Scream For Me Mumbai!!!

Its been rather long since after the Iron Maiden concert. Although a combination of weird problems has meant that i haven’t yakked about it yet.

I will not glorify the band here. They are already gods without requiring me to publicize them. Instead, i’m gonna inform ye readers about that concert and “educate” you about those absolute legends.

The six-piece band is fronted by Bruce Dickinson. Who I’m sure can still shatter glass with one good shout (btw, he’s actually done that). Having seen so many concert videos, i knew exactly what to expect. Running around the stage. Jumping off the amplifiers(?) at the center of the stage. All the fun crowd interaction bits. All the costumes to go with particular songs. Its amazing that at his age, he still has that energy and childlike enthusiasm about his performance. And the vocals still sound exactly the same. Unfuckingbelievably powerful. Just thinking of him makes me moist…

I’ll go with the guitarists next. Dave Murray. Adrian Smith. And Janick Gers. Yup, all three of ‘em. These guys have three guitarists, who typically alternate fluidly between lead and rhythm guitars. Usually in the middle of a song, or a leads section. Where one guy starts off the leads, before another picks up in the middle of it. The third guy usually strums away on the rhythm at the back. This btw is the typical “thing” that these guys do. Dave usually plays the most complex leads with an almost placid smile on his babyface. Adrian, who looks all tough coz of the general look, can always be counted on to deliver with his bits. Janick, more of the showman of the lot, will, when he’s not playing leads, usually be seen swinging his guitar around his neck. And oh, he’s the one who always messes with Eddie when he comes on stage. You’ll do not know what that means yet. Patience.

Mr. Steve Harris on the bass guitar. The guy who started the band. 32 years ago. And who still defines what Maiden is all about. Steve usually sings along with all the songs almost involuntarily. All the while playing the fastest most super bass you will have ever heard. Thumping rapidfire bass that could easily give you cardiac arrest. Fast as in you-can’t-see-his-fingers fast. One of his bits, which i absolutely fuckin’ love, is to point the bass guitar at the audience and “gun” them down with it. You have to see this to understand what it means, and why he usually has such a gleeful expression on his face when he does it.

And Nicko McBrain on the drums. Nicko has a terrible sense of humor. Which is usually why he’s the only one who laughs at his jokes. Laughs himself silly in fact. But, in his own words, “A good drummer bucks up the feet. A bad drummer fucks up the beat.” Nicko is an awesome drummer.

Now for the set. The world tour. The Somewhere Back in Time tour. Which has actually kicked off from Mumbai coz of something to do with the prevailing winds. So that Bruce can fly the guys around easily or something. Oh yes, Bruce Dickinson is a fuckin’ genius, who, among several other things, is certified to fly commercial jets.

The show began with a bit Maiden had last done 22 years ago during the World Slavery tour (btw they always have cool names like this for the world tours, usually something to do with the particular album they’re promoting). Churchill’s speech. I actually rather love this speech. For an old guy during the war, Churchill had real balls. Anyway, in a continuation of the flashback, the speech gave way to Aces High, also a song based in WWII. The few thousand guys trying to crowd the guardrails at the front rather lost it at this point, with the result that i found myself propelled from back of the crowd to 10 feet from the guardrail. Close enough to memorise Bruce’s features and all that (i actually wanted to :-p). 2 Minutes to Midnight followed next; this one is more about the Cold War, and the song name actually has a very deep meaning behind it. Explosive guitar riffs on this one that will knock your pants off. Revelations is a song that is based on Aleister Crowley, who, among other things, was a real creep. Bit of a quiet song, which helped coz the crowd finally stopped jumping and pushing around. No Maiden concert can be complete without a performance of The Trooper. A brilliant classic, again with a cool historical background in that it portrays the famous “Charge of the Light Brigade.” This song is particularly fun coz Bruce always dresses in a soldier’s uniform and waves a torn and burnt Union Jack while running around on the platforms on the stage. Very theatrical, but very cool. Wasted Years was next; this song has real good guitars. You wouldn’t expect a chant from the Bible (slightly modified albeit) at an Iron Maiden concert, but that’s precisely what The Number of the Beast starts with. I love this one coz the whole crowd chanted along with the immortal lines that every Maiden fan simply has to know. Maiden has been grossly maligned coz of this song; for the millionth time, they are NOT Satan worshippers. Some of us fans might be, but not them! The next song is another classic; this one will make you Run to the Hills. Everything about this song is amazing-galloping guitars and accompanying bass, loud ear-shattering screaming at the end. Basically a song you must hear. As far as the deeper meaning goes, its actually about the struggles between European settlers and native Americans.

