August 1, 2000
Metal stays hard for rockers Iron Maiden
By KIERAN GRANT -- Toronto Sun
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TORONTO -- Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson had a bone to crush, or rather pick, with Toronto last night.
"Out in Montreal and Quebec City we get 12,000 people waiting for us," the veteran British singer huffed a few songs into his band's set at the Air Canada Centre, where a crowd of 4,250 turned out to see them. "Go out and tell the lame-asses in this town they haven't experienced real music until they've been to an Iron Maiden concert." Fired up from a rousing rendition of the Maiden classic 2 Minutes To Midnight, Dickinson also mused over Toronto's supposed multitude of "women in comfortable shoes" and proclaimed alternative the death of alternative, or alternative metal, or new metal, or something to that effect. Well then. Not content to relegate their songs to the retro '80s heap or to resort to the wink-wink-nudge-nudge novelty appeal that many of their contemporaries now survive on, the band took off down a path cleared by latter-day metal monsters Entombed and former Judas Priest singer Rob Halford, and played with pretty much the same vigour they did 20 years ago. After all, while their escapist, sword-and-sorcery metal is loaded with old-world imagery, they are touring a new album called Brave New World. "We are not scared to do new songs," said Dickinson, again waxing defiant against some unseen enemy. "We did not get back together to do greatest hits and farewell, we did the best album we've ever done." It must have warmed his cockles as the crowd pumped their fists and chanted along with new tunes Dream Of Mirrors, and the title track. But Maiden are smart enough to know who makes up most of their audience -- males born between 1965 and 1975 -- and they haven't turned their sweat-streaked backs on what made them famous: Skull-numbing volume, fantastical images and lotsa pyro. Maiden currently boasts an all-star lineup of original guitarist Dave Murray and bassist Steve Harris, guitarist Adrian Smith and Dickinson -- who joined Maiden before 1982 album The Number Of The Beast catapulted them to fame -- drummer Nicko McBain and guitarist Janick Gers. Unlike his bandmates, Dickinson has long since cut off his rocker's mane and traded his spandex for denim and leather. His banshee's wail is also intact, riding atop favourites The Trooper and Fear Of The Dark. New tunes sounded downright seamless alongside the classics, including show-stopper The Number Of The Beast. Judging by the booing after a too-brief encore, a few more "greatest hits" wouldn't hurt (where was Run To The Hills?). After a rather anti-climactic walk-on by their mascot Eddie -- a green foam rubber monster -- they peaked with a fresh routine based around Brave New World track The Wicker Man.