Iron Maiden's Steve Harris

You have to admire the geezer who placed Avenged Sevenfold on the Twickers bill with headlining brit-rock gods Iron Maiden. For a start you have got the whole book of Revelations thing going on... “The Number of the Beast” versus “The Beast and the Harlot”. Then you have got the twin-lead guitar sounds of Gates/Vengeance versus Smith/Murray. Finally you get the blatant hero worship of Shadows & co for Dickenson & co that warms the very cockles of your sad old heart. “Maiden are by far the best live band in the world and their music is timeless” says Shadows, as AX7 prepares to cover the song ‘Flash of the Blade’ for Kerrang’s “Maiden Heaven” as a free tribute album [available Kerrang! Issue 1219]. Butf you think the similarities end there then just give the track ‘M.I.A’ off of the City of Evil album a woosh. Yes, the track has a bit of Wishbone Ash about it [is that why they played the Wishbone track Warrior off Argus on the tape during the interval at Twickenham?] and even a bit of Pink Floyd about it... but M.I.A. is, in essence, a very nicely turned piece of homage artwork dedicated by those skull-winged songsters to their favourite sounds i.e. the sounds of Maiden. Just listen to those Nicko McBrain tom-toms thumping - oops - no it was the Rev.

And so onto Maiden who (almost) filled the Twickenham RFU stadium [capacity 82,000] and admitted, on stage, that they were playing to the biggest crowd (in the UK) that they ever have. In fact, the East London Boys (OK, I know Bruce is from Nottingham) were keen to underline that 2008 is the biggest year for Iron Maiden yet. Yes, they have been ‘on the road’ for 25 years but they have now reached stellar proportions (although they promise they have not reached their zenith) claiming to be not only the biggest ‘metal’ band in the world but to be actually the biggest band in the world. And how many, in this millenium, can claim to travel to their venues in their own custom Boeing 757 ‘ed force one’ and play such grand stadiums? I would still like to say, on record, that Led Zep are probably still the worlds biggest band- but I have to admit that Maiden are more flamboyant and certainly more energetic. I cannot imagine Robert Plant jumping, running and wisecracking his way through a 69 date tour (Twickers was the 49th night of the tour and the Maiden boys were as fresh and presumptious as pair of Daisy Dukes box-fresh knickers ). Sorry Rob.

Lauren Harris band- old gent on left

Well what did you get for your fifty pounds sterling? (By the way, I met several fans who had travelled for 5 or more hours to get to the Maiden concert and the general feeling was that you needed to spend about £230 per head to enjoy the day).Well the concert started nicely with the Lauren Harris band -Lauren is the daughter of Iron Maiden bassist and founder Steve Harris. I saw Lauren Harris on a smaller stage at last years Hard Rock Hell (Minehead) and I was quite impressed. Her band has toured with the Led Zep-esque Ulster group ‘The Answer’ and also with the Dutch goth-rockers ‘Within Temptation’ (about whom I shall come onto in a moment) and the band comes across as a gutsy and polished pub rock outfit. At Hard Rock Hell I was kinda surprised at how old Lauern’s team-mates were and especially Mr Tom McWilliams, the drummer, who has played with ‘Glorious’ Estafan back in the ‘90’s and is a multi-grammy winner in his own right. These ‘old geezers’ could certainly knock ‘em out and gave the band a slightly more experienced persona than they might otherwise have managed to achieve if they were a bunch of student musos. My only general moan, at the Iron Maiden show, was the tight-fisted attitude of the Twickenham promoter who decided that the support acts couldn’t have the use of the stage-side TV monitor screens. Now I know that Maiden deserved to have the biggest soundz, the biggest lightz and the biggest buzz but who decided that the punters in the 82,000 seater only need to see ant-size musicians on the stage prior to the big act? In a sports stadium, when the football is being played, all the spectators have an equal chance of catching some action close up because they are all equi-distant from the pitch-side action. But when the stadium is turned into an event arena and the stage is up one end, almost every one of the spectators ‘misses out’ on the intricate moments. That is why they invented big TV screens. So we, the lowly punters, can kind of match up the ant-antics onstage with the human drama via the telly-viewer. And with a group like Lauren Harris who, to be honest, are more-or-less a fancy pub-rock outfit, it was always going to be that they seemed lost in that size arena without the use of the screens. It was a shame. And it was a tight-fisted oversight.

