“SCREAM FOR ME ADELAIDE!!!”
Iron Maiden delivered a knuckle punch to around 12,000 diehard fans in Adelaide (12 May), and if you thought that was all, then buckle up, grab your battle jacket, and hold on for dear life as we're going on a wild ride you’ll never believe.
Image © Sharayah BrownThe moment people walked into the arena, you could feel not only the excitement that Iron Maiden was in town, but the metal community getting together to witness one of the biggest metal bands going around today.
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No matter where you looked, you wouldn’t miss seeing someone wearing an Iron Maiden t-shirt, or a battle jacket. To put more flavour in the colour, try spotting someone not wearing a black t-shirt. Fans were camping at the venue by midday to get their favourite spot, while many others decided to head to the official pre-party to taste the Iron Maiden Trooper beer among other diehard fans.
Image © Sharayah BrownNo matter who you were, it was like one, big family coming together to celebrate the arrival of a lost relative, because it took Iron Maiden 31 years to come back to Adelaide as a headliner.
The Raven Age had the crowd pumping their fists and raising the horns by halfway through the second song and the energy in the arena continued to grow. It was like the venue had a heartbeat that was getting stronger and stronger the longer The Raven Age played. There was a slight dip in the energy as there was a half-hour interval between The Raven Age leaving the stage and the first few notes of the song that starts any and all Iron Maiden shows.
Image © Sharayah BrownThen it was time. Having a look around the Adelaide Entertainment Centre you could see very little standing room and there where very few empty sets in the stands around the edge. Adelaide did the metal community proud: it was a sell out and you could feel the life coming back to Adelaide.
Image © Sharayah BrownWhen the first few notes of 'Doctor Doctor' started to play the chant went up and it became so loud that it was almost louder than what was coming over the speakers. This is what Adelaide had been waiting for, for eight months. Iron Maiden was back in Adelaide.
Image © Sharayah BrownThen Bruce Dickinson took the stage. If the energy had been strong before it was of the charts now. The cheer that went up when the first song started with Bruce standing on his own shrouded by puffs of smoke at the back of the stage with just the solitary spotlight was deafening.
It was great to see such a strong setlist and energy from a band that has been flying around the world and producing top notch albums for over 40 years bringing the Adelaide crowd not only the songs that every fan wanted to hear – such as 'The Number Of The Beast' and 'Fear Of The Dark' – but also bringing to life in a live setting six awesome tracks from their latest album, 'The Book Of Souls'.
Image © Sharayah Brown'Death Or Glory' was followed by 'The Book Of Souls' and it allowed Bruce to give the fans a little history lesson about both songs and Australia’s involvement. Even though the new songs weren’t as well known here in Adelaide it didn’t matter. The crowd still tried to sing-along and this is what makes Iron Maiden who they are.
Image © Sharayah BrownAdelaide brought out the horns and made the whole night something to remember. No one went away from this concert feeling let down in any way. Iron Maiden came to Adelaide and they brought to the fans the magic that is Iron Maiden.
As all die-hard Iron Maiden fans would say: “UP THE IRONS!”
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