Iron Maiden live in Stockholm

9/10

I had an anniversary last night. It was the tenth time I saw Iron Maiden live in Sweden. It could not have been so much better. The band has never been better than this. The sound is really good. The energy of the members is on top. They enjoy being on stage. It is visible and heard.

The show is divided into three different parts. First out is war and conflict. Churchill’s powerful speech and airplane echoes in the arena and when “Aces high” sounds in the speakers, the cheer of the crowd is without limits. A big Spitfire aircraft hover over the band throughout the song. Bruce comes running in on stage in full pilot eviction from World War II. The red thread through the show is energy and speed. Soon after the first song has ended, the powerful “Where eagles dare” begins. Nico behind the drums is like a drum machine. So perfectly played that you get goosebumps. Bruce has changed clothes to a white anorak and a fur hat. Adrian Smith starts the intro of “2 minutes to midnight” and once again the cheer from the crowd is out of control. After this song, Bruce talks to the audience for the first and only time during the evening. This is most unusual. He usually wants to talk a lot. He talks about freedom and powerful “Clansman” comes up. During “The Trooper”, Eddie enters the stage and challenges Bruce on a duel. They also did that during Somewhere on tour 86/87. Back then it was with laser this time with swords. Who won? Well, you just have to check it out.

Before “Revelations”, the scene is transformed into a church hall with huge windows. The scene is really nice and now we have the church theme. The song “For the greater good of god” works really well live. “Wickerman” runs off in the blink of an eye. One of the highlights of the night is “The sign of the cross” which is completely phenomenal. After “Flight of Icarus” and the all-singing “Fear of the dark”, the scene becomes darker.

Now follows a more dark and satanic theme. “The number of the beast” and the closing song “Iron Maiden” wraps the ordinary set up. The encore are not bad. “The evil that men do” is back in the set again, “Hallowed be thy name” as well as the ending with “Run to the hills”. The band is exhausted and they thank a crowded arena for a huge and warm reception. If they play half as good at Sweden Rock, it will be an awesome night to remember.

Who: Iron Maiden
Where: Tele2 Arena, Stockholm
When: 2018-06-01
Rate: 9/10