Iron Maiden brought their Legacy of the Beast World Tour to Scotiabank Arena on Tues, October 11th, 2022 to a sold out crowd. The tour was aptly name after their comic and mobile game their released in 2017 and interesting fact this tour started back in 2018, dubbed as the history and hits tour, and running approximately 140 shows world wide. It is a testament to the band’s longevity and devoted Iron Maiden fans. Slight embarrassment but this is my first Iron Maiden concert. I can’t confess that I’m a diehard heavy metal fan, but even Iron Maiden puts on a great show filled with much energy, considering their age, production value and filled with abundance of theatrics.
The curtains fell, the stage production opened with an oriental theme, Japanese Wayo Kenchiku architecture as a backdrop. Band members, bassist Steve Harris, guitar trio Adrian Smith, Dave Murray, and Janick Gers, drummer Nicko McBrain, and lead singer, Bruce Dickinson went straight into their lead single Senjutsu of their latest 2021 album, also titled, Senjutsu, followed by Stratego, and The Writing on the Wall. You could feel the energy of the opening tracks, as Bruce paced frantically across the stage and sound great. Most die hard fans will remember that Bruce was diagnosed with throat cancer back in 2014 and recovered, although the cancer probably affected his vocals, Bruce still sounded great from upfront and throughout the show. “Eddie the Head”, Iron Maiden’s 8 feet plus mascot in samaurai outfit and sword in hand, also appeared during the opening set, battling it out with Janick Gers on stage.
Midway through the setlist, Bruce Dickson denounced the covid-19 pandemic, saying that the “last 3 years as bad shit”, that it was finally great again to be indoors on a stage playing live music. He also made note of Iron maiden diverse fans noting all the “Mexicans, Brazilians, and Chileans”, in the crowd, I guess upfront when his vantage point, but he also remarked, “we don’t give the fuck where you’re from” and that the “only thing that matter is we respect each other and love each other”, as the massive crowd at Scotiabank cheered on! After Bruce’s solidarity speech, the band fittingly played Blood brothers, a track of one of their older discographies. Being in the stands, I was quite surprised at the diversity of the crowd, from old to young, and from all different ethnicities. As evident by the diversity of our city Toronto but also to Iron Maiden’s fan base worldwide.
Other notable moments during their expansive set with numerous set pieces: Crowd sing-a-long during the chilling and rock symphony of Fear of the Dark. The theatrics during the encore of The Trooper, where Eddie the mascot reappeared a s a British Soldier battling it out with Bruce, where at one point Bruce fires a rifle out shoots a Canadian flag and Eddie clutches his chest, as fireworks sparks from his chest area. The show ended with Aces High, ending with a large fighter plane over hanging the set. Overall, the show was a blast, with fans of all ages chanting Iron Maiden with their extended hand, rock symbol, gesture, displaying their love for this iconic band.
Connect with Iron Maiden : Website || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram
Be sure to check out Live Nation Ontario to see all of the other great acts that they will be bringing to Toronto this year.