The pièce de résistance of the show was slap bang in the middle of it. Based on a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is THE Maiden epic, being an impressive 13-and-a-half minutes long. The song chugs along happily enough for the first five minutes or so. The stand out, however, is the lengthy instrumental section that follows for the next six minutes. Starting off with a quiet bass line accompanied by the creepy sounds of a creaking boat, a lil bit of guitars, and a few rasping lines on the vocals, the music breaks out from a gloomy and eerie quiet into a cool fast bass line, before bursting out into a loud scream and some brilliant leads. The most incredible part is that these guys play the song exactly the way the original version is, all 13 minutes of it. Am sure nobody else could ever play something that long so perfectly…

Whew. Next was Powerslave, a song about some Egyptian stuff. Bruce played the part by wearing some kinda Egyptian headgear, i suppose something that is similar to the stuff Pharaohs wore, considering the song is based on a Pharaoh as well. Heaven Can Wait is a song about a near death experience. Bruce sang part of the song while hanging onto a steel girder at a height of about 15 feet off the stage. Dunno why. Can I Play with Madness? is about some supernatural stuff, bit of a fan favorite this one. We were all, however, surprised to hear the beginning of Fear of the Dark. This shouldn’t have been on the set list, but no one was complaining. Another one of Maiden’s must-play songs at a live performance, thousands of us sang along with the beginnings of the song, including the little audience interaction bit that all of us expected to be there, when Bruce always gets the audience to yell out “fear of the dark.” The lyrics to this song are actually rather good, and the music is even better. Next came the signature song, the self-titled Iron Maiden. This song is a rollicking little piece, written in the bands earliest days when their sound was a lot more raw than what it is now. This song was marked by another truly Maiden-esque spectacle. A tradition of Maiden at concerts is to have a huge Eddie figure walk out on stage. The costume worn by this grotesque creature is always in keeping with the theme of the world tour; in this case, it followed the futuristic theme of the Somewhere in Time album. This i suppose will explain my reference above about Janick always sparring with Eddie on stage. Moonchild is another song that is based on the works (in this case, a ritual) of Aleister Crowley. Another rocking song, and one that is actually rarely ever played at Maiden concerts. This song quickly gave way to The Clairvoyant, which has some of the fastest most amazing bass you will ever hear. Where-the-fuck-are-Steve’s-fingers kinda fast.

Since it was evident that the concert was drawing to a close, a lot of us were restless since the one song that just HAD to feature hadn’t been played yet. Then again, there’s a reason you save the best for the last. The first sounds of Hallowed Be Thy Name were greeted by the most loudest, also hideous in the case of those who had truly lost their voices, roars. This is the best song i have ever heard. This is the best song you might not have heard yet, which makes you a fool. Anyway, the song is, of course, a classic, a must-play at every concert. Its characterized by everything that fans love about Maiden. Soaring vocals. Superfantastic guitars. Amazing changes of pace throughout the seven minute length of the song. And, in the end, a massive drum roll from Nicko, accompanied by Steve gunning down the crowd, the three guitarists blazing away, and Bruce letting out one last loud yell, usually lasting around 30 seconds straight (yep, a continuous yell that will make your lungs implode if you so much as try to do it yourself).

These are the sounds that died down on that absolutely unforgettable evening. Those six godfathers of metal, takin’ their bows, weapon of choice still in hand.

Iron Maiden rules everything. Up the Irons!!!