Sharon den Adel- Within Temptation

And so onto Within Temptation. These are a dutch symphonic rock group who share a similar sound to Evenescence or Nightwish. Sharon den Adel - Vocals- is amply supported by experienced rock guitarist Ruud Jolie (who admits that Iron Maiden is his main influence- and thus the connection) and her long-time boyf, Robert Westerholt. The groups harmonies and symphonic mastery were not helped by the stadium acoustics which were, to say the least, sporadically awful. There was a nasty wind blowing into the East Stand and this helped to give the aural illusion that the spectators were a few crucial seconds behind the events on stage. This is the kind of problem you always get with any out-door event. My tip is to see Within Temptation in a purpose built venue with proper acoustics to get the real sound. But all-in-all Within Temptation were a triumph especially because the mezzo-soprano skills of Sharon den Adel managed to cut through the air and the blacker more gothier riffs were picked up by the crowd who clapped and thumped along with vigour. And it was genuinely nice to see so many younger. delicate and more indie-emo orientated fans, who had only come to see their heroes Within Temptation, mixing it large with the big, burly hell-raising bruisers who make up the majority of the Maiden fan-base.

The Somewhere Back In Time set itself was a satisfying confection of everything we love and admire about Maiden. The event is nicely packaged to include the best of years 1980-1989 (Aces High, The Trooper, The Number of the Beast, Run to the Hills, Can I Play With Madness) but there were also some moments of sheer brilliance and exhilaration and, for me, the high point both visually and musically was the Steve Harris penned number “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” (with words by Samuel Taylor Coleridge) from the fifth Maiden album ‘Powerslave’. This was sumptuously staged and was an emotionally powerful piece of music. Obviously, we had the big screens running for the big band. The whole stage was used, with various backdrops and crowd-pleasing animatronics, lots of lights, fog, banner waving and all manner of fizzes, whooshes and bangs. It was hard rock luxury.

Pompous? Yes. Overplayed? Yes. Majestic? Yes.
But what the hell, that is what stadium rock is all about.

Avenged Sevenfold's M Shadows

http://www.myspace.com/laurenharrisuk
http://www.myspace.com/withintemptation
http://www.myspace.com/avengedsevenfold
http://www.ironmaiden.com/

Check out ADPONTES for all your reviews, articles, gig-guides and news

(a partir de min 5.45)

No sé yo si me pondría a hacer lo mismo yo en el caso de ellos xDDD

Fuente: http://www.themetalcircus.com/noticia.php?id=10574

Rod's Diary - Phoenix
Published: May 29, 2008

ROD'S DIARY PHOENIX MAY 26-27
Usual - laptop hot most of day til met up with Douglas from EMI in the hotel bar. Douglas is the new worldwide head of new technology etc for EMI and was previously at Google. We are working on ways to improve how we function and communicate in these areas, particularly if there are ways to enhance our site and related functions. We are just throwing ideas around at present but hopefully will come up with some progressive ideas for the future. We are always looking at ways to do this.

We then went to the show with the tres amigos. Around 11,000 tonight, good for a Monday night and again a great crowd, singing along to everything. In the past we have been a bit critical of the “enthusiasm rating” of audiences in some parts of the USA (eg NJ in March) but we can certainly have no complaints about the passion of our audiences here so far. Great reactions which really do act as a catalyst for the band to really cook. Bruce had some onstage sound problems but l couldn’t detect it from his performance. The out front sound here was particularly good on the desk, loud, defined and solid, and also the side screens were huge and great quality which has to be good for the kids at the back.

After the show we went to the airport to fly back to LA. Sushi, mexican food, beer and wine was readily available and taken with great fervour. Back in hotel watched a bit of TV news – sad world we live in in many aspects – and crashed.

I am writing this Wednesday prior to flying up to and then back from Concord for the show here in Northern California. Yesterday was a quiet day and had a couple of trips to the Kings Head, first for lunch between work, and in the early evening to meet up with some of our label team – our product manager Emily, PR Todd, and radio Elliott. Mainly going through this weekend’s big LA shows at Irvine. Who they had coming, making sure key media was fully covered (well, if you are hot you have to flaunt it!!!), who was likely to be visiting my room for a beer before the show etc etc. Anyway time for a shower and get ready to leave for the airport.

Didn’t get any new pics as I was busy running around on stuff but here is a KNAC review of the show in Phoenix...

Somewhere Back in Phoenix
By CrpnDeth, Staff Photographer/Writer
Tuesday, May 27, 2008 @ 10:09 PM

We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air. We shall defend our island whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets. We shall fight in the hills, we shall never surrender!

And with that infamous war cry once again bellowing out from the mighty PA at the Cricket Pavilion, Iron Maiden is bringing us back to 1985. Somewhere Back in Time is the tour that is the blue print for how the band rolls. Aces High is coming off the stage at full throttle, much like it was back in Long Beach when the historic Live After Death was recorded during the World Slavery tour. This time it appears more ferocious. As the band continued on with 2 Minutes to Midnight, the entire crowd was singing along with every word, something that consistently lasted throughout the whole night. Every song. Every word.

