known, this time as a giant Reaper!), and what I call the "Beast Trio"; "Run To The Hills", "Number Of The Beast" (where a smaller version of Eddie came on stage, ruby red eyes a-blazing, and wrestled with the guys!), and "Hallowed Be Thy Name". Of the new songs, I particularly enjoyed "Journeyman", the "unplugged" tune from "Dance Of Death". They played it very well, and it was cool to hear them doing something a bit different. During the song "Dance Of Death", Bruce dressed in a rather silly outfit, like Green Lantern meets the Phantom Of The Opera; and when they played "Paschendale" (another "DOD" cut), they set up the stage like a World War II battlefield, with Bruce dressed in army garb. Maiden's performance was nothing short of excellent, just as always! Not that there were any doubts it wouldn't be. Maiden are the greatest metal band of all time, and will remain so forever, until the end of time! I do, however, have one major gripe about this concert-they didn't play any songs from "Powerslave"! I couldn't believe it! One of Maiden's best and most significant albums and they totally blew it off! There were places where they could have thrown in a "'Slave" tune or two, like they strangely threw in "Lord Of The Flies", from the "X Factor" album. I'm not saying I don't like this song, but I much rather would have heard "Two Minutes To Midnight" or "Aces High", and I'm sure most other Maiden fans would agree with that! I was also hoping they'd play "Wicker Man", but they also left this one out, although they did play "Brave New World". Aside from that, well done, Maiden, as always! Keep up the great work! Just remember "Powerslave" next time! |
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