Iron Maiden/Bullet for my Valentine

Setlist :
Different World
These Colours Don't Run
Brighter Than a Thousand Suns
Pilgrim
Longest Day
Out of the Shadows
Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg
For the Greater Good of God
Lord of Light
Legacy
Fear of the Dark
Iron Maiden
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2 Minutes to Midnight
The Evil that Men Do
Hallowed Be Thy Name

Out supporting their latest studio album “A Matter of Life and Death”, Maiden have made a clear statement that they are not going to go on the road and do a set with just music from the past. They have been very vocal of the fact they are proud of the new album, and should be, and intended on playing it in its entirety live which they did. Last year for the Ozzfest they were out supporting their latest DVD entitled “The Early Years” and the setlist was just that, and featured only songs from the first four albums up to 1983. Now that I thought was great, a fantastic way to celebrate their past. Thing is….they should have carried some of those rarely played songs into this tour's set. I have no problem with them playing the entire new album, just change around the classics. This time around they dropped “Number of the Beast”, “Run to the Hills”, “Trooper”, “ Wrathchild ”, and in their place why not put in “Murders in the Rue Morgue”, “Prowler”, “Aces High”, The Prisoner”, “Flight of Icarus ”. I think many of us are tired of “Hallowed”, “2 Minutes”, “Fear”, “Evil” and need something new. That was my biggest gripe with the set.

The new music is progressive in the same vein as “Dance of Death”, adding a variety of textures to the music by the use of more orchestrated sounds with time and tempo changes throughout a song provided by keyboards, acoustic guitar and mellow bass intros/ outros to many of the songs. Their music post “Fear of the Dark” is more reflective of the band growing both in their years and musical boundaries. In a live setting this only serves as another color to the Maiden's creative palette and another dimension to the bands already dynamic and well constructed music.

For the “Matter of Life and Death” stage show they have gone back to the more organic feel and similar layout to the “ Powerslave ” tour with a more natural feel featuring the artwork from the new album as the main backdrop. Lighting was fantastic and reminded me a lot of the “Seventh Son” tour the way cool and warm colors were matched up and brought out the artwork on the stage risers. Eddie of course came out as always rising above the drum kit on the tank from the new album cover as well as walking about on stage as a soldier during the encore.