Iron Maiden & Dream Theater LIVE!
July 12, 2010 – Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
by Joe Mis
Staff Writer
The mighty Iron Maiden machine rolled into New York City on its current Final Frontier World Tour and wowed a sold-out Madison Square Garden. The 35-year metal veterans brought Dream Theater (celebrating their 25th anniversary) along as the opening band, making for an awesome one-two punch from the kings of their respective genres. Both bands brought the best of their combined 60 years of experience and put on a show that will be long remembered.
Dream Theater hit the stage at 7:30 and began a solid hour-long, six-song set (yeah, thanks NYC for imposing an 11 p.m. concert curfew). James LaBrie and company were in top form and delivered a rousing and powerful set to an enthusiastic audience. On Maiden’s previous two U.S. tours, the opening acts, Bullet For My Valentine and Lauren Harris respectively, were, for the most part, ignored or had to put up with “Maiden! Maiden! Maiden!” chants during their sets, but NY-based Dream Theater hooked the crowd and kept most fans on their feet for the entire set.
Dream Theater did an abbreviated “best of” set, earning a huge crowd response to their finale, which truly was an awesome roar once the opening notes of “Pull Me Under” rang out. But “A Rite Of Passage” arguably was their best number of the night. James LaBrie’s voice was excellent, and he seemed very into the show. The rest of the band equally was enthusiastic. John Petrucci laid down his usual blazing solos and hooky rhythms, while John Myung’s amazing bass was clear throughout the set. Jordan Rudess did his usual fantastic job on the keys, even getting a chance to solo center stage and took the spotlight. Once again, drummer Mike Portnoy proved that he is the backbone of the band and is one of the finest rock drummers to ever pick up the sticks. He somehow manages to stay quiet and reserved while driving Dream Theater forward.
The only downsides of Dream Theater’s performance were simply the fact that they were limited by city’s curfew to a short set, and they also were playing in front of Maiden’s rather large stage setup, which left little room to move around.
There really is no doubt that Dream Theater deserves to be considered the finest progressive metal out there today – often imitated; but never equaled.
Dream Theater’s Set:
1. As I Am
2. A Rite Of Passage
3. Home
4. Constant Motion
5. Panic Attack
6. Pull Me Under
After a half hour break for the stage change, Maiden’s traditional pre-opening track of UFO’s “Doctor Doctor” hit the PA system, and everyone scurried back to their seats. A few moments later, the house lights went down, and Iron Maiden hit the stage. From start to finish, the Brits were tight and precise, giving the fans exactly what they wanted.
The stage setup was typical Iron Maiden; multiple platforms, fancy changing backdrop curtains and multicolored spots. All the varying levels gave Bruce Dickinson plenty of places to run and jump. Each guitarist also had plenty of space, and Nicko McBrain’s drum kit was buried in the pit in the center of the backdrop, as usual. For a bunch of older musicians, these guys somehow find it in themselves to perform with more energy and enthusiasm than other bands with members half their age. Janick Gers was doing his trademark odd gyrations as he played his rhythm lines. Steve Harris ran all over the stage with his bass and pogo’d through most of the set. Dave Murray and Adrian Smith showed that they still are the best guitar team out there today – you may find better individual guitarists, but there is no pairing out there that works better as a duo. And Nicko was Nicko – playing fabulous drums and injecting just the right amount of insanity and energy to all his work. Iron Maiden remains one of the best live acts in the music industry, no matter the genre.
Maiden’s set list spanned their later works, from Brave New World to their upcoming release The Final Frontier, with a few classics thrown in to please the older fan base. Opening on a high note with “The Wicker Man,” Maiden’s energy level consistently was powerful throughout the 16-song set. The highlights included “The Ghost Of The Navigator,” “These Colours Don’t Run” and a surprisingly lively rendition of “No More Lies.” The only song that didn’t have all fans singing along was “El Dorado” from the soon-to-be released The Final Frontier. But some in attendance knew the words from the free download that was provided by the band. In a very moving moment, the band dedicated “Blood Brothers” to the late Ronnie James Dio. The last five songs brought the house down, as they were all considered “classics” and the entire audience could sing along, with mascot Eddie making his appearance during “Iron Maiden”
Iron Maiden’s performance was flawless and enthusiastic, and the crowd ate it up. As usual for Maiden, the fans were raucous but respectful, lively and enthusiastic without being rowdy, and a good time was had by all.
Iron Maiden’s Set:
1. The Wicker Man
2. The 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
14. The Number Of The Beast
15. Hallowed Be Thy Name
16. Running Free
A Brief Personal Reflection:
I grew up on the music of Iron Maiden.
I was in high school during the early years and in college when Somewhere In Time and Powerslave came out. I loved Iron Maiden’s music not only because it was good music, but also because it creeped out my parents and was a part of how I rebelled. I didn’t find the band until the fourth album, Piece Of Mind – and to this day, I find myself writing it that way in my non-music-related work instead of the proper “peace” of mind. I liked everything about the band, from the music and image to the cool Iron Maiden font to Derek Riggs’ fabulous album covers. I occasionally still find myself staring at all the details buried in the Somewhere In Time cover art, or making a list of the nicknames given to old IM producer Martin Birch. I waited for new albums at the record store and looked for their very cheesy videos on MTV when the “M” still stood for music.
I remember watching Dream Theater’s video for “Pull Me Under” when my daughter was an infant. It was all over MTV and helped us through many a late-night teething session.
Through all of that craziness and enthusiasm of those years, the one thing I never expected to do was to one day take my son to see Iron Maiden play, but now we’ve been to their last three U.S. tours together. My son just turned 18, and when we got the tickets for this tour he said, “Great – these are the Maiden songs that I grew up on.” He loves the classics (although, in his perception, anything recorded before 2000 is eligible to be a classic), but the newer of the albums are the ones he waited for in the store. Not only did I take my son to the show, but I also brought my wife and nephew and inducted them into the Iron Maiden family.
I’m obviously not the only one who feels this way. We saw many other families, and the crowd truly made it an all-ages show. There was a man in his late 40s brining his 10- to 11-year-old son (in a Maiden shirt) through the turnstiles and a few older guys sitting with what had to be there grandkids. What other bands really can pull this off? Scorpions, definitely, and Judas Priest to some extent, but nobody does it like Maiden.
Not only is this a tribute to the band’s longevity and tenacity, but also to their raw talent and love for making music. Dream Theater at 25 and Iron Maiden at 35; the numbers boggle the mind. Not only are the both bands still together – but also they have the same lineups. Unlike many of the other old-guard bands, both Dream Theater and Iron Maiden continue to record new music and are not rehashing the old material that made them famous. They are living, vital bands that are not resting on their laurels – and definitely not “has-beens” just out to make a buck.
So THANK YOU Dream Theater! THANK YOU Iron Maiden! Thank you not only for creating such amazing (and still growing) musical legacies, but also thank you for not selling out to the commercial forces out there and staying true to the musical styles you help create. Most of all though, thanks for the good memories from all those years ago and for giving me a chance create some new ones with my own family.
Up The Irons!