Phoenix gig reviewed
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Iron Maiden rules over Cricket
Mike Senft
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 23, 2003 11:14 AM
Twenty years ago, Iron Maiden's mummified mascot Eddie had his brain removed on the Piece of Mind album cover. Friday night at Cricket Pavilion, he finally got another one put in.
British metal legends Iron Maiden pulled out all the stops for the show, part of the band's 25th anniversary "Give Me Ed Till I'm Dead" tour. With backdrops depicting classic album covers, Maiden tore through a 90-minute set highlighting many crowd favorites while still showing off the band's equally fine newer material.
Opening the show were proto-thrashers Motorhead and fantasy rocker Dio.
Motorhead took the stage while the sun was setting and the crowd still trickling in. Singer Lemmy, in biker gear and sporting his trademark iron cross necklace, led the group through a tight 30-minute set of loud, fast and ugly rock and roll.
Material from the band's latest album, Hammered, like "Dr. Love" was featured, as well as classics like "Ace of Spades" and "Overkill." Lemmy dedicated "R.A.M.O.N.E.S." to the late Joey and Dee Dee Ramone from the seminal punk band bearing their name. The only weak spot was an overindulgent solo from drummer Mikkey Dee.
Heavy metal hobgoblin Ronnie James Dio followed. His voice is still as powerful as ever, though, and he rightfully deserves recognition as one of the finest singers in heavy metal.
Flashing his trademark two-finger "devil horn" salute throughout the set, he delved deep into his musical history, plucking the classic track "Stargazer," from his tenure in Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, and "Mob Rules" and "Heaven and Hell" from when he served as Black Sabbath's howler.
Dio's solo material was weak by comparison. Older tracks like "Holy Diver" and "Last in Line" held up, but as he delved into his late ‘80s and early ‘90s oeuvre, the quality of songwriting dipped dramatically. Surprisingly, opening tune "Killing the Dragon," the title track from Dio's latest disc, was a standout.
If only he had brought along the giant dragon he used to slay on stage during his early ‘80s heyday.
Again however, indulgent solos bogged down the set. Drummer Simon Wright and guitarist Craig Goldy both stepped into the spotlight, Wright playing along with a recording of Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" while Goldy grimaced his way through an unspectacular display of fretboard pyrotechnics.
Maiden ruled the evening, of course. The crowd, which had swelled to over 10,000 by the time the band took the stage, roared as Vincent Price's intonation of "Woe to you of earth and sea," introduced the band's opening number, the classic "Number of the Beast."
Singer Bruce Dickinson could barely contain his energy, sprinting and leaping across the two-tiered stage, exhorting the crowd to scream, all the while never missing a vocal cue.
Dickinson's voice was a little weak on "Beast" and the second number "The Trooper," but he got his air-raid siren cranked up after about 15 minutes and was in fine form for the rest of the show.
Although Maiden's triple guitar attack was occasionally overpowering and muddy, Adrian Smith, Janick Gers and Dave Murray were in sync throughout, trading solos during "Wicker Man."
While introducing the band's newest single, "Wildest Dreams," from the forthcoming disc Dance of Death, Dickinson launched into a tirade against record companies and supporting MP3 downloading.
"Go ahead and download this song and send it to your friends, because we know that all of our fans want to hear it and will buy our album anyway," he said.
Eddie made a pair of appearances during the show.
While Maiden played "The Clairvoyant" from its 1988 album Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, a giant robotic Eddie wearing royal garb strode onstage, looming over Dickinson.
Then as the band closed its set with its namesake tune "Iron Maiden" an enormous Eddie head rose at the back of the stage. His head opened and a brain was lowered into it as the punky tune ended.
Of course Maiden returned for a pair of encores, delivering its hits "Two Minutes to Midnight" and "Run to the Hills," before vanishing into the darkness.
Though Maiden has said that it will be drastically scaling back its tours in the future, Dickinson promised a swift return from the group.
The large crowd and enthusiastic response from Valley headbangers should guarantee the band will keep its promise.
Iron Maiden setlist:
Number Of The Beast
The Trooper
Die With Your Boots On
Revelations
Hallowed Be Thy Name
Wildest Dreams
The Wicker Man
The Clansman
The Clairvoyant
Fear Of The Dark
Iron Maiden
ENCORE:
2 Minutes to Midnight
Run To The Hills