Iron Maiden
Glasgow SECC, 15th December 2006
Snakes alive! Yesterday I had a nightmare. I dreamt I spent two hours in a traffic jam, queuing to see Iron Maiden. And when the band finally hit the stage, all they did was play their ploddy new album in its entirety! Oh no, that wasn't a nightmare… that was real!
Okay, so the new album, A Matter of Life and Death, has been a chart topping success (in metal terms, anyway). And yes, I suppose it's kind of a concept album, in that all the songs centre round themes connected to the First and Second World Wars (which actually I think is just an excuse to dress up Eddie in a fetching helmet). But after all, it's not Tommy or The War of the Worlds, and it really doesn't need to be heard in all its ponderous, lengthy, nine-minute-song-filled glory when there are songs like 'The Trooper' or 'Number of the Beast' to be played. Admittedly, Maiden have never been a band to rest on their greatest hits laurels, and good for them – why should they? And a healthy sprinkling of new songs in between the classics works just fine. But this really was taking it too far.
Now you may say that, as an Edward the Great, Maiden-lite kinda gal, I just don't appreciate the band properly. But it wasn't just me who trailed away from the SECC feeling slightly disgruntled and despondent, to sit in yet another traffic jam for another hour or so, thinking 'Shall I listen to Maiden on the stereo? Er, no.' Proper Maiden fans felt let down too. Bogus.
On the upside, we did get Eddie in a massive fibreglass tank, glaring at the crowd through a huge pair of binoculars, before shambling onto the stage in uniform and waving a rifle in a somewhat camp fashion. And as a reward for our patience, we were (finally) treated to 'Two Minutes to Midnight', 'Iron Maiden', 'The Evil That Men Do' and 'Hallowed Be Thy Name'. As Ian put it, Maiden have become their own warm up band. Next time, I think I'll stick with Maiden Scotland – their tickets only cost a fiver, and at least they're guaranteed to play some songs you can sing along to…
Iron Maiden, 8th December 2003
