IRON MAIDEN Perform "Killer"

IRON MAIDEN Perform "Killer" Set In New Jersey

Review by Mark Gromen

Rumors that the current tour is comprised of material solely from Powerslave on are inaccurate, at least at the Susquehanna Bank Center, in Camden, NJ, the outdoor venue across the river from Philadelphia. In fact, apart from the DiAnno era, the song selection spanned ’82 to ’92, with a hefty collection from the earlier years. A beautiful night to be under open skies, yet Bruce Dickinson took the stage wearing a toque, as Maiden opened with ‘Aces High’. High energy, right from the start, followed by ‘2 Minutes To Midnight’ and Piece Of Mind’s ‘Revelations’ before the band took a breather. For ‘The Trooper’, the singer donned what appeared to be a Mounty outfit, waving the Union Jack feverishly atop the second floor that ringed the stage. IN the right (addled) state of mind, this “greatest hits” set rivalled the enjoyment witnessed by European festival sets from SCORPIONS and ACCEPT! The stage was bathed in blue and aqua green for ‘Wasted Years’, which saw Janick Gers extended his guitar neck into the crowd, for fans to strum, as the song concluded. Red was the color for ‘Number Of The Beast’, giant plumes of flame shooting from the stage. Hell and fire, indeed. Dickinson mentioned, “A bit of jazz coming up. 1, 2, 3, 4… ‘Can I Play With Madness’ which sounds positively poppy compared to the rest of the set. On the floor, center stage, is the eye within a pyramid symbol that also appears on the US dollar (a subtle reminder of what this retrospective tour is raking in, big time). For ‘Rime Of The Ancient Mariner’, Dickinson lost the toque, replaced by an equally unnecessary (given the balmy weather) wardrobe, a well-worn, shawl-like wrap, reminiscent of Merlin, or some other wizard. He stood on the upper tier, above drummer Nicko McBrain, but absent during the lengthy instrumental section, the purple-lit stage filled with fog. This marked the first time the trio of guitarist stood abreast. As the song picked up pace, fireworks ignited over the band’s head, onstage. The backdrop changed as red phosphorous burned brightly to herald ‘Powerslave’, Dickinson reappearing in trademark feathered mask. Founder/bassist Steve Harris was flanked by the guitar tandem of Adrian Smith and Dave Murray to start ‘Heaven Can Wait’. Gers punctuating the infectious chorus (sung by the suddenly appearing radio contest winners) pogo jumping like an epileptic jack-in-the-box. As much as I hated Maiden in the late '80s and throughout the '90s, these shows (dating back to the ill-fated Ozzfest dates) are loads of fun! ‘Run To The Hills’ sees the final chorus trading alternate lines with the crowd. A single, repetitive cymbal crash announces ‘Fear Of The Dark’, the audience again taking the cue, picking up the “woah, woah” chant right away. The signature ‘Iron Maiden’ ended the proper set, the ubiquitous Eddie making a mummified entrance from behind the cracked golden sphinx bearing his image. The band returned for a pair of Seventh Son tracks (‘Moonchild’ and ‘The Clairvoyant’). Neither would rank as essential Maiden, so their inclusion in the encore is a bit strange, but somehow it works, ultimately wrapping up the evening with ‘Hallowed Be Thy Name’. Killer.

Iron Maiden headline Saturday’s (June 21st) Hvy Mtl festival, in Montreal, QC. Watch for a full report on BraveWords.com.

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