Jun. 30, 2010 - Issue #767: The Bestest of Edmonton 2010

Revue

Back in the village

Iron Maiden returns triumphantly

In recent years Iron Maiden has been on a bit of a contemplative path, looking back on a recording career that has been running for three decades now, ressurrecting past set pieces and long-forgotten songs on the band's last run through town. This time out, though, a sizable chunk of the setlist came from the three albums released since singer Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith rejoined the band in 1999 after several years and albums away, and the newer material held up nicely amongst older classics like "The Number of the Beast," "Wrathchild" and "Running Free." And that's really what makes Iron Maiden more than just another oldies band touring the casinos of the world: this is a group that still has some fire to it, a desire to cut across new creative paths rather than living on the spoils of the past.


And that fire carried over into a live show that saw Dickinson leaping and bounding back and forth across the stage while guitarist Janick Gers spun circles and swung his guitar over his shoulder, at the same time as bassist Steve Harris held his signature crouch over the monitors while singing along to the songs. Guitarists Dave Murray and Adrian Smith were less active physically, but they were in fine form on their instruments, while drummer Nicko McBrain was hidden behind a mammoth kit, keeping a thunderous beat throughout the show.

Of course, time has altered the makeup of the band's crowds, with the audience being a welcome mix of genders as well as age groups, with this show being very much a family affair as fathers passed their lighters to sons for the slower parts and even one mother cradling a small, sleeping child—with ear plugs—in her arms at the end. It seems that metal no longer knows any bounds.
 

See more photos of the Iron Maiden concert here. vueweekly.com comments: powered by Disqus