Iron Maiden brought us BACK to the 1980’s last night for a theatrical trip down head banger lane at the sold out Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine, California on August 9, 2012. Maiden was relentless in feeding fans a creative performance for what we’ve craved since the early 80′s… revolt of long hair, tight pants and thrashing black metal. The crowd ignited with the dramatic opening of “Moonchild” followed by “Can I Play with Madness” and the“The Prisoner”. Fireworks, smoke and flashing colors highlighted the stage’s very theatrical set-up with back-dropped artwork from their past albums.
 
Bruce Dickinson (lead vocals) fronted the night’s performance waving the Brit flag and strategically commanding the burn-your-face-off pyrotechnics. Dickinson’s vocals exceeded expectations hitting every note and blasting the audience with that CHILLING laugh. Dickinson quoted Winston Churchill to intro “Aces High” with their popular skeleton fighter-pilot towering behind him and historical black and white footage of WW2 fighter planes bombing Europe on the big screens, reminding fans there is a story behind every song. He energetically ran and leaped a top platforms grabbing the souls of the kindred spirits while Adrian Smith (guitar), Janick Gers (guitar) and Dave Murray (guitar) shredded with a triple-duo thrashing of their talent. Their energy was contagious in that they all appeared to be having a BLAST during their jams. Gers was a firecracker all over the stage shredding his axe and giving the crowd an entertaining show all night. Nicko McBrain (drums) was lost in his massive drumset pounding the heartbeat of every track.
 
Fan favorites included “Phantom of the Opera”, “Wasted Years” and “Fear of the Dark”, just to name a few of the seventeen songs from the night’s set list. Iron Maiden’s show would NOT be complete without Eddie, the bands long time mascot,a 20 foot zombified walking puppet haunted the stage in Confederate soldier fashion, pounded Gers guitar and brought an eerie playful spirit to the stage. The outdoor amphitheater was packed full and a rebellious bonfire lit the uppergrass area where metal heads were rockin’ out and jumping through their firepit. The massive attendance consisted of young and old, a true testimony of Maiden’s legacy that harbors a cultish following of heavy metal lovers from both past and present.
 
Iron Maiden closed the night with a long winding play of “Running Free”. Dickinson lingered during the song and took the time to converse with the crowd, introducing each band member, teasing some of them for wearing Iron Maiden concert t-shirts and heckled the fans with adoration, reminding us “You think I can’t see what’s going on in the audience??!!!” I spoke to some metal heads that traveled from Las Vegas and met up with their 80’s SoCal childhood friends to attend the concert together. They brought along their 18 and 21 year-old offspring to see their second live Iron Maiden show, like passing on a family tradition of rock. It’s not too late to witness the live legendary Iron Maiden. Get over there for one last performance tonight in Irvine while the British heavy metal phenomenon of the 80’s still ROCKS a fist pumping show.
 
Setlist:

• “Moonchild”
• “Can I Play With Madness”
• “The Prisoner”
• “2 Minutes to Midnight”
• “Afraid to Shoot Strangers”
• “The Trooper”
• “The Number of the Beast”
• “Phantom of the Opera”
• “Run To The Hills”
• “Wasted Years”
• “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son”
• “The Clairvoyant”
• “Fear of the Dark”
• “Iron Maiden”
• “Aces High”
• “The Evil That Men Do”
• “Running Free”