Ahaha. Post more when wasted, dude.
Iron Maiden
It's been a week now. Have I not got around to doing an entry about this gig? Busy weekend and such I guess. Basically it was amazing. Beyond words.
Sarah and I were farrr too busy looking at the merchandise in the lobby and getting drunk. We were gonna get to the barrier straight away, but that plan kinda faded away. By the time we'd had a few drinks Trivium were halfway through their set and basically we didn't want to see them, so we kept drinking. Hurrah. Haha.
So by the time we got in there we were far back. Which was annoying. We pushed our way to about halfway which alright, then Maiden hit the stage. During the first song things were MAD, and we just went 'fuck it' and pushed our way like hell. We were probably a bit too rough at times, but eh, we really wanted to get up there. Haha. Which we did, not far from the barrier by the time the opener was finished. Result! =D
Basically they played the whole of
'A Matter of Life and Death' which was fucking awesome. I didn't hear one person complain. Not one. I respect them so much for doing that. As a GN'R fan you're lucky to get 2/3 songs per set that are under 15 years old, so for the Maiden boys to have that much faith in their new material (as they should) is just awesome.
They utterly blew through it. As good as the album is, live it's just so many notches up. How anyone could dislike it I have no idea. The passion and fury those guys put into each song...just breathtaking. I've listened to the album since and it's just got a new dimension for me now. I have so much more love for it, and that's saying something as it's one of my favourite albums of the year anyway.
But of course they did play some classics. All of my favourites, infact, so that made everyone happy. My favourite? Anyone who knows me remotely will predict correctly of being
'Fear of the Dark'. It was every bit as magical as I could've ever hoped and then some. From the swaying and sing-a-long for the first minute, to it breaking into insane moshing. And I mean insane. I got the shit beat out of me so bad during that song but I did not care one bit. It was immense. I got me some crowd surfing also, which was hella fun.
The others are as you'd expect really,
'2 Minutes to Midnight',
'Run to the Hills',
'The Evil That Men Do',
'Hallowed Be Thy Name' and the like.
As for the new stuff, my personal favourites were
'For the Greater Good of God' and
'Out of the Shadows'. Both have such amazing energy.
Just amazing. I'd never seen the CIA like that and I doubt I will again. The roof literally got blown off. Even a few days after I was feeling it. It was just a pure metal experience, y'know? I've seen Opeth, Isis, Motorhead..you name it. Total metal bands..but none had the feeling of Maiden.
I'm not entirely sure what it was, but looking up and seeing those guys rocking the fuck out, with an awesome backdrop and set, and amps so big that if I stayed a minute longer I'd end up deaf was just...adajdhasfhfh! Seriously. FUCKING AWESOME.
Ok, so best gig ever? Yes and no. Basically, I can't say they were better than GN'R. I just can't. My love for GN'R will always mean that those 4 gigs were the best of my life.
Standing back looking at it objectively? Yes. The tightest band I've ever had the pleasure of seeing. Just....yes. Yes. One thing that was surprising was how good Bruce was with the crowd. I mean he REALLY hyped us up something awful. Not to mention he spoke a bit of Welsh which went down a treat. Haha.
I'm really glad I wasn't more drunk, because my memories are somewhat blurred as it is. I'd hate to remember less than I do now. Haha. Ahh. Maiden <3
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That's my last gig of this year. Gutted.
