High-flying Maiden brings down the house

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This article was published 28/08/2019 (2546 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A lot of big name artists who bring their tours to Bell MTS Place have intriguing, exciting and even explosive opening numbers, but it’ll be hard to top a replica of a Second World War Spitfire plane with a working propeller flying above the stage.

It’s been seven years since British metal icons Iron Maiden came to town, and on Wednesday night, they certainly gave fans a show worth waiting for.

Before the band came out, a pair of stern-faced folks who were dressed in army fatigues, removed black sheets to reveal set pieces covered in moss and leaves; the first few notes of Aces High trickled through the speakers, the stage lights went up and all of a sudden, there was a plane.

And just like that it was gone again, making way for a new backdrop, a snowy, rocky one, with vocalist Bruce Dickinson returning to the stage in a parka and fur-lined hat for Where Eagles Dare from 1983’s Piece of Mind. The rapid-fire approach right off the top was a sign of things to come.

“Scream for me, Winnipeg!” Dickinson shrieked over and over in his signature high-pitched tone. The more than 10,000 fans in attendance obliged each time, getting louder and louder. And at 10 minutes past 9 p.m., Iron Maiden cracked out 2 Minutes to Midnight, which sparked a thrash dance circle on the already sardined floor that continued on for the majority of the night.

As reporter Rob Williams pointed out in his preview piece earlier this week, there’s no new album to tout, so the setlist for this Legacy of the Beast tour is basically a greatest hits compilation; Fear of the Dark, The Number of the Beast, the Wicker Man and, of course, Iron Maiden, all made the cut for the main set.

After a brief dimming of the lights, another backdrop appeared — this time a pretty elaborate cathedral complete with stained glass windows and spooky candelabras hanging from the rafters — for Revelations, which also included one of many mind-boggling face-melters from guitarist Janick Gers (his fellow axe-wielders, Adrian Smith and Dave Murray, joined in for an intense three-way jam during the next track, For the Greater Good of God)

Steve Harris kept that Iron-Maiden specific, one-leg-up-on-the-amp bass-line chug going solid while drummer Nicko McBrain, though almost hidden by his kit, subtly steered the ship from the back of the stage.

The entire band was in fine form, including Dickinson, 61, who not only knocked out an impressive vocal performance but went full ham while he was at it. He had more costume changes than any pop star in recent memory. He swung his mike stand like a magic wand and later whipped an illuminated cross around while dressed in a shroud and shot fire out of his sleeves. During the Trooper, he had a sword fight with Eddie, the band’s longtime mascot, eventually shooting him with a Canadian flag that was also somehow a gun. He’s of the era of theatrical frontmen who naturally pull focus, and that’s what he did all night long.

Several set changes and pyrotechnical elements later (both fire and fireworks, if you were wondering), Iron Maiden ended their 90-minute main set with the one-two punch of The Number of the Beast and Iron Maiden. After a brief moment backstage, they returned for a three-song (and nearly 30 minute) encore which included hits The Evil That Men Do, Hallowed Be Thy Name and a pyro-infused Run to the Hills.

Iron Maiden takes the Legacy of the Beast tour to Edmonton next, and will continue through North and South America until October.

The Raven Age, a metalcore band from London, opened the night with a very loud and very muddy set.

The five-piece was not lacking energy as they ripped through 50 minutes of music that was the sonic interpretation of adrenaline. The issue here was that with both guitars, bass, drums and vocals all at max capacity all of the time, everything combined to create this cloud of indiscernible sound. It was a real shame as there were some moments of great guitar work (by George Harris, son of Maiden bassist Steve Harris) and vocal harmony (lead vocalist Matt James has a solid set of pipes, especially evident on ballad-ish The Face That Launched a Thousand Ships).

Louder isn’t always better; the lack of balance did a disservice to their talent.

erin.lebar@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @NireRabel