Category: Live Reviews
Tags: iron maiden, wacken open air 2010

I am not much of a fan of Iron Maiden, but- having seen them live last year- I knew they deserved the utmost respect for their concerts. Theirs is the third major gig in one afternoon (after Alice Cooper and Motley Crue), so, by 9:00 when it’s time for them to come out, I am truly exhausted. Thousands of people are tightly packed together in anticipation. There are people as far as the eye can see, all staring at the (futuristic- looking) stage, as UFO’s Doctor Doctor starts playing. The atmosphere is noticeably friendlier, compared to the rabid Motley Crue experience from before and there are many gray- haired veterans around us.

Maiden starts with a bang, with The Wicker Man. They feel like old acquaintances by now and I can’t help but appreciate their craft and enthousiasm. Only problem is, I don’t know the songs. Dickinson explains that they will be focusing on their last few albums, like Brave New World, Dance Of Death, A Matter Of Life And Death, along with their new album The Final Frontier. The new album seems to be science fiction- themed, judging from the cover and the stage (the album artwork is kitch nonsense by the way, they should make up with Derek Riggs). Anyway, the focus on newer material annoys me at first. As a Maiden tourist, I expect the hits goddamit! Also, lets be honest, those albums are not equal to their classic period (although dedicated fans might disagree).

In any case, they deliver. Murray, Smith and Gers exchange intricate, beautiful leads, as Steve Harris and Nicko McBrain ground the whole thing to their steady, signature, galloping rhythm. But it’s Bruce who steals the show. It’s the third time now that I see him in action (I had also caught him solo on his Accident Of Birth Tour, supporting Lynyrd Skynyrd in the Wolverhampton Civic Hall a gazillion years ago) and he never ceases to surprise. He is unstoppable, running and jumping around for two and a half hours, joking and rallying the crowd and making everyone feel at home but the most amazing thing is his voice, which is still as powerful as ever. Like I said, respect!

There is a huge amount of crowd- surfing going on. In fact, I soon loose count of the people who almost land on top of us (well, a teenager did land on Manos’ head, but luckily he wasn’t a heavy guy). The crowd sings along to every lyric and when Dickinson dedicates Blood Brothers to Ronnie James Dio, it is a genuinely moving moment. They finish with Fear Of The Dark and Iron Maiden and return for an encore with The Number Of The Beast, Hallowed Be Thy Name and Running Free. At which point, the gigantic buffalo skull towering above the stages spits tongues of fire, warming us up like a pagan idol and ending our first day on a high note.

setlist:

1.the Wicker Man
2.Ghost of the Navigator
3.Wrathchild
4.El Dorado
5.Dance of Death
6.The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg
7.These Colours Don’t Run
8.Blood Brothers
9.Wildest Dreams
10.No More Lies
11.Brave New World
12.Fear Of The Dark
13.Iron Maiden

encore:

14.The Number of the Beast
15.Hallowed Be Thy Name
16.Running Free

(-Dimitris Kontogiannis-)

All photos taken by -manoc- for CnB magazine

About the Author: CnB