Iron Maiden Live in Cardiff, Wales 1st August 2011

Iron Maiden Live in Cardiff

2011-8-1

I was one of the lucky 500 fans to get Balcony seats for this gig.  Even better, I got front row balcony seats!


Tickets went on general sale at 10am this morning and I checked at 11am and they were completely sold out.  They are already being sold on eBay for up to 3 x face value and will surely increase in price as the gig gets closer.

The show comes 2 days before my 40th birthday so this will be my present to myself and will surely beat the shit out of any present my wife gets me! Lol ;o)

I've booked a hotel for the night so we can have a few beers and enjoy the whole night without having to worry about queuing for over an hour to get out of the car park!


253 days to go...and counting!


As you will have guessed from my previous blog posts, Maiden are my favourite band.  This tour could possibly be their last so I fully intend to make the most out of this great opportunity to witness one of the best live bands in the world!!


G

Added a few videos to YouTube!

Seeing as the most popular format on Blip.fm seems to be YouTube videos I thought I'd make a few of my own.  There are some great tunes out there that are not available on YouTube so I decided to add some slideshows to songs and upload them!

I plan to add more stuff on a regular basis, so if there are any tunes that you'd like to see on YouTube just let me know and I'll see what I can do!!

Iron Maiden 'The Final Frontier' - My Review!!

It's Friday the 13th of August and this packaged has just dropped through my letterbox.  I have an idea what it could be and I'm hoping that I'm correct?  Ahh yes, I am, It's the new Iron Maiden album 'The Final Frontier'.

The official release date is not until next Monday (16th August) so I'm pretty pleased to have received it this early...I pre-ordered it over a couple of months ago so it's already been a long wait!

I got the limited edition version which is called the 'Mission Edition' that comes in a tin case.  It allows you to gain access to bonus content via the web by visiting the IronMaiden.com website and inserting your CD. I haven't tried this yet but will probably have a look over the weekend  Apart from the case and online content there are no other features to take note of, basically what you get is the tin case, the CD and the booklet.

It's been four years since the excellent 'A Matter of Life And Death' was released and the band have spent much of that time touring the world aboard 'Ed Force One' piloted by Bruce Dickinson, playing to millions of adoring fans.

I've never really written a review as such so this is just gonna be my thoughts on the tunes as I listen to them for the first time.

First things first, you get your money's worth with this album...with a total runtime of around 76 minutes it is Maiden's longest album by over three minutes.  With the shortest track being 04:29 and the longest being 10:59 it is fair to say that this album will not receive much radio airplay, nor will it need to as this band has such a loyal following that will surely send it to the top of the charts in many countries.

Let's get things started!  The disc is in the player and we will start with Track One:

Satellite 15...The Final Frontier (08:40)

Satellite 15 is basically the intro to the title track.  It starts off with a kind of industrial wail of drums and guitars which seem to be building into some sort of a crescendo...then Bruce joins in the cacophony of sound which breaks from the awaiting explosion and slows things down a little, now things are building again!  This would be a fitting intro to the live shows on the current tour. 

Four and a half minutes later we are greeted with the intro track which many a loyal Maiden fan has already heard via the release of the video premiere last month.  I have listened to this tune over and over and can say "I fucking love it!".  It has that awesome Maiden recipe for a great tune...it rocks from the first note...builds into a pre-chorus then showcases Bruce's excellent vocal ability with a thumping chorus that will have countless fans singing along to it.

El Dorado (06:49)

This tune was made available via a free digital download in June so many of you will already have had time to make up your own minds on it.  At first I was not hugely impressed and thought that it did not bring anything new to the table. After listening to it a number of times I can honestly say that I'm converted...It's another meaty number that has a powerhouse of a chorus.

Mother of Mercy (05:20)

This tune has an old Maiden vibe to it. It almost reminds me of something from the Piece of Mind album where it begins with a subdued guitar intro overlayed with Bruce's finest storytelling vocals then kicks into some fine thumping riffage that will have you nodding along to on your first listen.

