Opening up the night was the enthralling German band, Lord of the Lost. Readers may recall these from their recent stint in Eurovision, but we won’t hold that against them. Despite the notoriously daunting task of opening for the legends that are Iron Maiden, they graced the stage with a riveting presence. Their performance blended a unique mix of dark metal Goth with even a dash of Glam Rock, like a diverse sonic tapestry.
Their arrival was spectacular, and their stage attire boasted a post-apocalyptic aesthetic. They surprised the audience with a variety of styles, one moment they captivated listeners with the Euro-pop sensibilities of ‘Dry the Rain’, all the way through to set closer, the anthemic party stomp of ‘Drag Me to Hell’. Vocalist Chris Harms wasn’t shy about displays of open, personal interaction with the audience. During the song ‘Loreley’, we saw him perched on the barrier whilst a security member clung to his ankles.
Despite an initially indifferent crowd, the bane of many a Maiden opening act, Lord of the Lost certainly carved a unique space in the evening’s performance with a set that was both impressive and distinctly their own.
The lights dimmed and a sense of palpable anticipation was building through the air at the arena, a venue with such a buzz you could feel it ready to explode at a moment’s notice. The 20,000-strong audience was waiting for the familiar opening bars of UFO’s ‘Doctor Doctor’, and the second that they did, the crowd erupted in unison. Following ‘Doctor Doctor’, the Blade Runner end titles set the scene for the Future Past tour to hit Manchester.
With a sudden burst of fire and flame, Bruce Dickinson emerges from the darkness, a compelling figure in steampunk attire and a rather strange set of sunglasses. Brandishing his mic stand and bounding around with the energy of a man a fraction of his age, by which I mean I was exhausted just watching him, they launched into a thrilling journey through time.
The set seamlessly meshed their 1986 classic Somewhere in Time with 2021’s Senjutsu (review here). Started off strong with a fantastic rendition of ‘Caught Somewhere in Time’, which had not been played since the late 80s, quickly followed by the amazing ‘Stranger in a Strange Land’.
This was quickly followed by three tracks from Senjutsu, ‘The Writing on the Wall’, ‘Days of Future Past’ and ‘The Time Machine’, all fitting in perfectly with the temporal theme of the evening. The sound was crisp and clear as the band played through these tracks with gusto.
As we move into ‘The Prisoner’, one of the few tracks from other albums – although I doubt anyone needs me to tell them that this one’s from The Number of the Beast – the drums pound heavily in the mix. Although Nicko McBrain is only seen on the monitors, or as the occasional wave of a stick, behind his massive drumkit. There was a huge crowd response every time Bruce waved his arms in the air. That man can work a crowd, a crowd lapping it up and eating out of the palm of his hand, it’s wonderful to see.
I’d often wondered, as have many speculated, the role of Janick Gers in the triple-guitar attack of modern Maiden. However, it’s abundantly clear on stage just how much energy he has. Part guitarist, part 80s aerobic instructor, he was often found with his leg high in the air atop the amps, and damn, his enthusiasm was infectious as a result of it.
The epic ‘Death of the Celts’, introduced by Bruce with the speech that whilst you can kill people, you cannot kill a culture. Dry ice, emerald colour scheme, Bruce running around emoting the hell out of it. This was the consummate performance, with a fantastic solo from Adrian Smith to boot.
The set tricks of the night were on full display during the song ‘Heaven Can Wait’, Bruce donning an overcoat akin to the one worn by Eddie on the cover of Somewhere in Time, and the occurrence of Eddie himself in one of various guises we would see tonight. This time we were treated to a pyrotechnic shootout between Bruce, donning a massive cannon at the side of stage, and future Eddie firing back until ultimately vanquished.
Taking an unexpected turn, the band launched into the rarely played ‘Alexander the Great’, a track many thought they might never hear live. Even the original 1986 tour didn’t include ‘Alexander the Great’, so to hear it now live was a real treat. They then finished up their set with the obligatory one-two of ‘Fear of the Dark’ and ‘Iron Maiden’, complete with Samurai Eddie once again battling the band to a dramatic conclusion.
Returning for an encore, the band launched into ‘Hell on Earth’, and given the theme, it seemed appropriate that they had saved the bulk of their pyro budget for this one – there was fire everywhere, a genuine spectacle. Following this with the air-punching anthem that is ‘The Trooper’ and then ‘Wasted Years’, bringing the theme of time for the evening full circle.
Initially going into this, having checked out the set list in advance, one might have been forgiven for being disappointed at the lack of the more obvious hits. However, that would have been a mistake because this was one of the best shows I have seen Iron Maiden put on since first seeing them as a young’un back in 1992.
It seemed the lack of hits and a tour focused on the more obscure deep cuts from one of the lesser-represented albums in their repertoire had an invigorating effect on the band. This truly was a night to remember. Their ability to blend theatrics, stellar musicianship, and mixing old and new seamlessly, reminds us they are still a force to be reckoned with. The energy, the engagement, and the passion on display are testament to Iron Maiden’s enduring appeal and their unfading commitment to delivering unforgettable live shows. Bravo!
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WORDS AND PHOTOS BY RICH PRICE