Iron Maiden brought their Legacy of the Beast Tour to the Nation’s Capital Sunday night (10/23) to a SOLD-OUT crowd. After a three year absence from the U.S. due to Covid-19, the fans were more than eager to welcome the band back as conquering heroes. 

Within Temptation opened the show. I must admit, I knew nothing about them ahead of the show. They put on a damn good show, getting the crowd fired up. 

Frontwoman Sharon den Adel kept the crowd engaged and pumped for the entire set. Opening bands typically get a muted response from the audience, and often are subjected to boos and other hostility and abuse. This was certainly not the case, as Within Temptation went over extremely well with the audience. I, for one, came away a new fan. 

After a brief intermission, the lights dimmed and the tape intro of “Doctor Doctor” by UFO began, sending the crowd into a frenzy, as they knew Maiden were about to take the stage. The band opened withe three new songs, the opening trio from the latest album Senjutsu. The Japanese stage set for this part tying in with the Samuri theme of the album cover. After the trio of new tracks, “Revelations” from Piece of Mind took the crowd back to 1983. The stage set and backdrops were changed every few songs, and vocalist Bruce Dickinson changed outfits to compliment the songs, donning a black cloak, mask and lantern for “Fear of the Dark,” and the iconic Trooper jacket and sword for the song of the same name. “Hallowed Be Thy Name” saw Bruce standing by a hangman’s noose, telling the story of a man awaiting his execution. After fan favorites “Number of the Beast” and main set closer “Iron Maiden,” the band left the stage. The rabid crowd didn’t have to wait long for the first encore.  During the “Trooper,” the 12 foot “Trooper Eddie” appeared, and had a sword fight with Bruce center stage, much to the delight of the crowd. Next up was the “Clansman,” telling the historical story of William Wallace, better known from the Mel Gibson movie “Braveheart.” The band left the stage, but encore number two was soon to follow. In the darkness, the tape intro of Winston Chrurchill’s speech led into “Aces High,” complete with plane above the stage. After waving goodbye, the band left the stage as Monty Python’s “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” played over the P.A. as fans danced and whistled. 

This was my fifth time seeing Iron Maiden, my first being 1987. I can honestly say, this was possibly the best I have seen them. No, Bruce Dickinson doesn’t have the vocal range he had in 1982, but at 64 years old, he sounds pretty damned amazing. He ran all over the stage, never appearing out of breath. Bassist Steve Harris, guitarists Dave Murray, Adrian Smith and Janick Gers, along with drummer Nicko McBrain were so incredibly tight, you would never guess they had been on a long hiatus, due to the Pandemic. An amazing night of metal from a band whose debut album came out 42 years ago! The band has already announced European dates for 2023, and I’m hoping U.S. dates are announced soon.

Review & Cellphone Photos by I’m Music Magazine Contributing Writer Jeff Koger