Coming Home (05:52)

I'm liking this intro...as the song builds it reminds me of something from Brave New World, again Bruce's vocal makes the tune with the guitars and drums almost taking a back seat to the story he so wonderfully illustrates.

The Alchemist (04:29)

The shortest track on the album and probably the most Maiden-esque tune on the album so far.  A fast paced number that could almost would have perfectly fitted on the Powerslave album had that made that today and not in 1984...If you get what I mean??  So far this is one of my favourite tracks on the album and I've played it a few times whilst writing this!

Isle of Avalon (09:06)

Time to bring out the heavyweights...the second longest song on the album.  Starts a little more upbeat than their usual epic titles.  Ahh yes, now were into epic territory...Bruce's fast paced vocals combined with solid back up from Steve, Dave, Adrian, Nicko and Janick.  This tune seems to break out into spontaneous musical outbursts quite reminiscent of the Somewhere in Time era...which is never a bad thing!

Starblind (07:48)

Another tune that starts with a whiff of the Somewhere in Time album.  That notion is soon dispelled when the song comes to life.  This is different, anything Maiden play is always going to be Maiden...it can't be anything else, but this tune has some different touches to it.  It's not a million miles away from anything else they've done but it is a definite attempt to give us something new.

The Talisman (09:03)

Here we go again...another nine minute plus opus?  A familiar folky type introduction which is soon replaced by a power packed verse and a thumping chorus.  Maiden can pull this off so well and almost every album featuring the vocal talents of Bruce Dickinson seems to have a track like this on it.  This would make a great live tune as the whole band combine together to produce a masterful number.

The Man Who Would Be King (08:28)

After the melancholy intro fades away you can hear the influence this band has on many other metal bands.  The opening riff some people will say sounds a bit like a subdued Bullet For My Valentine...In fact it is the other way around, and B.F.M.V. would not argue with you.  This track takes a number of musical journeys before it reaches it's final destination including a fine solo overlayed with some nice harmonious vocals by Bruce.  This tune represents what this band has become...a solid tune which tells a powerful story and manages to entertain the listener without being pretentious or confusing.

When The Wild Wind Blows (10:59)

The longest track on the album at almost eleven minutes.  Is this going to be this album's Rime of the Ancient Mariner?  This song is based on the novel of the same name by author Raymond Briggs and tells the tale of a post-nuclear future.

Although as bleak as the subject matter is this song is not a dark ear challenging dirge, in fact it comes across as an atmospheric and melodic finale to a powerful album.  This tune has many musical layers and touches that soothe the listener and will have them wondering why it seems much shorter that the running time suggests.  That was eleven minutes that seemed to go by in a blur of almost musical psychedelia.


Well, those were my ramblings and thought on my first listen of this album. I havent read it back and changed anything, if parts of it didn't make sense I dont give a shit!  Parts of it may seem totally biased, I agree, it was all totally biased...I am a huge Maiden fan and they can do no wrong by me!!!

If anybody doesn't agree with my comments I also don't give a shit.  If you feel you can do better buy the CD and write your own fucking review! Lol

Thanks for taking your time to read this and I hope it made sense?!

My first live show....

I had been into rock and metal music for two years before the opportunity arose to attend my first live show (well, and the fact that my parents wouldn't let me go before!!).

The date was Wednesday 10th September 1986 and I had been bought the ticket as a present for my 15th birthday.

I was going to see Metallica supported by Anthrax, two of my favourite bands at the time (they still are!).  The venue was St. David's Hall in Cardiff which had a total capacity of around 2,000 people.  The travel arrangements were made by our local record shop, which I worked in every friday and saturday.

Around 12-15 of us travelled by minibus to Cardiff, which was about an hour away from the town we lived in. This was going to be the first date of the Damage Inc. European Tour so we were all stoked to be some of the first people in the UK to hear the songs from the new 'Master of Puppets' album live.  Once we arrived at the venue we were amazed at the amount of fellow metalheads in attendance, there was denim and leather everywhere!  Once we got past security who were searching everybody for weapons and tape recorders (I have a recorded version of the show which is pretty inaudible but I keep it for the memory!) we found our seats.  We were pretty much up in 'the gods' but we didn't care because it wasn't a huge venue and we could see the stage no problem.

