A Perfectly Cromulent Blog

Maiden Voyage - Pt. 2

Posted by pete at May 29, 2008 6:17 PM

"Are There Any Catholics in the Crowd?"

Part 1 can be found here

The three of us made our way to the Pavilion proper shortly before 8 PM, thus giving us plenty of time to miss the opening act. I'd like to say up front I have nothing against bass player and founding member Steve Harris' daughter Lauren and I'm sure she plays a...a solid set, but recent experiences have led me to be wary of rock star progeny.

Our seats were pretty rocking (when attending a metal show, all occurrences can neatly be divided into those that rock, and those that do not): 13 rows back on the (house) right side. It was apparent early on that the show was close to sold out, if such a thing is possible in the Woodlands (I've no doubt Ticketmaster is instructed to continue selling lawn tickets until breathing becomes difficult...and then sell 500 more).

We'd barely taken position when the lights went down and a brief montage of the tour to this point played. Immediately thereafter, we were treated to the familiar sounds of Churchill's "Never Surrender" speech, accompanied by visuals of the Battle of Britain. That can only mean one thing at a Maiden show: "Aces High" (all of these vids were taken and posted by someone on the opposite end of the arena, lest anyone be confused):

And like all good out-of-towners, Bruce borrowed an audience member's hat for a few verses.

It was almost embarrassing how gratified the crowd was when he put that thing on. I mean, anyone who remembers the mullet-sporting, leather pants and spiked armband-clad '80s incarnation knows the guy isn't very picky, clothes-wise.

But whatever. They went straight from that into "2 Minutes to Midnight" and "Revelations." Everyone still on their feet, the better to drink in the World Slavery tour era stage setup (hieroglyphics, statues of Anubis, and Eddie from Powerslave flanked by Somewhere Out of Time Eddie and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son Eddie).

Then came my personal favorite, "The Trooper:"

I'm not at all ashamed to say I threw more devil horns that night than I have since my last UT-A&M game. The next song was my favorite from Somewhere in Time, "Wasted Years." Then "Number of the Beast" and "Run to the Hills." The only semi-decent pic I got from the night was during the latter, capturing none other than SATAN in all his goat-y low-res glory:

After "Hills" came "Rime of the Ancient Mariner." Or as I refer to it, "Intermission." I cruised the vendor area for a bit, buying a shirt for myself and a...nightgown for She Who Shall Not Be Named with "The Evil That Men Do" on it. I took a nifty picture of it, but can't locate the USB cable for it right now. Trust me, she's as cute as a 4-year old in a black t-shirt with a devil on it can be.

After procuring beers for Thing and Joni (I bravely sacrificed my own thirst to the whims of the Pavilion's 2 beer per customer policy), I returned to my seat in time for "Powerslave," "Heaven Can Wait," "Can I Play With Madness?" and the long-awaited (though not exactly SiT era) "Fear of the Dark:"

Did I mention it was hot? Bruce said the stage thermometer read 120 degrees, and I believe it. Especially if Harris was any indication:

I haven't seen an English guy sweat like that since Hugh Grant. Dave was also pretty shiny:

Iron Maiden" was next, featuring the first appearance of mummy Eddie:

Here he is in better detail:

It was this moment that prompted TTTWLAM to note that the midgets and props from Spinal Tap's "Stonehenge" wouldn't have looked out of place, and as much as I love Iron Maiden, I couldn't really disagree.

The Irons' setlist doesn't vary much, owing to the emphasis on the theatrical and the fact that this tour is mostly a promotional event for the release of the 2-disc Live After Death DVD. As such, I knew the encore would include "Moonchild," "The Clairvoyant," and "Hallowed be Thy Name," which is when I'm pretty sure this pic was taken:

And that was all she wrote. Joni went back to the hotel room she'd smartly reserved right there on the waterfront, while The Thing and I returned to Baker St., ears ringing, for a final beer before driving our dehydrated asses back home.

I'm sure there are those that will laugh at the almost 40-year old going to such efforts to document an 80s era metal show, but Iron Maiden put on one of the most energetic and entertaining concerts I've ever attended. Sure, there's a certain tongue-in-cheek quality to watching a bunch of 50-something dudes wearing leather pants and playing songs about the End Times. And in the post-hair band generation Maiden - with their giant mummy and the "Somewhere In Time"-vintage Eddie that appeared briefly - can look a little goofy, but they leave it all out there on stage. The three of us had a blast, and I'd certainly see them again if - as they promised - they return to Houston.

And who are you to judge me, anyway? Jerks.

Up the Irons.