Iron Maiden in Denver

The Metal gods paid another visit to Denver in 2005 and the faithful turned up in droves... including yours truly. Although I had watched them live just a couple of years ago, I couldn't give this one a miss since this time their entire set included numbers from only the first four albums. This was somewhat like a once in a lifetime event as they rarely play their early material barring a few popular ones. Also this time I wanted to take pictures for keepsake. One of the nice things about Iron Maiden concerts is that cameras are always allowed and I made sure I carried mine... not that I took any great pictures, but at least managed a few decent shots. And whats more, I could squeeze in a few video clips too.

One other thing I like about a Maiden concert is that I get to show off my old Iron Maiden T-shirt that has a rare artwork of Eddie with blazing guns. I had picked it up at a roadside bazaar in Bombay some 10 years back. Its not available retail anymore which means I get to enjoy a few envious looks from the other fans. A couple of them actually came up to me asking where they could get it from.

The opening performers were Mastadon and Rob Zombie, bands that I cared little about. I would have preferred old school acts like Motorhead and Dio who had opened last time. Zombie had his fair share of fans and energized the crowd for what was to come.

As darkness fell, the lights dimmed and Maiden erupted on stage with the furious "Murders in the Rue Morgue". They followed that up with numbers like 'Revelations', 'prowler', 'wrathchild', 'Phantom of the Opera', 'Where eagles dare' among other crowd pleasers like 'Run to the hills,'hallowed...' and 'no. of the beast'. The show ended with a three song encore of 'Running Free', 'Drifter' (yes Drifter!) and 'Sanctuary'with Bruce working up the crowd to a frenzy. Their onstage energy made it hard to believe that these rockers are pushing 50. Awesome!

Their tour however did not have a happy ending.

Video Clips

Pictures