![]() ![]() “It takes, usually, five or six shows for us to really get where we wanna be,” he offers modestly. When we ask Steve Harris how he thinks the tour is going so far the following morning, he’s pretty relaxed about the whole thing. It’s all tongue in cheek, of course, but it adds to a sense of mischief and mayhem that underpins much of the show, emphasised by a couple of miscues that briefly leave the otherwise flawless metal machine scrambling.Ĭlearly, some of the technical issues that hovered over the first show are still lingering, but it’s all par for the course this early in a major metal tour, and it doesn’t derail a triumphant evening, a jubilant Wasted Years putting the cherry on top of a fine performance. It isn’t just Eddie that takes pot shots from the frontman, either any attempts by tonight’s audience to take it easy are met with fierce castigation from the singer, who labels an early response to his classic “SCREAM FOR ME!” rallying cry as “fucking pathetic”, before telling an entire section of the O2’s seated section to “fuck off” when their participation is deemed subpar. And, yes, there’s also that machine-gun, manned with purpose by Bruce as he gleefully shoots fireworks at cyborg Eddie during Heaven Can Wait. “Oh, I dunno!”Īs well as a set packing super-rare cuts, 10-minute epics and beloved classics, there are three more onstage Eddies to come, a couple of costume changes, pyro and fog machines. “Welcome to the Somewhere Back In Time… whatever… tour.” He pauses, laughing, realising his gaff. “’Ello!” beams Bruce, directly addressing Prague for the first time. In front of a DeLorean-esque backdrop, a crunching Stranger In A Strange Land follows, and we already get our first glimpse of Eddie in the flesh, dressed in his Stranger… trench coat and Stetson as he sneaks out to leer over his chums. He and his bandmates are flanked by glistening LCD screens featuring two animated Eddies, one from Somewhere In Time (think an Evil Dead deadite crossed with RoboCop) and his Senjutsu descendent (a vampiric, undead monstrosity in samurai gear). ![]() His voice - richer and heavier in tone as it’s evolved over the years - sounds fantastic. If Bruce’s backstage attire is understated, his fancy dress for tonight is typically on point: decked out in patchwork jeans, a long, green trench coat and goggled sunglasses, he evokes the sci-fi bounty hunter Eddie on the original Somewhere In Time cover. ![]() Then, those screeching opening notes of Caught Somewhere In Time peel out, Britain’s favourite six-man heavy metal wrecking crew gallop out onstage, and we’re off to the races. Soon, strips of neon lighting burst into life, bathing the arena in hues of greens and blues as Vangelis’s Blade Runner theme, the intro music for this tour, begins to play. It’s what most marks Maiden out among so many of their peers where other metal OGs have fanbases that have aged with them, there’s something about the timeless escapism of Maiden’s music that crosses generations, making era-hopping shows like these the perfect coming together. It’s resulted in a setlist that’s had Maiden fans drooling over their keyboards since it was revealed at the tour’s opening gig a couple of days ago, and the excitement in the air as UFO’s Doctor Doctor – the song that traditionally heralds that things are about to kick off – rings out over the O2 Arena’s PA before the first of the two Prague gigs is palpable.įans of every age, gender and creed are in attendance tonight - veterans who were at the original Somewhere On Tour trek in the 80s, young fans eager to see some of those songs played for the first time in their lives. “So it just felt right to do something a bit left-field.” “We hadn’t hit on that stuff for quite some time,” Steve Harris later tells us, matter-of-factly. They just fancied digging out some classics and revamping one of their most celebrated stage shows. It’s what’s led to this unique tour there’s no notable anniversary for Somewhere In Time or flashy reissue to plug. Two decades into metal’s greatest third act, they’re riding high on the back of a critically acclaimed new album, one that they’re gagging to play live, yet remain unafraid to celebrate their past while doing so. Maiden arrive here at a fascinating point in their careers. It’s a city filled with rich history, yet one that feels vibrant, alive and very much existing in the now. Prague is the perfect place to evaluate Iron Maiden in 2023. ![]()
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