Scream for me Tacoma!
The familiar battle cry from Iron Maiden’s legendary front man Bruce Dickinson. The thunderous roar from the 16 000 fans in the Tacoma Dome was the appropriate response. Iron Maiden have brought their massive production for the “Legacy of The Beast Tour” to a welcoming legion of fans for this 35 date North American leg. The tour is named after the comic book and video game they released in 2017. It is a veritable “Greatest Hits” set list for any old and new Maiden fan. In their 44-year, career Iron Maiden have long established themselves as one of the top live bands ever. As one of the most successful metal bands in history, they have built their fan base and reputation from their live show. Considering they have had little to no support from radio, or the commercial hits you would expect. Yet they have sold over 100 million albums.
Looking around at the countless masses in Iron Maiden T-shirts, it is an experience to behold. A multi-generational crowd, who have passed down their love of Maiden to their kids. It was inspiring to see parenting done right with so many young fans on the shoulders or accompanying them. The merch lines were almost longer than it was to get into the venue. There are few bands that sell as much variety and as much merchandise as Iron Maiden. The Tacoma Dome tonight was packed right from the beginning. Opening tonight’s festivities is English metalcore act “The Raven Age. The band was formed by George Harris son of Iron Maiden bassist/founder Steve Harris.
The Raven Age is rounded out by bassist Matt Cox, drummer Jai Patel, guitarist Tony Maue, and new singer Matt James bring a powerful set to a daunting crowd. Famous father aside, they have the stage presence, interaction with the crowd and mainly the songs to be opening for Iron Maiden. What a great set. The future is bright for this young band.
The anticipation for Iron Maiden is always one of the best parts of their show. When the lights dim, and the last verse of UFO’s “Doctor Doctor” fades out the roar is deafening. Churchill’s Speech starts with accompanying video and the roar of a plane engine starts the familiar opening to “Aces High”. The band burst onto the stage under the huge Spitfire replica flying above them, everyone is firing on all cylinders. The energy is unbelievable. Guitarists Dave Murray and Adrian Smith occupy stage right, as guitarist Janick Gers and bassist Steve Harris on stage left entertain the screaming audience. Bruce Dickinson is one of the most commanding front men to ever grace a stage. It is near impossible to believe that at 61, he literally is exhausting to keep up with. He is running and jumping all over the place and trading off spots with the rest of the band. There are so many great moments during the set it is hard to pick all the standouts. Songs that have not been played in years, to Maiden mascot Eddie coming out and toying with the band in “The Trooper”. Costume changes, backdrop changes and flame throwers, giant walls of flames make up so much of this dream Maiden set tonight. The entire Tacoma Dome is singing along to song after song. The vibe and overall energy that Iron Maiden bring out is still astounding well into this “Legacy” career.
As we waited for the encore, it seemed noticeably longer than usual. In the event that has been overpublicized Bruce came out an addressed the crowd saying that security guards beat a fan. The fan had "the shit kicked out him by 10 security guards." Also, that he saw one security guard lean over a barrier and punch a kid half his size four times in the face. He was very upset saying “This is not a Mixed arts event” and encouraged the audience that if they had any footage to send it in to help that fan to “take the venue to the cleaners” which then became a perfect segue introducing the next song “The Evil That Men Do." While the moment was quite heated from stage and in the audience, Tacoma PD and security at the event tell a different story of multiple reports of an individual being unruly and disruptive. Allegedly assaulting Security which lead to the removal and subsequent arrest of that individual. There are always many sides to the story. Tacoma PD came to ensure the safety and well-being of all the other fans to make sure no other incidents occurred. The band played on and closed the evening with “Run to the Hill”. It was certainly a great night for any Iron Maiden fan. One that will be memorable for all accounts.
Iron Maiden Tacoma Dome Set List
Aces High
Where Eagles Dare
2 Minutes to Midnight
The Clansman
The Trooper
Revelations
For the Greater Good of God
The Wicker Man
Sign of the match the s
Flight of Icarus
Fear of the Dark
The Number of the Beast
Iron Maiden
Encore:
The Evil That Men Do
Hallowed Be Thy Name
Run to the Hills
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