Many will remember this weekend for destructive wildfires in New York and New Jersey, but the smokey atmosphere did not stop Iron Maiden from bringing their pyrotechnics-fueled arena show to amp up the heat in Newark.
Iron Maiden’s Future Past World Tour nearly sold out the Prudential Center. The show celebrated songs from their 1986 album Somewhere in Time and their most recent album, Senjutsu, released in 2021.
Our arena was first warmed up by the Mongolian folk metal act The Hu. I had never heard a band throat-sing at a metal show, but I welcomed the new experience – and so did many others, as the crowd chanted along to the non-English songs from their albums Rumble of Thunder and The Gereg.
Photo by Ehud Lazin
Iron Maiden’s set kicked-off with 1980s hits like “Stranger in a Strange Land,” while frontman Bruce Dickinson zipped around the stage. Bassist Steve Harris, drummer Niko McBrain, and their guitarists Dave Murray, Janick Gers, and Adrian Smith played joyfully through classics like “Wasted Years” and “The Prisoner.”
Prior to this tour, the title track “Caught Somewhere In Time” had not been played since the album’s promotion in the eighties. Fans now get to see it performed live nightly.
This tour’s art direction was classic Iron Maiden and, of course, Eddie made several appearances. My favorite moment featuring the metal mascot was when he had a fire-blaster fight with Bruce. (You had to be there.) Each song had its own backdrop, with many nods to the film Blade Runner. The band also called back to iconic imagery from albums through the decades.
Photo by Ehud Lazin
Dickinson had several costume changes, giving the other five members the chance to jam and riff heavily. On the new classic, “Death of the Celts,” the band grooved for over 10 minutes while bathed in green smoke.
Iron Maiden played a handful of classic hits from deeper in their catalog to thunderous audience applause. Songs like “The Trooper” and “Fear of the Dark” were examples of this on this night. For a moment, though, I was bummed out that they did not play songs like “Number of the Beast” or “Power Slave.” What if I never see Iron Maiden again? The band has been together for decades and already, with each tour announcement, fans question if this will be their last.
However, the members of Maiden, all over the age of 65, are not ready to retire. They have already announced their 50th anniversary Run For Your Lives World Tour, with dates spanning 2025-2026. So far they have only announced shows in Europe, but onstage, Dickinson promised to return to New Jersey in a couple of years, so we hold onto that hope and expectation that another heavy metal anniversary show from Eddie and the gang is on the way… and we can’t wait.
