The first two albums by 'Iron Maiden' are on repeat for me.
'Killers' is one of my all-time favorite records. The early works of Maiden have a unique charm. Mysterious, shrouded in fog like a scored 80s B-movie horror film. I ordered the two vinyl records back then through classifieds in RockHard because it was written somewhere that they are supposed to be very punky. I can confirm that. There’s a lot of punk in there, but also a lot of 70s progressive rock. Much of it probably came from jamming. I have always been most impressed by the drums and bass in terms of musicianship, and I consider 'Paul Di Anno' to be the cooler Maiden singer. He has a really rough, bluesy voice and conveys much more feeling than Bruce Dickinson. However, I have always wondered whether he would have fit into the heavy metal scene of the 80s purely based on the band image, where all singers sang with that high-pitched voice. Anyway, a few months ago, I wondered what 'Paul Di Anno' is up to these days, if he is still making music at all. I found out that he is not only still active but also going to play a concert nearby, and I marked it boldly in red on my calendar...
It took me almost two hours to drive from Ingolstadt, and I headed straight from work towards Neresheim in Baden-Württemberg. There’s always something, and of course, the tunnel in Harburg was closed, so I had to navigate the detours. It was already dark, and I was curious about what kind of event this would be. It would have been really disappointing if the venue had been sold out.
When I arrived, I was quite astonished. Neresheim is a small village near Schwäbisch Gmünd, and the concert took place in a biker pub (Boazen: Bavarian for tavern). On the first floor, there was a "dance hall," and that’s where the concert was held. I had just been listening to the solo part of Phantom of the Opera in the car, and upon opening the door, it smelled quite strongly of manure.
A few long-haired folks were already outside, and when I got upstairs, there were only about 30 people in the hall. This promised to be a really cozy evening. It slowly filled up, and most of the people were long-haired and rockers.
At some point, the support band 'Fragmentation' took the stage. Nice guys who were blasting their death metal. For this kind of music, it was decent, but personally, I can’t get into growl vocals, and everything felt quite predictable and stereotypical. The singer tried to come across as very evil and insane. I guess that’s how it’s done, it’s part of it, but I find it trivial. However, the crowd seemed to enjoy it quite a bit, and there was a good amount of headbanging in front of the stage, with a metal lady dancing excessively to the music. Good vibes, that’s all that matters....
After a changeover, the dark intro played, and a cult figure of rock'n roll was about to take the stage. To everyone’s surprise, on crutches! As I later learned, he has been suffering from knee issues for a while. He settled into a tavern chair and was first greeted enthusiastically by the crowd. Accompanied by his German backing band, the Phantomz/Architects of Chaos, it started off well. 'Sanctuary'. "Give me sanctuary from the law and sleep with me tonight!" The room was full, the front row was headbanging, and the windows were fogged up. The club was totally smoky... pure rock'n roll feeling. I have no idea how it continued, whether 'Prowler' was the next song? It was just great to stand there and soak up the whole feeling. 'Murders in Rue Morgue' until 'Charlotte the Harlot' came. The excessively dancing metal lady was right next to me, and I decided to get a little closer. 'Charlotte, show me your thighs' ;)
After that, it got quieter with "Remember Tomorrow" from the first album, which Di Anno dedicated posthumously to the Maiden drummer Clive Burr, who passed away in 2013. It’s a ballad with a very distinctive guitar sound. The song has a psychedelic touch. Either an effect was used on the record, or the band speed was extremely accelerated. In any case, the song builds up and gets harder towards the end. The lyrics deal with dying and are very metaphorically wrapped:
"Tears for remembrance, and tears for joy,
Tears for somebody and this lonely boy.
Out in the madness, the all-seeing eye,
Flickers above us, to light up the sky."
It continued with numbers from Paul’s career after Maiden.
They didn’t hit as hard as the Maiden stuff. I guess I should listen to those records. Paul had a mischievous streak, making some jokes during the announcements. Then he said, "Some people think they know everything about me, my ex-wife was one of those, and you know what she knew? Nothing at all" or "Is this a fucking gay bar?" Paul is known for his homophobic outbursts.
'Wrathchild' was also included. Then I think 'Killers' came soon after, and he thanked Steve Harris for that song.
THAT is also my favorite song by Maiden. I love that song. The epic, tension-filled intro and the rough, unleashed energy:
Scream for mercy, he laughs as he's watching you bleed.
Killer behind you, his blood lust defines all his needs
Then the 6-minute 'Phantom of the Opera' closed the regular set. A great piece. I really like the distinctive riff and the progressive solo part.
The encore was a big surprise. "Who likes punk music?" Paul asked. I think I was the only one in the room who raised my arms..."I don’t care, here comes the song from my favorite band, the Ramones" and then he launched into 'Blitzkrieg Bop'. All the metalheads in the front rows raised their fists to the sky and sang, "Hey Ho, let’s Go!" Awesome!
As a crowning finale, 'Running Free' was played. The catchy hit from the first album, with which Iron Maiden became the first band since 'The Who' to perform on Top of the Pops without playback.
I'm running free, yeah, come on, I'm running free
I'm running free, yeah, I'm running free
Get out of my way
The people celebrated the band...the lights came on, and everyone was in a good mood.
It was something really special.
At the merch stand, I chatted with the bassist of the band, talked about Paul’s new band 'Architects of Chaos' and how they became Paul’s backing band. He told me that they were the opening act in 2000, and then he asked them if they wanted to play for him. First Germany and Benelux, and then it kept growing. After that, we talked a bit about Maiden and then I asked if I could have an interview with Paul.
They were all very accommodating, and behind a curtain, Paul was already waiting in the backstage for the interview. I found him very likable and open. Close to the fans and absolutely down-to-earth. He was a bit irritable, and a flippant remark made him terribly angry, and then the interview fell apart. Amidst wild insults, I left the backstage room before I could catch anything else.
I don’t care, I’m over it. I still found the guy extremely likable in some way. A memorable evening. I can only recommend checking it out when Paul and his guys play in your city.
Up the Irons!