Not only musically, but the boys are in fine shape physically -- constantly running from side to side and jumping over the monitors on the stage. The intensity coming out of the guys was definitely a result of feeding off the energy of the crowd. It was like watching the Live After Death DVD all over again, this time with Janick Gers thrown in to the mix.

The precision riffs and solos were flawlessly traded back and forth between Dave Murray, Adrian Smith and Janick Gers. The triple axe symphony was a treat all in itself. At one moment during the show, even above the PA, I could actually hear Steve Harris' fingers nailing each bass string. Nicko -- hidden well behind his mountain of drums -- was keeping things moving at a hectic pace. It's amazing to watch the fills he plays when he's up on the big screen. One of the greatest moments that showcased the band as a tight unit was Rime of the Ancient Mariner, the epic tale of the albatross.

An integral component to the band's power and longevity is easily attributed to Bruce Dickinson's massive vocal strength. Being barely three feet away from me at times, it was utterly amazing to feel how powerful his vocals are and how easily he harnesses it. One of those truly amazing singers who make everything seem like second nature. Ripping his way through The Trooper, Wasted Years, Can I Play with Madness?, Heaven Can Wait and Iron Maiden shows off the talent very well.

By the time the band finishes, you have been completely transformed back in time, just as the tour promised.
Opening support was none other than Steve's daughter, Lauren Harris. Hitting the stage with a blistering cover of UFO's Natural Thing seemed like an odd choice, and the expression on the crowd's faces showed this isn't what they were expecting. The track appears as a bonus track on the European release of her new disc Calm Before the Storm, but it just seemed out of place to open with. But as she belted out her own tunes the crowd slowly warmed up to her and the unfamiliar material. By the end of her set, the crowd was cheering and throwing horns in approval. She definitely has the energy of her dad and the pipes like Uncle Bruce (weellll, almost). The band sounded as if they have been playing together forever, and all seemed thoroughly thankful to be supporting such legends as Maiden.

This weekend the band is hitting the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine CA on the 30th and 31st. I caught Maiden here a few times back in the late 80s/early 90s (when it was called Irvine Meadows) and to catch the current tour there would be well worth your time, it's easily going to be one of the best of 2008 . Don't miss it.

• Iron Maiden

Pictures (Thanks to Hellion666)

Videos

01. Aces High


02. 2 Minutes to Midnight

03. Revelations
04. The Trooper



05. Wasted Years



06. The Number of the Beast

07. Can I Play With Madness?


08. Rime of the Ancient Mariner


09. Powerslave

10. Heaven Can Wait
11. Run to the Hills



12. Fear of the Dark

13. Iron Maiden



-------------------------
14. Moonchild

15. The Clairvoyant
Partial
16. Hallowed Be Thy Name

Powerslave
Wasted Years & Number of the Beast

Wasted Years
Number of the Beast
Fear of the Dark

Audio Recordings
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=GIPYIZ2J (Thanks to ironseb)

• Lauren Harris

Pictures

Videos

Audio Recordings

Anton Gustafsson, más conocido en la red como Anton Maiden, era un chico sueco fan de la mítica banda de heavy metal Iron Maiden. A raíz de su afición por la banda, empezó a grabarse con el micrófono de su ordenador mientras cantaba sobre MIDIs de canciones de Iron Maiden.

La canción original de Maiden...

...y la desafortunada versión de Anton…

Desgraciadamente, el fuerte de Anton nunca fue precisamente cantar, y las canciones que iba grabando, y que empezó a subir a Internet, provocaban más risas(e incluso lágrimas) que aplausos. A pesar de ello, todos le decían que lo hacía realmente bien, y que siguiese grabando, que realmente les gustaba su voz... el fenómeno fue creciendo y creciendo, mientras Anton, inocentemente, creía todo aquéllo que le decían sobre sus grabaciones, hasta el punto de que una televisión del país llegó a hacerle una entrevista y un reportaje sobre éste.

Pero toda mentira se acaba descubriendo, y no fue hasta 2003 que Anton fue dandose cuenta de que la gente realmente se reía de él -e incluso un gran número de fans de la banda le insultaban de forma feroz-. Finalmente, víctima de su propio sueño, Anton se suicidó ese mismo año.

