Iron Maiden Bengaluru
“Scream for me Bangalore,” said Bruce Dickinson and everyone obliged. Having kicked off the “Somewhere Back in Time” tour in Belgrade, Iron Maiden landed in Bangalore for their second visit. Like every concert, the boys from Leyton, East England had planned a special set and a unique stage ensemble for this visit too. Unlike their first concert, where they were bit skeptical on the set list, Iron Maiden looked like they had done some homework before this visit. In their manager’s words, it takes 2-3 shows in a city for the band to get comfortable with the songs and audience. The set list consisted tracks from the early 80s era. Iron Maiden kicked off with “Aces High.” The rendition was good for a start showcasing the on stage energy of Iron Maiden matched by those who were there at the venue since 11 in the morning waiting for the lords of metal music to perform.
The concert atmosphere resembled a carnival with serpentine queues for food, spirits, bungee jumping and merchandise stalls. The main sponsor’s stall had queues on all sides and bartenders were doing the “Be-quick-or-be-dead” routine.
The stage had Egyptian overtones from the Powerslave album. The second track “2 minutes to Midnight” had the duel guitars by Smith and Steve Harris underlining the trademark music of the band. For the record, the tickets for the Dubai show on Friday the 13th, started selling at 11.58 pm on Christmas eve and sold approximately 3000 tickets within minutes. The next two tracks “Wrathchild” and “Children of the damned” did surprise and delight the fans. Then the Phantom of the Opera drove the crowds into frenzy and the show was rocking and business around the concert area stalled. The extended leads on “Wasted Years” had my neck in a tizzy due to some impromptu head banging. The concert scene in Bangalore was maturing, notwithstanding early night calls and concert close at 10 pm. Since the Deep Purple’s visit in the 90s (to Bangalore), this visit of Iron Maiden was a very professional affair and the band knew the crowds’ demands. Without wasting a moment, Iron Maiden kicked off into what seemed a shortened version of “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” and followed by “Hallowed be thy name.” There were lots of children in the age group of 12-15 accompanied by their parents, of course. Come to think of it, most of them weren’t even born yet when the songs were released. Now that meant a new market for the band and new pastures. For the souvenir collectors, there was the merchandise stalls selling the collectibles, definitely not for a song. Iron Maiden broke the Bangalore tradition of playing for two hours by wrapping up the show in 105 minutes. It was time and money well spent and the energy levels on stage was inspirational considering the fact that they have been doing it for 30 years. You didn’t need the Clairvoyant to say that the band would be back next year, we had Bruce Dickinson to do that. The night ended with the bonus track from the re-release of Iron Maiden’s self-titled album “Sanctuary” and crowds left in the dust raised by the show. What a night, one that will not be forgotten in a hurry. Iron Maiden is off to New Zealand followed by 15 concerts in South America in 28 days.
Iron Maiden was playing in Bangalore as a part of the Rock in India concert. This event also featured nine other bands over two days - De-Profundis, Lauren Harris, Cyanide serenity, Brandon Ashley & The Silver Bugs, Parikrama, Synaps, Kryptos, Abraxas, the winner of Campus Rock Idols 2009, Vonamor Band. Lauren Harris, the glam quotient for the show, finished her repertoire in a jiffy, but definitely wished more from Parikrama for this event, other than peddling the usual fare. This was forgotten as soon as Iron Maiden kicked off. Not yet a Donington Park, guess we will get there some day.
Full set list at Palace Grounds, Bangalore on Feb 15, 2009:
Aces High
2 Minutes To Midnight
Wrathchild
Children Of The Damned
Phantom Of The Opera
The Trooper
Wasted Years
Rime Of The Ancient Mariner
Powerslave
Run To The Hills
Fear Of The Dark
Hallowed Be Thy Name
Iron Maiden
The Number Of The Beast
The Evil That Men Do Sanctuary
The concert atmosphere resembled a carnival with serpentine queues for food, spirits, bungee jumping and merchandise stalls. The main sponsor’s stall had queues on all sides and bartenders were doing the “Be-quick-or-be-dead” routine.
The stage had Egyptian overtones from the Powerslave album. The second track “2 minutes to Midnight” had the duel guitars by Smith and Steve Harris underlining the trademark music of the band. For the record, the tickets for the Dubai show on Friday the 13th, started selling at 11.58 pm on Christmas eve and sold approximately 3000 tickets within minutes. The next two tracks “Wrathchild” and “Children of the damned” did surprise and delight the fans. Then the Phantom of the Opera drove the crowds into frenzy and the show was rocking and business around the concert area stalled. The extended leads on “Wasted Years” had my neck in a tizzy due to some impromptu head banging. The concert scene in Bangalore was maturing, notwithstanding early night calls and concert close at 10 pm. Since the Deep Purple’s visit in the 90s (to Bangalore), this visit of Iron Maiden was a very professional affair and the band knew the crowds’ demands. Without wasting a moment, Iron Maiden kicked off into what seemed a shortened version of “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” and followed by “Hallowed be thy name.” There were lots of children in the age group of 12-15 accompanied by their parents, of course. Come to think of it, most of them weren’t even born yet when the songs were released. Now that meant a new market for the band and new pastures. For the souvenir collectors, there was the merchandise stalls selling the collectibles, definitely not for a song. Iron Maiden broke the Bangalore tradition of playing for two hours by wrapping up the show in 105 minutes. It was time and money well spent and the energy levels on stage was inspirational considering the fact that they have been doing it for 30 years. You didn’t need the Clairvoyant to say that the band would be back next year, we had Bruce Dickinson to do that. The night ended with the bonus track from the re-release of Iron Maiden’s self-titled album “Sanctuary” and crowds left in the dust raised by the show. What a night, one that will not be forgotten in a hurry. Iron Maiden is off to New Zealand followed by 15 concerts in South America in 28 days.
Iron Maiden was playing in Bangalore as a part of the Rock in India concert. This event also featured nine other bands over two days - De-Profundis, Lauren Harris, Cyanide serenity, Brandon Ashley & The Silver Bugs, Parikrama, Synaps, Kryptos, Abraxas, the winner of Campus Rock Idols 2009, Vonamor Band. Lauren Harris, the glam quotient for the show, finished her repertoire in a jiffy, but definitely wished more from Parikrama for this event, other than peddling the usual fare. This was forgotten as soon as Iron Maiden kicked off. Not yet a Donington Park, guess we will get there some day.
Full set list at Palace Grounds, Bangalore on Feb 15, 2009:
Aces High
2 Minutes To Midnight
Wrathchild
Children Of The Damned
Phantom Of The Opera
The Trooper
Wasted Years
Rime Of The Ancient Mariner
Powerslave
Run To The Hills
Fear Of The Dark
Hallowed Be Thy Name
Iron Maiden
The Number Of The Beast
The Evil That Men Do Sanctuary
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