The Chicago Press Praises Maiden
Thanks to Triumph the Dog, here are some reviews from the Chicago press about the city's show (spoiler material has been removed but can be read by following the links):Playing only cuts from their first four records, Iron Maiden took the stage next. Vocalist Bruce Dickinson jumped around like a madman and still found time to introduce the band's mascot, Eddie, and berate the crowd for being too quiet. By far the best mainstage act, Iron Maiden only made it more glaring that these days, Black Sabbath in theory is better than Black Sabbath in practice.
Read it all at The Chicago Suntimes
Iron Maiden ruled the main stage, and Rob Zombie rocked the second stage at Saturday's daylong Ozzfest at the Tweeter Center in Tinley Park.
(...)
Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson belied his age by looking fit and zipping around the bi-level stage for an hour. He actually sings the lyrics whereas growling and screaming have become the norm in heavy metal.
Maiden — Dickinson backed by guitarists Dave Murray, Janick Gers and Adrian Smith, bass player Steve Harris and drummer Nicko McBrain — delved into its first four albums (1981 to 1983). (...) Maiden got the crowd chanting and fist-waving through every song
Read it all at the Daily South Town
The beast was back.
Anchored by its signature anthem about the numerical mark of the devil, Iron Maiden held court at the annual musical carnival known as Ozzfest, which yielded 13 hours of metal and witnessed melody triumph over bludgeoning noise Saturday at Tweeter Center.
Exclusively playing songs from its first four albums, Maiden gave everyone a lesson in the sweeping theatrical force of old-school British metal. (...) [T]he sextet's go-for-broke attack encompassed an hourlong barrage of contagious melodies, stallion-galloping tempos, majestic harmonics, rip-your-throat-out intensity and power-chord punch. Vocalist Bruce Dickinson no longer possesses the uppermost range of his air-raid siren wail, but his soaring battle cries held the near-capacity crowd spellbound while his high-energy performance made many of the festival's acts look lazy and tired.
The swashbuckling frontman constantly ran across the stage, hurdled speakers, led chants and became immersed in the sorcery, mystery and illusion of the band's narratives.
(...)
When Black Sabbath followed only 20 minutes later, the excitement had worn down and the audience thinned.
Read it all at Chicago Tribune
The long day’s highlight was in fact not headliners Sabbath, but fellow Englishmen Iron Maiden. Arguably as important an influence on young metal musicians as Ozzy’s gang, Maiden never had radio success in America. Their legacy instead came from records played by older brothers or friends, theatrical concert spectacles and clever branding via millions of T-shirts featuring the ghoulish mascot named Eddie.
Playing to fanatics as well as to the uninitiated, singer Bruce Dickinson leapt and cajoled the crowd with youthful energy, his opera-trained pipes still soaring with passion and force. (...) [the band deserves] legendary status.
Read it all at the Daily Herald