Anthrax were on first and we could see that their stage set-up consisted of a basic drum riser and an old carpet.  The excitement was building and then the Blues Brothers intro music started which signalled that Anthrax were about to take to the stage.  Once the intro finished the band emerged and kicked into A.I.R. which sent us all into a headbanging frenzy...WOW, this was fucking loud!!  It was amazing to see our metal heroes on the stage performing for us and we were loving every minute of it  The sound was not that great but we didn't care.  Joey, Scott, Frank, Dan and Charlie played some awesome tunes from their first two albums including Metal Thrashing Mad, Madhouse, Aftershock and Gung-Ho.  I don't remember the full setlist as it was all a bit of a blur...
 

Anthrax left the stage to a rapturous applause...we all wanted more...ant this was just the support band, the headliners were still to come!!

During the intermission between bands we went down to the merchandising stall to see what goodies we could pick up. It was my birthday a month before and I had saved my money for this gig. I bought a Tour Programme, Metallica t-shirt, an Anthrax t-shirt, an Anthrax scarf and an Anthrax baseball cap.

Somebody shouted that Metallica were about to come on so we rushed back inside to find our seats to get ready for more frenzied headbanging.  As we looked for our seats we saw the members of Anthrax walking towards the balcony seating at the side of the stage.  Being cheeky young scamps we followed them by jumping over seats and sneaking past security.  We all stood in the row behind them but were too afraid to approach them and speak to them so we just watched them chatting to each other!

As we discussed who would approach Anthrax and get their autographs the house light dimmed and Metallica's now famous intro tune started...Ecstasy of Gold!!

This was it! They were about to take the stage...The excitement was building!!

The stage set-up consisted of a large backdrop with the Master of Puppets album cover artwork and some large wooden crosses which resembled the crosses on the album cover.

Once the intro finished the lights went up and the band launched into Battery! We thought that Anthrax had been Loud?...This was Louder!!  We stood in the balcony side-stage and we could plainly see Lars thrashing away at his drums and the strobe lighting flashing away at a blistering pace!

James stood centre stage with his arm in plaster as a result of a fall on his skateboard a few months earlier. Deputising for him and standing in the wings was guitar tech John Marshall who was doing a pretty fine job.  Kirk stood below us amazing the whole audience with his intricate guitar licks and bassist Cliff Burton occupied the right side of the stage dressed in his trademark bell bottom jeans.

After playing a blistering set of tunes from their first three albums and including a guitar solo and a legendary solo from Cliff...it was all over!!

We left the venue sweating, our ears ringing from the noise but we were buzzing with the feeling of awe at what we had just witnessed.  This had been the first live show most of us had been to, and one none of us were ever going to forget!!

The tracklist:

Ecstasy of Gold (Intro Tape)
Battery
Master of Puppets
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
Ride the Lightning
Bass Solo
Whiplash
The Thing That Should Not Be
Fade to Black
Seek & Destroy
Creeping Death
The Four Horsemen
No Remorse
Guitar Solo
Am I Evil?
Damage, Inc.

The show was the talk of the school yard, we would tell our friends that didn't go that they had missed the best gig ever...we were all still buzzing about it...Until the 27th of September when we heard the devastating news that Cliff Burton had been killed in a tour bus accident! 


Excerpt taken from: Metallicaworld.co.uk

Metallica was en route on a road between Stockholm and Copenhagen, to their next gig that was scheduled for September 27th, 1986. Earlier that night the band drew cards for the assignment of the bunks on the tour bus. As fate would have it, Cliff drew the ace of spades and chooses Kirk Hammett's bunk. Around dawn, the bus driver lost control of the bus and overcorrects with the steering wheel to get back on the road. The bus begins to skid out of control and rolls several times before coming to a halt. Cliff was ejected and pinned underneath. The band disembarks to find Cliff motionless. Later a crane was brought to the scene to lift up the bus, the band hoped Cliff could be saved. However, after lifting the bus up, it slipped back down. According to Mick Hughes, Metallica's sound engineer, no one was sure if Cliff was still alive at that point.

