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“Scream for me Zagreb! SCREAM FOR ME ZAGREB!!!"
And scream we all did. It was a night of Metal celebration in Croatia this past Tuesday as Iron Maiden did what they do best.... put on the best metal show in the business. Well known and established metal acts rarely make Croatia a stop on world tours, though it is in the heart of Europe. Iron Maiden is the exception as they have played in Croatia several times. In fact Maiden is probably the only band to make Eastern European countries a priority on all of their tours. Zagreb, Croatia was the latest stop on Maiden’s Give Me Ed, ‘till I’m Dead world tour. This short European tour is in anticipation of their new album Dance of Death and upcoming world tour. 12,000 loyal and crazy Maiden enthusiasts were treated with a Grade A performance from these true metal legends. From the first note of the classic opener Number of the Beast until the hair raising, goose bump inducing finale Run to the Hills, Maiden did not let up for a full two hours. Bruce Dickinson, a wild man and true heavy metal front man did not stop from second one, racing from one end of the stage to the other, climbing the metal rigs to the sides of the stage, calling out to the all the metal loyalists to join Maiden in celebrating what metal is all about. Dickinson seems to have lost little. His voice was powerful, delivering all the songs with conviction and a true sense of love for all things Maiden and things metal. 12,000 sets of fists punched the air as Maiden’s triple guitar attack swirled, dipped and dived through the Croatian night sky, and as Steve Harris’s thundering and galloping bass lines perfectly accentuated the majesty of the classic Maiden material being performed this night. The set list was heavily flavored with classic era songs like: Number of the Beast, The Trooper, Revelations, 22, Acacia Avenue and Run to the Hills. A fan could not have picked a better set list. The only downside was the choice of including a couple of substandard tracks like Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter and Heaven Can Wait in place of outstanding classics like Aces High, Wasted Years or 2 Minutes to Midnight. As a special treat on this European leg, Maiden has been playing a new song entitled Wildest Dreams from their forthcoming LP. The track sounds better in person than it does on the mp3 currently circulating on the net and this reviewer expects that it will sound even better on the album. Prior to the performance of Wildest Dreams, Dickinson encouraged everyone to record the song on their cell phones or by whatever other means and upload it onto the Internet but that when the new album is released they should do the honest thing and buy the new album. I agree with that. Without a doubt Iron Maiden are in a class unto themselves. Few bands, metal or otherwise exhibit the showmanship and professionalism that they exude. Nothing they do seems forced or calculated. It’s why they have legions of loyal fans the world over. On this night in a tiny country Maiden proved once again why they are true Metal legends and why they cannot and will not be stopped or topped. Set List not in exact
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