with Arch Enemy
January 30th, 2004 @ Universal Amphitheatre
   For their new album Dance of Death, Iron Maiden scheduled only a handfull of American tour dates. Once I found out that 2 of the 6 shows would be here in Los Angeles and that Arch Enemy was going to be the opening act, I knew there was no way on Earth I'd miss this concert. The fact that Maiden even took a band like Arch Enemy out on the road says alot about them. While so many established "metal" acts continue to embarrass themselves with medicore albums and tour with top 40 nu-metal bands to make a quick buck (Metallica's Summer Sanitarium and their new Godsmack tour....lets not forget Ozzy and his crapfest), its refreshing to see that Maiden haven't sold out and continue to respect their fans by puting out quality albums and participating in REAL metal tours.

     The venue was only half full when Arch Enemy attacked the stage. They had a daunting task infront of them, seeing as how most of the crowd didn't know or care who the hell they were and probably wouldn't like the vocal style no matter how great their songs were. Despite these handicaps Arch Enemy still put on a great show and managed to win some new "old school" fans. They played material off their last two records and although they seemed to have some trouble with their sound setup, they still ruled. The Amott brothers are two of the best guitar players in the scene today and they played damn near perfect while still headbanging away and moving around the stage. Incase you have been living under a rock for the last few years, the recent star of the Arch Enemy spectacle is their female front woman Angela.
Her extreme vocals are impressive and lean toward the death metal side but with more of a rasp. Angela's vocal talents and onstage antics make her a perfect front woman... that and shes not bad to look at either. They played:
Enemy Within
Heart of Darkness
Silent Wars
Dead Eyes See No Future
Dead Bury Their Dead
Silent Wars
Ravenous
    Not long after the mighty IRON MAIDEN came out. They had the big stage setup with ramps, banners, costumes, Eddie himself...everything.
The packed house exploded when the "air raid siren" himself, Bruce Dickinson leaped out to the front of the stage. That guy is insane. He never stops moving and just held the crowd in the palm of his hand the entire night. The band is as tight as possible and never miss a beat. If you close your eyes you would swear you were listening to a better produced version of their albums. Thats how good they sound.
    
     The first song they played was off their new album and is called "Wildest Dreams." I had heard this song before and never really cared for it and the its music video just looks pathetic but live, this song was awesome. The energy they exude is amazing and can make the crappiest song sound 1 million times better. Steve Harris, bassist/song writter is fun to watch on stage. He bangs his head and sings along word for word to the classic anthems he wrote years ago and you know he is for real. All three guitarists (yes three, although Janick spends more time dancing then playing) are great, but it's the legendary tag team of Dave Murray and Adrian Smith who steal the show.

     After they played a hefty chunk of newer material, Maiden went back to the hits and busted out my favorite song "Hallowed Be Thy Name." During this song Bruce was running around the top ramp like usual when he fell off  and landed on the edge of the drum riser. The six foot drop on his shoulder took him out of action for a few moments but the band played on not sure if he was coming back. The crowd wasnt sure if the show was going to end early or if they had just witnessed the end of Iron Maiden. Out of nowhere Bruce comes back onstage and belts out the next chorus like nothing happened. The audience went nuts and stayed that way for the rest of the night. During the sing along of "Fear of the Dark" you couldnt even hear the band anymore as they had been drowned out by all the fans. Highlights included :
The Trooper, Brave New World, Hallowed be Thy Name, Fear of The Dark, Iron Maiden, and the ending combo of Number of the Beast and Run to the Hills.

     Before the concert I wondered how the bands age would effect the show. I knew they would be good, but wondered if seeing Iron Maiden in 2004 would be as intense as seeing them in 1984. Now I know that Maiden exist outside of time.It doesn't matter what decade, be it 1984, 2004 even 2014 if were lucky...IRON MAIDEN RULE.
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