Iron Maiden "Live After Death" 1985*****

Iron Maiden's first concert in Greece was at AEK stadium in 1988. I remember not having money to attend and being "a little" jealous hearing my classmates' hyperbolic praise of the event. Maiden subsequently visited my (then) hometown quite a few times, and for one reason or another I always missed them: I was on holiday, or had no money, or chose to go see a different concert -after all festival season is always too busy. Also, by the 90's and 00's my musical tastes had veered away from metal towards more "mature" music styles. The closest I got to see them live was buying a ticket for their 2000 appearance at Antonis Tritsis Park, only for the band to cancel the gig because one (out of three!) guitarists had an arm injury. So that remained a box to tick - or an itch to scratch, choose your metaphor! I finally got to do it last Monday at Gelredome stadium in Arnhem, their only stop in the Netherlands after 4 years of absence. I'm sharing some of my photos from the event here:

As the tour name Legacy Of The Beast suggests, the band is trying to honor its legacy by presenting a selection of their best songs. They opened with three tracks from their latest album Senjutsu (2021's album of the year, according to Classic Rock Magazine), but after that it was a torrent of heavy metal classics: 9 songs from their 80's heyday, 3 from the 90's (including 2 originally sung by Dickinson's temporary substitute Blaze Bailey), and one from their 2000 reunion album Brave New World, ignoring the rest of the 21st Century. Visually they presented a grand spectacle with impressive stage sets that changed according to the song themes and, of course, featured group mascot Eddie who appeared as a samurai warrior at the start, a 19th century trooper at the same-named song, and as a giant horned monster later. Singer Bruce Dickinson was also amazing, putting on an energetic and theatrical performance, running up and down the stage in various guises: as priest, grenadier, victorian doctor, pilot etc. He handled the mike, the sword, the flame thrower, and a giant cross like a champ. As for his singing form, it's still good, even if his vocal range isn't as impressive as it used to be. The rest of the band, led by bassist and principal songwriter Steve Harris, were also in great form, clearly relishing the chance to be on stage after 3 years of forced absence due to the pandemic. Iron Maiden are clearly not a studio band, they are above all enthusiastic performers who live for the concert stage. Which explains the constant demand by fans for live albums, of which they have so far released about a dozen.

If there's a consensus among Iron Maiden fans about their live albums, is that they all contain fantastic performances and that Live After Death remains the paradigm against which all others will be judged - and inevitably found slightly lacking. Recorded when the band only had 5 albums behind its back (3 of them with Dickinson as their singer), it nevertheless still forms the basis of their live shows: most of what we heard last Monday in Arnhem is also present here. The album, and their concerts at that time, opened with a W.W.II speech by Winston Churchill ("We shall go on to the end...we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air...we shall never surrender") introducing their Air Force anthem "Aces High". Incidentally, this is how they started the 2nd part of the show in Arnhem, with a life-size Spitfire hanging over them. Great energy and fantastic guitar solos set the pace for the whole album. "2 Minutes to Midnight", another fast rocker from Powerslave (1984), is next, followed by a trio of songs from Piece Of Mind (1983): propelled by Steve Harris' lightning-fast basswork, "The Trooper" remains in my all-time Iron Maiden Top-3. "Revelations" and "Flight of Icarus" display the band's gothic and epic sides, respectively. Speaking of epic, here's the "Rime of the Ancient Mariner": a 13-minute progfest based on a 18th century poem, arguably Maiden's most mature composition at the time. This is followed by the title song of their then-latest opus, Powerslave. The slightly oriental melody at times reminds me of Rainbow's "Gates Of Babylon" - surely a coincidence. Now the band goes back in time just a little, to play songs from The Number of the Beast (1982) ("The Number of the Beast", "Hallowed Be Thy Name", "Run to the Hills"), and their debut Iron Maiden (1980) (the title track and "Running Free"). All impeccably played with lots of gusto, and in a slightly faster tempo than their studio counterparts. In my version, which is the original 1985 CD, "Running Free" is edited, from 8 minutes down to 3,5. Future reissues include all of it, with Dickinson talking to the audience and leading them into a sing-along.  Here this part is left out, and as consequence it sounds more like the studio version - albeit with Dickinson singing instead of initial vocalist Paul Di Anno. The sound quality is amazing, a testament to the skill of producer Martin Birch (another live triumph, after Deep Purple's Made In Japan) and the capabilities of the Rolling Stone Mobile Studio. Lastly, the booklet includes another classic cover by illustrator Derek Riggs featuring (who else?) Eddie rising from the grave - as well as photos, lyrics, and an onslaught of facts and numbers concerning the gigantic World Slavery Tour during which this album was recorded in Long Beach California on March 1985. Now, if you own another version of this album, you may notice that some songs are missing. This is because initial CD versions, such as this, only contained sides A,B & C of the double LP in order to make it fit into a single disc. For the same reason, they also sacrificed some of the between-song banter and audience participation bit at the end. New reissues from '98 onwards "fixed" that by adding a second disc containing side D of the original vinyl. Titles include "Wrathchild", "22 Acacia Avenue", "Children Of The Damned", "Die With Your Boots On", and "Phantom Of The Opera". Most people will tell you that that is the way to go, instead of the original "truncated" version. I, however, beg to disagree. Disc One perfectly replicates their typical setlist of the time, only omitting set closer "Sanctuary". It seems to me that the band compiled and sequenced their live setlist and CD for maximum effect, but realizing that the vinyl release had space for more music, they added a few tracks as an afterthought. These were recorded the previous year (1984), and at a different venue, which further marks them as an addendum rather than an integral part of the album. Sure, the songs and performances are good, but inessential. Want further proof? 27 years later, half of their set in Arnhem (8 songs) consisted of songs present here, while a 9th title ("2 Minutes To Midnight") is also still part of their current live set, even though they didn't play it last Monday. How many songs from Disc Two are still in the band's setlist? None. Now, if you have a vinyl fixation, you'll probably go for the double LP version. Having to change sides every 20 minutes ruins the illusion of "being there" at the concert, but I can totally get it. But, unless you subscribe to the "more is more" attitude (which is also understandable), you don't really need the bonus disc. The single CD version stands as the perfect document of prime-era Iron Maiden, and as a serious contender for the title of Best Live Metal Album. Ever.

***** for Aces High, The Trooper, The Number of the Beast, Hallowed Be Thy Name

**** for 2 Minutes to Midnight, Flight of Icarus, Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Powerslave, Run to the Hills

*** for  Revelations, Iron Maiden, Running Free (edited version)