Iron Maiden put on steely show at Arena
this one didn’t disappoint, being as preposterous and spectacular as could be wished for.
Crucially, like fellow Planet Rock favourite Alice Cooper, they never lose sight of the fact that all the spectacle in the world doesn’t amount to much unless it’s underpinned by solid musicianship, and, as ever, it was.
Bassist Steve Harris might be the only founder member left, but their current line-up – featuring Hartlepool’s Janick Gers as one of three guitarists – has been together since 1999, making it the longest-lived in their 42-year history, and that shows as they clearly enjoy playing together.
This tour being a showcase for The Book of Souls, it accounted for the lion’s share of the set-list for Sunday’s show, their fourth visit to the arena following previous appearances in 2011, 2006 and 2003.
Six of its 11 tracks featured among the 15 they played on the night, including their opening two numbers, If Eternity Should Fail and Speed Of Light, but, it being among the best of their career, that was no bad thing. Their only other album to feature in their set-list more than once was The Number of the Beast, their first No. 1 and also their first with current frontman Bruce Dickinson, still sprightly at 58 and seemingly none the worse for throat cancer therapy in 2015.
Besides its title track being the first of their three encores, Children Of The Damned also made an appearance early on. This was the band’s first show in the city since their last date at the venue six year ago, although Essex-born Harris, 61, did play at the Riverside with his side project British Lion in 2015.
He’s due to return there in August, so any fans left wanting more after Sunday night’s show won’t have too long to wait.