As landmarks go, reaching 50 years in any business is an achievement, but to reach that in the fickle world of the music business is a bloody miracle. Iron Maiden have weathered the storm over the years by sheer hard work, determination to be the best, and do what they want to do like it or lump it! Thankfully 100 million album sales would suggest we do indeed like it.
This current tour is a celebration of the earlier years of Maiden encompassing tracks from their first 9 albums with the first 7 doing most of the heavy lifting in the set list, no bad thing in my book!
After a quick pop into Eddie’s Dive Bar which was set up in the nearby SWG3 venue, I headed to the Hydro and got in position down the front (second to the barrier in my case) in time for The Raven Age to get the night started.
The band have been a perennial Maiden support for many years, due in no small part to guitarist George Harris being the son of Maiden main man Steve Harris. However, the family ties can only go so far and thankfully The Raven Age have the songs and stage presence to more than hold their own.
‘Forgive and Forget’ open the set with some crunching riffs and great guitar work from Harris and Tommy Gentry. Vocalist Matt James was on good form and put his illuminated mic stand to good use throughout the set.
A new song, ‘Hangman’ followed and went down well with the growing crowd as more filtered into the hall. The bands nu metal soundtrack might not have been to everyone’s taste, but overall, they got a lot of support and the cheers grew throughout the show.
The rest of the set was made up of tracks from their three albums with the highlights being ‘Grave Of The Fireflies’ and ‘Fleur De Lis’ which rounded out the set. Matt stated that the band would be back in Glasgow in November for a headline show and I could see a few new recruits to the cause heading along after this performance.
By the time that the opening bars of ‘Doctor, Doctor’ blasted from the PA the Hydro was filled to the rafters with 14,000 Maiden fans and to say the anticipation was high is a vast understatement!
The huge video screen at the back of the stage then took us on a tour of Maiden’s past with stops at the Cart and Horses and a brief dalliance in Acacia Avenue soundtracked by ‘The Ides Of March’. Eddie then appeared on the screen as the opening gambit of ‘Murders In The Rue Morgue’ gently led us into main event. The band appeared to a massive cheer, and we were off.
If you have seen Maiden over the past 40 odd years then you know the drill. Harry and Janick stage left, Dave and Adrian stage right and Bruce all over the bloody place! The only difference on this occasion is in the drum department with Nicko taking his well earned retirement and Simon Dawson stepping in to fill the large void he has left behind, more on that later…
‘Wrathchild’ was up next before ‘Killers’ brought the first appearance of Eddie in the flesh so to speak, complete with hatchet to recreate the Killers album cover and cause general havoc. Bruce then took time to introduce Simon to the crowd before the video screen transformed the stage into a grand staircase which was the perfect backdrop for the ‘Phantom Of The Opera’ to make an appearance.
Things were then taken up a notch with ‘Number Of The Beast’ which had the Glasgow crowd singing along as if their lives depended on it. That was followed by one of my personal favourites, ‘The Clairvoyant’ complete with excellent guitar work from Dave, Adrian and Janick.
We were then transported back to ancient Egypt with ‘Powerslave’. Bruce donned a feather mask and stalked the upper level of the stage in front of a huge pyramid scene on the rear screen. ‘Two Minutes To Midnight’ was up next, a song that is still as relevant now as it was when written back in 1984. Adrian Smith even broke out his original ‘Two Minutes To Midnight’ guitar taking me back to the Powerslave tour in the Edinburgh Playhouse when I was in my youth and still had some hair!
Next we were off to the high seas with a cautionary tale of “what not to do if a bird shits on you” as Bruce put it. The video presentation for the narrative of the ‘Rime Of The Ancient Mariner’ was simply stunning with the scenes of the Mariner battling with life and death as the curse took hold. Always a musical tour de force this was a real highlight of the evening as the song twisted and turned whilst the mariner told his tale…
How do you follow that? You throw ‘Run To The Hills’ into the mix and watch as the crowd turns into a sea of bouncing bodies, these guys know how to construct a setlist! We were then whisked back to Donington 1988 as the backdrop changed to reveal the cover of the ‘Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son’ album as the guys blasted out the title track.
I did allude earlier to the void left by Nicko’s departure, and it was telling on the mid-section of this song that perhaps things were still gelling with Simon on the drum stool. Timings and rhythms were slightly out at parts and a few cues were missed in this song and others. This is no slight on Simon who did a great job, he just needs more time with the band to get everything nailed which is understandable, after 42 years with Nicko this is a huge change for all, and it certainly didn’t detract from the show.
‘The Trooper’ was up next with Bruce waving his Union Jack and dressed in his red uniform jacket, although he did exchange the Union Jack to the Scottish Saltire mid song to resounding cheers. Eddie also made another stage appearance brandishing a cutlass and flicking the V’s at the crowd as he stalked around the stage.
The video screen was then put to great use once more as the opening bars to ‘Hallowed Be Thy Name’ rang out and found a caged Bruce pleading for his life. The video for this one was cleverly constructed and showed Bruce being led to the gallows by a spirit before reappearing onstage in a haze of smoke, a very effective visual.
Bruce’s cries of ‘Scream for me Glasgow’ could only herald one song as Dave, Adrian and Janick played the familiar opening riff to ‘Iron Maiden’. A giant Eddie appeared menacingly on the back screen watching over proceedings as the crowd went into overdrive.
You want more? Of course we did! Once again the video presentation was stunning as scenes from the blitz were shown and Churchill’s rousing speech boomed over the PA as the band launched into ‘Aces High’. As Eddie battled with the Fokkers on screen in his Spitfire the band led the charge from the stage with plenty of support from the crowd as they sang along to every word.
Talking of singing along, the crowd came into their own as the opening chords of ‘Fear Of The Dark’ rang out. Bruce prowled around the upper reaches of the stage again and was silhouetted against a full moon on the rear screen to good effect. That just left ‘Wasted Years’ to round off the evening in fine style, even if the opening section was a bit hit and miss due to another small timing glitch.
Tonight, Iron Maiden proved why after 50 years they are still selling out huge venues in the blink of an eye. The dedication and determination of the band to put on the best show they can shines through. The band are probably unique in the fact they don’t just have one frontman but five, all of whom engage with the crowd throughout and make you feel you are part of something special.
Many of the crowd here tonight have been on the same journey as the band, growing up, raising families, paying mortgages etc, and the set tonight is the soundtrack to their lives. Each will have their own personal memories and favourite songs that mean so much to them and that’s where Maiden differ from most bands, they remain grounded with no rockstar bullshit. A band of the people, for the people.
“Iron Maiden’s gonna get all of you”. No problem Eddie, I already have a life membership!
Up the Irons!
Review and photos by Dave Wilson
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Power Plays w/c 30 March 2026
EVA UNDER FIRE Villainous (Better Noise Music)
HOKKA Blackbird (Nuclear Blast Records)
CELLDWELLER Elaleth (FiXT)
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