Iron Maiden Concert Review (since several people have asked. . .)

I have seen Maiden several times, and they are my favorite band, period. The best concert they delivered, in my opinion, was on the 2008 Somewhere Back in Time tour. They were perfect from the first note, the sound was unbelievable, the guitars crisp and clean, and the tempo perfect.

Positives: Great set list, great stage presence, lighting was outstanding, and special effects were very strong.

Negatives: Last night's show at Concord was a mixed bag. It is always great to see Maiden, but from the very first measure the tempo was . . . off. At least half of the songs were played so fast that Dickinson had problems keeping up, and I could see Harris slurring some fast runs intentionally because on a few songs he simply could not play them. Even my brother, a diehard IM fan, leaned over several times and said, 'Jesus, are these guys all on speed tonight?!"

The sound was also iffy at times. For much of the show Dickinson's voice alternated from perfect to not audible at all--completely different from the 2008 tour. Our seats were great, so I can't attribute the muddy sound (it went from crystal clear to muddy in the same song, over and over--very odd) to our seating location. Also at times it was SO LOUD that you could not make out individual instruments--again that is not a Maiden trademark. They are always LOUD, but not a wall of mud ala Aerosmith in the 1980s. This was one of the first concerts I can recall where the opening act (Dream Theater) had better sound than Maiden in terms of balance and instrumental and vocal clarity.

Overall, how can you not love Maiden live? They give it there all on every song, and never let down. They work hard, please hard, and are perhaps the greatest hard rock band to ever grace a stage. Last night was not their best performance, but . . . I am looking forward to seeing them again, where ever I can.

Up the Irons.