Desde Zurcheva me gustaría rendirle homenaje, ya que a pesar de tratarse de un pésimo vocalista, cosa no muy difícil de ver, Anton Maiden fue víctima de la mala fe de mucha gente, que no supieron decirle a tiempo una verdad de la que él permanecía totalmente ciego... y aquéllos que lo hicieron, le atacaron (y siguen haciendolo, aún muerto, diciendo que hizo bien al suicidarse...) de forma tan brutal que desencadenaron el terrible desenlace de esta tragicomedia.

De hecho, tras encontrar esta web, puede que me anime a hacerle un tributo xD Porque si, amigos,... no todos en este mundo cantamos bien, y yo soy un buen ejemplo de ello xDD (preguntadle a Endless xDDD)

Podéis encontrar todas sus canciones en http://antonmaiden.altervista.org/

Na entrevista, Nicko diz que "A Tour do Powerslave foi muito longa. Para ser honesto, quase determinou o fim da banda devido á quantidade de concertos marcados".

A entrevista pode ser lida na totalidade e em inglês em KNAC.com.

El hecho de ir a ver al cine algo que puedes descargarte desde hace años en cualquier programa P2P con pasmosa facilidad, o comprar a partir de hoy mismo en DVD y verlo en tu casa hace que uno se plantee seriamente si vale la pena pagar 7 euros por esto.

Pero finalmente, y me alegro por mí y mis 7 euros invertidos (xD), la proyección valió muchísimo la pena. El cine que elegí fue el Cinesa Diagonal (Barcelona), básicamente por cuestiones de distancia y tal (los otros quedaban bastante lejos xD).

A medida que uno se iba acercando al cine, el ambiente metalero de los alrededores se hacía cada vez más palpable. No nos vamos a engañar, no había realmente una multitud abrumadora, pero la sala finalmente estuvo hasta los topes. Tras completar el (carisimo) ritual de comprar palomitas y bebida (gracias por la invitación, Cobo! xD), tomamos asiento y en dos minutos empezó la proyección (made in DVD, del que pudimos ver el menú en la pantalla xD). Hay que decir que la sala está muy bien acondicionada, asientos cómodos, buena visibilidad, buena calidad de sonido y calidad de imagen aceptable (hay que tener en cuenta también que, por muy remasterizado que estuviese el concierto, los 23 años que tiene hace que sea muy difícil conseguir una imagen perfecta).

La mayor baza de la proyección era, simple y llanamente, el público. A pesar de tratarse de una pantalla de cine, la gente (entre los que me incluyo xD) coreaba y aplaudía los temas, e incluso respondían a Bruce cuando animaba al público de Los Angeles en este mítico concierto... simplemente una pasada, el setlist nos lo conocíamos todos, e incluso bien seguro que el 90% de los presentes ya había visto el concierto, pero poder disfrutar de Maiden con una buena y gran pantalla de cine y a un volumen aceptable (los de la sala se comportaron genial, ante las súplicas de los presentes subieron el volumen sin dudarlo xD) no tiene precio xD.

En conclusión, una experiencia obviamente no comparable a la de asistir a un concierto en persona de Maiden, pero desde luego se trató de una más que buena forma de prepararse e ir calentando para los conciertos que la banda hará en España este verano, rememorando esos grandes discos que fueron Powerslave, Somewhere in time y Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (prácticamente mis tres preferidos).

Un saludo y... up the irons!!

P.D: Intenté hacer "afotos", pero las pilas gastadas de mi cámara frustraron mi intento. Lástima.

Now, based on the posts of the last few days, you may think that all I do here is biting and insightful political commentary, or maybe biting and insightful and somewhat emo philosophical commentary. Is that what you can expect?

Nope. Or at least, not on the surface. Right now I post about music... and not even not the most bleeding edge or hip or modern music, not even close. Right now, I'm just posting music that I like, and that I hope you like, too, or will like.

What music could be better after Super Tuesday, with the field of pathetic pymgies in the Republican party being pared down yet again and the tickets starting to shape up a bit,  than some good Iron Maiden - something to get the blood pumping and the imagination going, just what the soul needs in the final ugly run to November.

Sure, Maiden seems dated, that long hair looks ridiculous and the sight of a grown man like me headbanging with horns to the sky is a sight pathetic to behold. But when you're a white boy growing up in the 'burbs - or worse yet, when you're someone trying, with only intermittent success, to hold a series of "entry level" jobs... well, my friend, Nicko and Company are your very best friend, as they are mine.

Needless to say, The Prisoner, off Number of the Beast, is my favorite. And it seems oddly timely now, with the world balkanized and demographed and the electorate confused and run amok, like Patrick McGoohan in the TV show that this song is named after. Poor No. 6 never could get away from the Village. I like Iron Maiden's take on the series much better.

Say it with me now...

"I am not a number. I am a free man!"