"It Was a Spirited Performance" Says Reviewer
Bangalore: The passion of the fans was there for all to see during the performance by Iron Maiden on Saturday.Some said they had been waiting for more than a decade to listen to their idols of heavy metal and the band definitely did not disappoint them.
The evening began early with Indian bands Parikrama and FTN, winners of Campus Rock Idols, opening the concert. The bands gave a spirited performance and Britain's Lauren Harris followed them.
Harris is the daughter of Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris.
Harris, though billed as one of the brightest young acts around, refused to please the around 20,000 crowd which just kept screaming "Maiden, Maiden."
Fans had come over from all over the country. There were large contingents from Mumbai and as far away as the northeast.
Some had arrived early in the morning itself at the venue and had camped the entire day at the Palace Grounds.
And after what seemed like an interminable wait, Iron Maiden took to stage in characteristic style and were promptly snapped by thousands of camera mobile phones held aloft. Their current world tour, Eddfest, is promoting their latest album A Matter Of Life And Death and predictably they began with numbers from that album. The first three numbers included the popular numbers "These Colours Don't Run and "Brighter Than A Thousand Suns".
Classics
But the crowd was waiting for the classics. The first one was "Wrathchild", which the band touchingly dedicated to the memory of Leon Ireland, the vocalist of Indian band Moksha who passed away earlier this year following a heart attack.
The gesture was met by a thunderous appreciation. It was quite something that the band in spite of their superstar status managed to recognise the achievements of one of Indian rock's most loved vocalists.
Vocalist Bruce Dickinson's awesome stage energy was on display in one their biggest hits, "Trooper".
Dickinson is known to unfurl the British Union Jack during this number and he went on to jump about the stage with the flag.
The band had promised a set, which included a good mix of their old as well as new numbers.
They performed "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg", a critically acclaimed number, and "For The Greater Good Of God" from their new album.
But the number that the crowd was just waiting for was "Fear Of The Dark."
The number has cult status among Maiden fans, and it was thus not surprising to find that there was not a single person who could not mouth the lyrics. Stashes of cigarettes that had been smuggled in were lit on cue and lighters were held up to banish the darkness. The number began with a massive chorus and as it picked up pace, there was jumping in unison, sending plumes of dust into the still night air. Other numbers such as "Number Of The Beast", "Run To The Hills", "Two Minutes To Midnight" and "Hallowed Be thy Name" had the crowd in head banging frenzy.
The band's energy was best symbolised by Dickinson, who in spite of being 49, had the breath to maniacally jump around the stage.
Drummer Nicko McBrain stood out for his raw power and bassist Steve Harris was imperious as ever.
The backdrops used for the stage were quite spectacular with the band's mascot Eddie featuring prominently. Eddie then also made a spectacular appearance in the middle of the concert atop a battle tank that was raised on to the stage.
The tank prop has been a regular feature of the band's performances when they toured Europe and Japan recently.
While fans were very much vocal in their tribute to the band, the band members were themselves overawed by the experience as they admitted they did not expect anything this big.
As the concert wound down, Dickinson could only manage "It is a very special night."