Description
Triple picture disc set. Each picture disc comes in a special die-cut window sleeve
Iron Maiden first visit to Arnhem in Holland was back in 1993 and then they performed for about five thousand people in the Rijnhal Arena, during the farewell tour of singer Bruce Dickinson. Things didnt really go as planned with that farewell and twenty-five years later the British heavy metal pioneers are back in Arnhem for the third time and this time at Gelredome, 1st of July 2018, which is more than six times as large as Rijnhal. This time the band is out on the Legacy Of The Beast Tour and it kicks of the night with Aces High, one of the best opening songs of any band, partly due to the intro with the exciting Winston Churchill speech.We Shall Fight On The Beaches blares through the Gelredome, the lights go out, and bam: The concert begins. But what do we get? There is just a replica of a Spitfire fighter plane hanging above the stage! That’s a knock on the door. I bet you haven’t seen a Spitfire above Arnhem like this since 1944 shouts Bruce Dickinson, who gets the whole stadium on his hand early in the show when he shouts several times Scream for me Arnhem throws through. The stage looks like a war zone, covered with camouflage netting over the amps, and the following tracks stay within the same theme of battle and war: Where Eagles Dare, 2 Minutes To Midnight, and The Clansman. The traditional performance of the meter-tall mascot Eddie comes early, when he takes on a sword duel with Dickinson in his Trooper outfit. After this battle, the stage turns into a kind of cathedral, full of stained glass variants of famous Eddies. Dickinson appropriately dresses up as a priest for Revelations. During the somewhat long-winded For The Greater Good Of God that follows, many concertgoers gratefully take the opportunity to visit the bars and the toilets. You would almost think that is why the band deliberately throws in such a long drawn-out relatively new song. But with The Wicker Man, the reunion single from 2000, the show just goes full speed ahead. Sign Of The Cross is also a bit too long, but the theatrical performance with plenty of flames still holds the attention. Then the classic Flight Of Icarus is finally released, which will be played live again during this tour for the first time since 1986, complete with a huge falling Icarus in the background. During Fear Of The Dark, Bruce Dickinson dresses up as a masked gravedigger, before transforming the stage into a flame-filled inferno for one last act of squatters only: first The Number Of The Beast and Iron Maiden – with a giant Eddie as The Beast above. towers out of the stage – and finally an encore consisting of The Evil That Men Do, Hallowed Be Thy Name and, as a closing, Run To The Hills, which was not played on the previous tour. So the show is of a high level, but does that also apply to the band? During the previous Book Of Souls tour it sometimes seemed as if Dickinson’s voice had become somewhat jaded after his battle with tongue cancer. However, there is now nothing to notice: the 59-year-old singer is remarkably good all evening and he still runs for two hours in all directions. Bassist and bandmaster Steve Harris is also remarkably vital for a 62-year-old old hand. The guitarist trio Adrian Smith (for the melodic solos), Dave Murray (for the technical solos) and Janick Gers (for the pirouette solos) are in such form that they definitely will be here for years to come. Nicko McBrain, as always hidden behind his drum kit, is already 66, but he still has that youthful grin. Maiden is clearly far from past its sell-by date, and that’s a good thing. As long as Bruce Air Raid Dickinson can still get all his highs, this iconic formation can continue for years to come. For now, fans don’t have to worry, because the air raid siren is still at full power.
Track list:
1. Pre-intro: Doctor Doctor (UFO)
2. Aces High
3. Where Eagels Dare
4. 2 Minutes To Midnight
5. The Clansman
6. The Trooper
7. Revelations
8. For The Greater Good Of God
9. The Wickerman
10. Sign Of The Cross
11. Flight Of Icarus
12. Fear Of The Dark
13. The Number Of The Beast
14. Iron Maiden
15. The Evil That Men Do
16. Hallowed Be Thy Name
17. Run To The Hills