Guest Contributor: John Clairvoyant on Iron Maiden

Editors Note: I debated posting this Iron Maiden piece on this blog. This is, after all, a blog that is ostensibly about all things soulful. But the piece is fun, and Mr. Clairvoyant is as expert in the area of Heavy Metal and hard rock as I am about Aretha circa 1967-1972, and I always have a healthy respect for those that are as geeky as I am in their preferred field of expertise. I think it's official that this is now the only blog that has written in depth about both Bobby Womack and Iron Maiden. I'm proud.



Iron Maiden Concert Review
Izod Arena: March 14, 2008
By: John Clairvoyant
Top 10 Reason Why Maiden Still Rule

10. They over deliver live every time. No “stripped down” production. No “jazz explorations in front of a festival crowd” to waste time. No “auto pilot” sets. Full-on metal attack from “Aces High” through the end of “Hallowed Be Thy Name.”

9. Each and every member still plays like their life depended on it. No one member of the band “carries” the other to cover flubs.

8. When you go to a Maiden show, you have the option to buy merch from PREVIOUS tours and previous albums. Now there’s a concept. Because don’t forget, even though Eddie is a chameleon, he’s a metal constant!

7. Impeccable, crystal clean, separated live sound. And VERY LOUD too. Better arena sound than The Stones, Van Halen or Springsteen. Not even close.

6. You’re guaranteed to see a new robotic Eddie every tour. And yeah, the 6 year old behind me was drooling when Eddie strolled during out “Iron Maiden” (which closed the main set). Awesomely, the Eddie from this tour is the Somewhere In Time Eddie!

5. All killer-no-filler. This tour focuses on every massive Maiden song you’d ever want to hear. From “Aces High” to “Wasted Years” to the ENTIRE “Rime Of the Ancient Mariner” (not played in perhaps 20 some years). 16 songs of pure headbangin’ exctasy. Yeah, the band made their fans suffer through their ENTIRE new album on their last Matter of Life and Death tour. Ballsy move, but one for which I give the band full credit for trying. If Bowie, Costello, or Neil Young did it, critics would call it “ambitious.” But not this time. Too many pissed of mullet heads in the bathroom on that last tour.

4. No drum solo. No guitar solos. No solos PERIOD! Just songs with long solos DURING them, but no needless noodling.

3. Bruce Dickinson is singing better than ever. Not an easy feat with songs like “Fear of the Dark” and “Run To The Hills” which would give any lesser singer a complex just thinking about.

2. There’s no irony in this shit. They mean it man. It’s like Nirvana never happened. And remember that Nirvana liked Slayer, and there’s no irony in that either.

DOUBLE TIE FOR #1

1. REASONABLE ticket prices. The most expensive ticket was 59 bucks with a production BIGGER than Van Halen, Eric Clapton or most notably, The Police.

1. The band comes back on June 15th to play MSG and announce it on-stage so fans can plan ahead. Crowd goes ballistic. Up the Irons!