Iron Maiden
The Legacy of the Beast Tour
Manchester Arena
06/08/2018
Set List:
Aces High
Where Eagles Dare
2 Minutes to Midnight
The Clansman
The Trooper
Revelations
For the Greater Good of God
The Wicker Man
Sign of the Cross
Flight of Icarus
Fear of the Dark
The Number of the Beast
Iron Maiden
The Evil That Men Do
Hallowed Be Thy Name
Run to the Hills
It is always a special day when one of the world’s biggest heavy metal bands rumbles into town and this time for Manchester, it was the legendary Iron Maiden, a band which have proudly flown the flag for and been a cornerstone of the history of British heavy metal for close to 40 years. To celebrate this fact, the band that are veterans of endless world tours have once more embarked upon another European wander entitled ‘The Legacy of the Beast’. For this, Iron Maiden announced that unlike their more recent tours, The Legacy of the Beast would feature not just the expected songs, but also fan favourites and tracks which have not been played for a long time.
For this tour, Iron Maiden are supported by Metalcore stalwarts Killswitch Engage who are currently taking a break from recording their upcoming studio album. Killswitch Engage have a rabid and large following which was honed throughout much of the 2000’s, yet to have them support Iron Maiden does its best to open the band up to a potential new fan base, particularly that of an older generation, one who many not be aware of not just the band, but also the entire genre. However, more often than not, Killswitch Engage’s physically intense show often comes at the cost of quality and tonight, the performance was no different. Vocalist Jesse Leach having just recovered from vocal surgery did not sound 100%, his voice often getting lost in a quagmire of distortion and double bass drumming. Furthermore, it is added vocal growls of guitarist Joel Stroetzel which become repetitive, stagnant and hugely detract from Killswitch Engage’s performance; but for those engaged in the pit, they did not care and lapped up a set of greatest hits including ‘Rose of Sharyn’, ‘The End of Heartache’, ‘My Curse’ and the perennial ‘My Last Serenade’.
Iron Maiden are possibly the most punctual of all heavy metal bands with the band hitting the stage as expected at 20:50, to the usual chorus of ‘Doctor, Doctor’ by UFO before cutting into the familiar rumbling of aircraft and that famous speech of defiance by Winston Churchill which will forever signal the start of ‘Aces High’. To open with this song is enough to create puddles of happiness for all Iron Maiden fans, but what was unexpected was the appearance a real, fully functional RAF Spitfire suspended above the stage, a moment which would mark the first of many inter song set changes that the band would make tonight.
Following ‘Aces High’, Iron Maiden would continue with the war theme, launching into the unexpected appearance of ‘Where Eagles Dare’, alongside ‘2 Minutes to Midnight’ in which Bruce Dickinson would fall over onstage, laughing it off in true Iron Maiden style, before announcing following the songs closure that it was ‘suffering for his art and that art nearly made him shit himself’. It is often quite difficult to keep Dickinson quiet, but tonight, he promised that he would talk very little and true to his word, he did as he prowled the stage in his charismatic, thespian style, changing costumes as much as the set itself converted from a battlefield, a church and to the very gates of Hell itself.
The band were on fire tonight, Steve Harris, Adrian Smith and Nicko McBrain were solid as usual, Dave Murray reminded us of why he is extremely underrated whilst Janick Gers provided endless entertainment as the band tore through unexpected songs such as ‘Sign of the Cross’, ‘For the Greater Good of God’, ‘Flight of Icarus’ and ‘Revelations’, the former of which, along with ‘The Clansman’, Dickinson has made his own, his voice adding an entirely different dimension to that which was lain down by Blaze Bayley in the 90’s.
Those who caught Iron Maiden on ‘The Book of Souls’ tour will know that at times, Dickinson struggled with his voice, particularly limping through songs like ‘The Trooper’. However, tonight in Manchester, he was perfect, reminding us of exactly why Dickinson is one of the best out there, as the now 60-year old and indeed the other remaining five members of Iron Maiden could give any band a run for their money. It was a privilege to witness Iron Maiden like this, they haven’t sounded this great in 25 years and if Manchester is anything to go by, then ‘The Legacy of the Beast Tour’ will go down in not just Iron Maiden, but also heavy metal history.
MHF Magazine/Adam McCann
