Iron Maiden & Dream Theater

Their are not many bands on the planet with the ability to follow Dream Theater as their opening act without being upstaged.  It was quite refreshing to see a show where the headliner didn't just hire a cheap fodder band to open their concert.  Dream Theater played an incredible set and now I've got to go out and update my cd catalog with lots of DT!

Then came Iron Maiden!
Their next cd, The Final Frontier, is going to be released in August 2010 and their stage was that of a space station on a far off planet with the galaxy behind the set and the lighting dropping down to appear as space ships flying over the space station.  I am no fan of Star Trek/Wars but the concept blew me away!  They played newer material throughout the show with the oldest song being Fear of the Dark from their '92 album by that name.  Last time I saw Maiden was with Judas Priest in 1987 and we have all grown much older since then but Maiden has continued to produce relevant metal music without all the drama most bands seem to relish.  True, there have been a few lineup changes but for several years they have been back to their most formidable crew that has endured for 35 years.  They played El Dorado from their upcoming disk and it was a new Maiden masterpiece.  After an hour and a half of Bruce and crew running about the stage they departed briefly then reappeared to play  Number of the Beast (666), Hallowed Be Thy Name, both from 1982's Number of the Beast then closed the show with Running Free from their self titled debut in 1980.  The show, sound, enthusiasm and interaction between band and audience was monumental.  Don't miss this show, Maiden is in perfect form with new material and more relevant than most bands that came on the scene 5 years ago with a hit record and have already faded into obscurity.