Iron Maiden - O2 Arena, London - 6th August 2011 (Live Review)
Tuesday, 09 August 2011
Written by Ben Bland
The fact that British heavy metal’s finest band are still going after over thirty years is impressive enough...that they are still this good live is frankly incredible but then, that’s Iron Maiden for you. Their adoring fanbase has proved strong enough to sell out London’s biggest arena two nights in succession, at the conclusion of a world tour that has seen the band play nearly a hundred shows all across the world. Few bands have the kind of global appeal that Maiden have and even fewer bands find themselves at a peak of success shortly after releasing their fifteenth studio album. The thing is, Maiden are justifiably huge. They have earned their success by their persistence and dedication through good times and bad.
Trivium have been through both good and bad times in their, still surprisingly young, career. 2006’s 'The Crusade' and 2008’s 'Shogun' received mixed receptions from fans who had anticipated the Floridians becoming metal’s biggest new band. 'In Waves', their fifth studio record, is just two days from release as the band take to the stage at the O2 to support the band that frontman Matt Heafy claims to be “the greatest fucking metal band of all time”. Their forty-five minute set is impressively well played. The band may be used to supporting big acts but that doesn’t mean that the class of their performance should be ignored. Whatever you think of their sometimes stodgy approach to modern metal, it is easy to see how their live performances have won them many fans over the years. Their reception here may be a little underwhelming, but then Maiden fans are notoriously hard to please.
When the strains of UFO’s 'Doctor, Doctor' echo around the O2, everyone is aware that the moment is soon to arrive. Iron Maiden are soon to take to the stage. Even the prolonged bizarrely industrial-esque intro to 'Satellite 15...The Final Frontier' can’t prevent the rush of adrenaline that arrives when the band appear on stage and kick into one of their finest riffs of modern times. The energy onstage is unbelievable when one considers that all six men on stage are over fifty years old. Bruce Dickinson especially bounds around the stage with more vigour than many a frontman half his age. Guitarists Dave Murray and Adrian Smith may have more of the riff meat to deal in than Janick Gers but the Northerner is still an incredible stage presence, flinging his guitar about like a man who is set to profit a million pounds for every one that he breaks. Bassist and principal songwriter Steve Harris aims his bass at the crowd as if it was still the eighties. Meanwhile, somewhere behind his massive drum kit, Nicko McBrain never misses a beat. Performance wise, this is up there with the very best you’ll ever see.
Last year’s 'The Final Frontier' may have been a commercially and critically successful record but the inclusion of five of its tracks is a slight flaw in this setlist. The title track, 'El Dorado' and 'Coming Home' all fit into the set comfortably but more progressive-minded cuts like 'The Talisman' and 'When The Wild Wind Blows' really aren’t particularly suited to the rush of a Maiden show. It’s the classics that get the best reception. 'The Trooper' and 'The Wicker Man' are the top picks of the main set but when the encore comes it is 'The Number of the Beast' and 'Hallowed be thy Name' that really stun. They don’t sound a day old, let alone twenty-nine years old and as 'Running Free' brings the show to a close one is relieved at Dickinson’s earlier speech professing that the band will return. The end may well be in sight for this extraordinary band but one thing is clear; when they do finally leave they will go out with a bang and not a whimper.
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Last year’s 'The Final Frontier' may have been a commercially and critically successful record but the inclusion of five of its tracks is a slight flaw in this setlist. The title track, 'El Dorado' and 'Coming Home' all fit into the set comfortably but more progressive-minded cuts like 'The Talisman' and 'When The Wild Wind Blows' really aren’t particularly suited to the rush of a Maiden show. It’s the classics that get the best reception. 'The Trooper' and 'The Wicker Man' are the top picks of the main set but when the encore comes it is 'The Number of the Beast' and 'Hallowed be thy Name' that really stun. They don’t sound a day old, let alone twenty-nine years old and as 'Running Free' brings the show to a close one is relieved at Dickinson’s earlier speech professing that the band will return. The end may well be in sight for this extraordinary band but one thing is clear; when they do finally leave they will go out with a bang and not a whimper.
