After the gig...

Iron Maiden, Warsaw, 7th of August 2008



1. Aces High
2. 2 Minutes To Midnight
3. Revelations
4. The Trooper
5. Wasted Years
6. The Number Of The Beast
7. Run To The Hills
8. Rime Of The Ancient Mariner
9. Powerslave
10. Heaven Can Wait
11. Can I Play With Madness
12. Fear Of The Dark
13. Iron Maiden

14. Moonchild
15. The Clairvoyant
16. Hallowed Be Thy Name

The trip took us about 3,5 hours, wasn't that bad. The whole time we were listening to Maiden and... well... Metallica [as the guy I went with is a huge Metallica's fan]. While trying to get inside the stadium I talked to my two friends via phone who were already inside and said that special wristbands that allow entering a special sector in front of the stage are slowly running out. As soon as I got through the gates, I rushed through the grass, benches, barriers, stairs and people as fast as possible. I felt as if I was in a movie and had some kind of mission to fulfill! :lol: I didn't even know I could run so fast! :lol: But I really, really wanted to see Maiden from as little distance as possible so getting the wristband was essential. It seemed I managed to get it in the last minute. Thank (Greek) gods! ;-)

Then, I could just lie on the grass and impatiently wait for the gig. Meanwhile, we ate a small pizza and met with a couple of friends from The Official Polish Thread. It was great. One of them we saw for the first time [in 6 years!] and it turned out he actually isn't a 48-year-old truck driver! :lol: Lauren Harris wasn't that bad, she seemed she was enjoying the gig very much and claimed that we were the best audience she's had so far on this tour. Interesting! Well, yes, some people were clapping their hands and chanting but she definitely hasn't yet seen the best Polish audience [this was yet to come... for Iron Maiden :-)]. The band Made of Hate, the second support, was actually quite good, especially as far as music was concerned. Unluckily, they had a serious technical problem in the end of their performance but an astute bassist started to play one of the Queen's songs and everyone enjoyed it nevertheless! This definitely was a chance of a lifetime for this bassist, he must have felt really great because he managed to entertain the audience despite the fact that he was left on stage all alone while other band members tried to fix the problem.
If somebody wants to check them out, click here.

Thanks to that special sector, an access to the front of the stage was much easier. It's definitely one of the advantages of creating it. [Well, the obvious disadvantage is that if you don't get the wristband, you can't see Maiden from the little distance]. So this time it wasn't as crowded that when you put up your hand, you can't put it back down because there's no space to do it! :lol:

About Maiden, this will be a very short review [at least compared to the ones I've written before]. Maybe you should just sum up all the previously written reviews of the gigs I've seen and you'll get a review of Maiden. This band is a pure genius. If somebody has seen them at least once, they'll know what I'm talking about. The passion they put into their music, and especially their concerts, is just unbelievable. The atmosphere that they create, the kind of show they prepare, with such joy and professionalism... It just has to take your breath away. That's the living legend, my friends! That's the band which deserves to be where they are!

I was totally blown away by Rime Of The Ancient Mariner. This song was not only very well played, it was especially very well performed. Some people say - what's with all this show, changing clothes, Eddie and accessories, it's not metal! Sure, as far as I'm concerned, I also don't think this is needed. It is not. If they went out on the stage without any stage design, I'm sure they'd still play a perfect gig. Of course the whole thing isn't essential. It just adds more to the gig, it just draws attention, it just makes the event an unforgettable one. It just turns the concert into something more, something better, it turns it into a performance at the highest level.

Yeah, ROTAM made me experience a true music hyperorgasm!

Revelations was just beautiful, it's always so great live, with the whole audience participating... Wasted Years made my cry. Fear Of The Dark made all of us totally crazy. Can I Play With Madness made me laugh. Moonchild mesmerized me. Hallowed Be Thy Name, along with Powerslave, The Clairvoyant, Aces High and Heaven Can Wait were absolutely awesome. The funny thing I realised was that even those overrated, always played classics such as Run To The Hills, Iron Maiden [ok, ok, it's a tradition], The Number Of The Beast, 2 Minutes To Midnight and The Trooper sounded absolutely brilliant yesterday. I enjoyed them as never before. They were just so powerful, so heavy. I would have never thought that I'd have so much fun during, for example, RTTH, since I've heard it live five times already. The fact is, from the very moment Iron Maiden appeared on the stage, my wide smile didn't leave my face for a single moment. The gig was magical.

From this place I have to thank the whole Polish audience. You were fantastic, guys! Bruce was right telling us yesterday that the band doesn't exist without us, the fans. And a good concert doesn't exist without fans either. Because that's us who chant, jump, scream and get crazy. Yesterday 30 000 people filled the stadium and the atmosphere was fantastic. We sang "Happy Birthday" to Bruce, although this first try wasn't very well coordinated but it was then when Bruce saw a huge 10-meters long flag saying "Scream for us for the next 50 years. From Polish Fans" floating on the audience's hands from the back of the floor to the stage. After a couple of songs, we again started to sing "Happy Birthday" but this time in Polish and it was sooooooo loud and sooooo great that Bruce was left speechless and the band stood on the stage looking at us and smiling widely in astonishment. Those are the priceless moments!

Well, I only feel a bit "sorry" for the fans for whom the yesterday's gig was the first one. Because, my friends, it's not possible that any other band would give you a better show. You've just seen the incredible concert power of Iron Maiden. Even though I've seen them 7 times before, I still was suprised, impressed and... happy.

Photos by: A. Jędrysik/jedrysik.com and Marcin Bąkiewicz/WP