Flight 666 – Iron Maiden Tour Documentary
So last night I ordered some of my favorite take-out and sat down to check out the DVD of the 2008 documentary of the first leg of Iron Maiden’s “Somewhere Back in Time World Tour”. Now, I’ve been a fan of IM for a long time. To be honest, and at the risk of really dating myself the first full album I ever purchased was 1983′s Piece of Mind on cassette. To my surprise, the songs that Maiden was playing on this recently documented tour were older songs from my days of being a huge fan. This DVD didn’t disappoint, not at all.
It amazes me, and simultaneously gives me some slight hope in the music industry to witness a band doing so well after all these years. What makes Iron Maiden so unique is they did it without the help of mainstream radio and media. Sure, once in awhile you’ll hear a Maiden song on some classic rock or metal show but really, back in the day,…no one had the balls. Now for them to not only decide to do another “worldwide” tour but to reinvent the wheel so to speak is one gutsy move. You see, they not only decided to tour the world in strategically planned stages, they did it in a customized 757 jet carrying all the gear and stage show, all the crew, the band and their families. Appropriately named “Ed Force One” this huge flying tour bus was often piloted by none other than lead singer Bruce Dickinson, who is in his own right, a licensed commercial pilot.
Maiden in front of their custom 757 jetliner.
Now you say sure, sure, big deal. Just another over the hill metal band trying to cash in on their older tunes. This was not the case. Name me one over the hill rock or metal band that has toured from Japan, India, to the USA, South America and Toronto while playing some shows that topped out at 27,000 people. Yeah, didn’t think so.
Bruce Dickinson’s reasoning on the decision to play older material was not to insure the tour was a successful cash grab but an incredibly smart move. Iron Maiden has realized that the longer the band has existed, they’ve been drawing in a younger and younger audience. This was the bands chance to play songs that these people have never had a chance to see played live. Obviously, while pointing to the sheer longevity that IM has had over the years one would think this band knows what it’s fans want and is coming up with some pretty damn unique ways to get the job done.
The DVD rocks and with the help of Canadian documentary film maker, Sam Dunn ( Metal: a Headbangers Journey and Global Metal) capturing some funny moments and incredible footage of behind the scenes and the live shows this is a must have for any true IM fan.
If you’re at all a music fan I recommend that you check out this DVD. What a kick ass ride these guys have been on. and this was just another mile in the story.
Long Live Eddie!!