The "Report Of The Death Of An American Citizen Abroad" lists the cause of death as "compressio thoracis cum contusio pulm", attested by Dr. Anders Ottoson, licensed physician. The bus driver claimed that he hit a "patch of black ice". James Hetfield has since stated the infamous black ice was never found. The police report stated the air temperature at the scene was 37 degrees. However, there was no mention of ice the road. Cliff's passport, E 159240, was cancelled and returned to his parents.

We were all devastated! Could it be possible that this band that we had seen only seventeen days previous could have lost one of their brothers? Would they ever play together again? Would we ever get to see them play live again? What was going to happen?

Fortunately they found the courage to continue and found a worthy replacement in Jason Newsted from the band Flotsam and Jetsam.

And we would get to see them play live again, once they returned for the 'Damaged Justice Tour' a couple of years later!!

I feel blessed that I can write about this as my first gig because I feel honoured that I was able to witness a part of the legacy that the late great Clifford Lee Burton left behind...something that millions of other Metallica fans will never have the privelege of being able to say!!

Thanks for reading this!!!

The day I became a Metal fan.....

It was my 3rd year in comprehensive school and the first year we were allowed out of the school grounds at lunchtime without permission.  As I was wondering around our local town I bumped into my friend Spike, he was with a guy he introduced to me as ‘Phil’.  Phil was going to be moving into the house 2 doors away from me so we began chatting.  We got onto the subject of music and he told me how much he loved Heavy Metal music and especially this band called Iron Maiden.  Being as easily led 13 year old I told him that I also liked Heavy Metal music (even though I knew little of it!).  He told me that Iron Maiden had just released a new single titled ‘Aces High’ from their album called ‘Powerslave’ and I said “Oh cool, I think I’ll buy that right now!”.  I bought the single on 7” vinyl with my lunch money, not knowing whether I’d like it or not! 

Upon getting back to school I sat in my next lesson looking at the sleeve of the record which had some monster type thing sitting in the cockpit of a plane obviously hell bent on some form of destruction. 

After getting home from school I rushed up to my room to see if the hunger I now felt in my stomach was worth it.  I placed the record onto my player and placed the stylus onto the edge of the vinyl and waited.....

The opening riff and snare combo sounded ok, then as the twin guitar melody kicked in and Bruce began to sing I thought “this is pretty fucking cool!”  The music had a great energy that was nothing like I’d heard whilst listening to commercial radio (which was my only source of music at that time!).

The next day I bought the album ‘Powerslave’ on cassette tape, and from that day on I have been a loyal Maiden fan.

Over the next few months I added the other four Maiden albums to my collection along with albums by Motörhead, The Scorpions, Black Sabbath, AC/DC etc.

Heavy Metal music was frowned upon back then (more than it is now!) and all fans were obviously 'Devil Worshippers' who would slaughter virgins in graveyards on a friday night.  There was no way that I'd be out late on a friday night...that would mean I would miss 'The Friday Rock Show'!!  From 10pm to midnight every friday night legendary rock DJ Tommy Vance would be my teacher and school me in the subject of rock and metal music on Radio 1.  I soon learned of the existence of bands like Dio, Warlock, Saxon, Metallica, Slayer, Accept, Mercyful Fate, Twisted Sister, Rush, Deep Purple and Mötley Crüe but to name a few...

The 'Friday Rock Show' and 'Kerrang! Magazine' were my two main sources for feeding my addiction to this drug that was Heavy Metal music...Each week one of them would supply me with the information I needed to decide on which album my hard earned pocket money would be spent!

Over the years Heavy Metal has exploded and spawned many different genres including thrash, speed, black, power, death, doom, alternative, glam, nu-metal, symphonic, metalcore, extreme, gothic etc...etc...

I have been lucky enough to have been on the ride which has allowed me to sample each of these genres for over 25 years all of which is a direct result of my meeting with one of my current best friends 'Phil' on that September day in 1984!!