This is the first gig myself and the guys I used to play in a cover band have managed to arrange as part our annual city break which we have been doing for a number of years.
Having been to the bands specially arranged Eddie’s Bar in the park area of Bucharest we arrive at the stadium to be met by the Maiden faithful young and old decked out in their Iron Maiden shirts and jackets ready to witness this massive event. There are people here from all over the world, demonstrating the international status Iron Maiden have.
Anthrax
The arena is already busy when tonight’s support Anthrax take the stage. Many of their fans charge to the front of the stage whilst some of those in the standing area start a crazy mosh pit running around and smashing into each other for the entire set. As anyone who’s knows their music will know Anthrax are hardcore and their set is menacing throughout with most tunes played at breakneck speed. They take us through some classic tracks spanning their 40 plus years as a band.
They open with ‘Among the Living’ the title track from their 1987 album, then pile into ‘Madhouse’ which has a classic metal riff that shows their influences such as Judas Priest. ‘Caught in a Mosh’ sets off the mosh pit in the standing area with people crashing into each other with the music moving between classic metal and intense thrash with excellent guitar lines. ‘Metal Thrashing Mad’ takes it up a notch and sees the younger people in the stands begin headbanging along as they engage the audience in the show.
Right on cue ‘It’s for the Kids’ kicks in at ferocious speed as the set intensifies and the young and old sing along. Classic stuff. We are treated to their cover of ‘Antisocial’ by band ‘Trust’, a band which featured none other than Nicko McBrain which is a great singalong. They follow this with ‘Got the Time’, a Joe Jackson track from his 1979 album ‘Look Sharp’ which they released as a single in 1990. They end the set with ‘Indians’ with opening drum flourish into full speed thrash metal from their 1987 album ‘Among the Living’ which is an amazing end to a classic set.
Iron Maiden
As is customary for the start of Iron Maiden shows, the live version of ‘Doctor Doctor’ by ‘UFO’ blasts out around the stadium to signal the start of the show and the atmosphere amongst the locals is electric with young people excitedly leaping around while thousands of phones catch the moment the band arrive on stage to a hero’s welcome. We are treated to a set of 20 classic Maiden tracks with full pyrotechnics, amazing visuals, theatrics, stage show and backdrops that fit brilliantly with the music.
With Bruce Dickinson roaring vocals, the classic three leads guitars and the galloping bass of Steve Harris which he wields like a weapon and the complex drumming required of their songs take this show to another level. Simon Dawson does a great job as Nicko McBrain is a hard act to follow given Nicko’s decision to retire from touring. As ever, the guitar lines of Dave Murray, Adrian Smith and Janick Gers are sublime throughout.
They start with the classic ‘The Ides of March’ from their 1981 album ‘Killers’ and follow this with ‘Murders in the Rue Morgue’ from the same album with its classic bass and guitar lines. The crowd young and old leaping around, a line of teenagers headbanging just in front of us. There is no let up from this as they work into ‘Wrathchild’ and title track ‘Killers’ which gallops along like a steam train.
‘Phantom of the Opera’ is absolute class and it’s hard to imagine how something this complex featured on their first album as the guitar riffs are still as surprising now as they were all those years ago. As if that wasn’t enough they ‘ follow this with ‘The Number of the Beast’ the title track from their 1982 album. As ever the show features Eddie making regular appearances fighting and playing along with band members with the crowd reacting to his every move and great cheers go up every time he ventures out.
‘Infinite Dreams’ slow it down a pace and the classic metal of ‘Powerslave’ from the album of the same name leads up into ‘2 Minutes to Midnight’ with its killer chorus with the whole stadium singing along. Dickinson’s vocals are as strong as ever which ‘Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ clearly shows.
As the classic drum opening of ‘Run to the Hills’ starts we know we are on the home straight of the gig. This is as good as it’s ever been and the young lad in front of us is leaping around in his seat air drumming throughout. The crowd joining in with the vocal before the final choruses is a real moment and you wonder how they can top this. But to put this track in the middle of the set shows the strength of their songs.
The power groove of ‘Seventh Son of a Seventh Son’ follows before they launch into the unmistakable riffs of ‘The Trooper’ which is probably my favourite Iron Maiden track. ‘Hallowed Be Thy Name’ complete with full theatrics is epic like a complex play to music. Their songs drag you into their story which all their fans engage with. This is some spectacle in an arena of this size and when ‘Iron Maiden’ takes off to end the set the crowd go berserk.
As if this wasn’t enough, the familiar sound of Churchill’s speech leads into ‘Aces High’ played at breakneck speed, vocals, guitars, bass and drums spot on with Dickinson waving the Union Jack and also a Romanian flag. Nice touch. Follower, ‘Fear of the Dark’ sparks a mass singalong before they end with ‘Wasted Years’ from 1986 album ‘Somewhere in Time’ which would seem a fitting end to this amazing show given its lyrics and their 51 years as a band which is some achievement.
This was a brilliant show in a great city with thousands of fans from all over Romania and beyond. I bet my workmate who saw them at the Golden Eagle pub in Birmingham, England in the late 1970s would never have thought they would be playing shows on this scale and still killing it on stage over 50 years later. A class act indeed.
Set List
Doctor Doctor (UFO song)
The Ides of March
Murders in the Rue Morgue
Wrathchild
Killers
Phantom of the Opera
The Number of the Beast
Infinite Dreams
Powerslave
2 Minutes to Midnight
Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Run to the Hills
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
The Trooper
Hallowed Be Thy Name
Iron Maiden
Churchill’s Speech – Aces High
Fear of the Dark
Wasted Years
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life – (Monty Python song)
