The last Saturday of June saw the lads from Leyton make something of a 50th anniversary homecoming, playing at the adjacent, Stratford-situated London Stadium. As Stratford is situated in my borough, within bus distance from me, it was refreshing to not have to rely on tubes and trains to get to a venue for a change.
That said, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for me, with events taking place during a particularly hot day on the calendar. As such, I pretty much stepped out into an open-air sauna, and not even a considered application of Neat 3B could prevent me from sweating like Joseph Fritzl after a visit to the dungeon—and all before the gates had opened too!
Still, I didn’t have to wait long for my first-time entrance into the stadium after reaching the front-standing area for which I’d acquired a ticket (cheers Kyla and Jürgen!), and once in, I didn’t have to wait too long for This Raven Age, the evening’s first act. They got things off to a serviceable start, certain songs like ‘Hangman’ making something of a distinct impression, though they ended up outstaying their welcome for me toward the end.
In a marked break from my usual gig pattern, I made a point of seeking out merch and grub during the interview. A combo of the food and merch stalls being inconveniently situated plus the queues being rather substantial for the latter meant that I missed the bulk of Halestorm’s set, a shame as going by my listening prior to the gig, they’re not bad at all. Catching the tail end of their performance, specifically ‘Freak Like Me’ and ‘I Get Off’, I’d say that impression translates well to a live setting.
In any case, I didn’t miss a minute of the headline act, who, as hoped, put on a sturdy show from start to finish, drawing from what many consider their essential era, i.e., 1980–1992. That era being my basis for digging Maiden, I appreciated the curation. Opening with the sterling ‘Murders in the Rue Morgue’—originally sung by the late Paul Di’Anno, whom I had the pleasure to see before his passing—the band notched up renditions of other notable tracks including ‘Phantom of the Opera’, ‘Number of the Beast’, ‘Seventh Son of a Seventh Son’, and, of course, ‘Run to the Hills’.
Highlights for me included Bruce donning a mask for ‘Powerslave’, the orb-consulting melodies of ‘The Clairvoyant’, singling alone to the portentous prechorus of ‘Two Minutes to Midnight, their much cherished mascot making an Eddie-fying onstage appearance during ‘The Trooper’, and the absolutely cracking encore showings of ‘Fear of the Dark’ and ‘Wasted Years’.
I could go on about the tracks I wished had made an appearance (e.g.,’Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter’, the first Maiden track I remember hearing, and liking, when it hit the charts in my primary school days), but I generally think Dickinson, Harris, et al did a great job of curating a setlist showcasing the best of their early, most iconic days for their 50th. In terms of location, they clearly seemed to be chuffed to be back on home(-adjacent) turf, within close proximity of the pub/venue where it all began for them, the Cart & Horses. What I *will * call them out for is their lack of pointed, explicit acknowledgement for the dearly departed Di Anno, a pivotal part of those early years.
In any case, although I remain more of a Priest partisan in terms of The Great Debate, this, their biggest UK headline show, left me with a stronger appreciation of Maiden at the end of the night. Not the first, or least perspirant, time I’ve seen them live but undoubtedly the most appreciated—up the fucking Irons!
~MRDA~
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