Description

Picture disc with cover artwork

Blaze Bayley was chosen as Bruce Dickinson’s replacement after hundreds of auditions. His departure from Wolfsbane led to their disbandment later that year. After a serious motorcycle accident put him out of commission for a year, Bayley was able to record vocals for Maiden’s The X Factor, released in 1995. Bayley went on tour with the band in support of the album. Another Iron Maiden album with Bayley on vocals, Virtual XI was released in 1998. The two Iron Maiden albums released during Bayley’s tenure did not chart as well as the band had hoped. The X Factor peaked at No. 8 on the UK Albums Chart and Virtual XI hit only No. 16, both being the lowest-charting Iron Maiden studio albums since Killers was released in 1981. The Virtual XI Tour started on the 22nd of April 1998 to the 12th of December 1998. As with their previous tour, several of the band’s U.S. shows had to be cancelled after vocalist Blaze Bayley had issues with his voice, at the time reportedly from an allergic reaction to pollen and dust while the group were in Nevada and Arizona. Another fact is also that Blaze were suffering due to extensive touring and performing songs outside his vocal range. This album features 8-track from the bands final show on the Virtual XI tour, the one at the Velez Sarsfield Stadium at Buenos Aires in Argentina on the 12th of December 1998. Nor Blaze or the band were at the time aware of the fact that they just had completed the last live performance with Blaze ever. In 1999, Bayley was dismissed from Iron Maiden during a band meeting as former vocalist Bruce Dickinson would return to the group the following year. At the end of the tour both the Clairvoyant and The Educated Fool had been dropped from the bands set list.

Track list:
1. Intro
2. Futureal
3. The Angel And The Gambler
4. Man On The Edge
5. Lightning Strikes Twice
6. The Clansman
7. When Two Worlds Collide
8. 2 Minutes To Midnight