19.05.2025 Iron Maiden

Graspop Metal Meeting

Dessel (Belgium)

If Dream Theater’s 40th anniversary was already impressive, the evening still had more to offer: Iron Maiden made a stop in Belgium on their “Run For Your Lives” tour celebrating their 50th band anniversary, performing on the fields of Dessel. The gentleman are all of a more advanced age by now, and drummer Nicko McBrain had already played his final live concert of his own choosing back in December. But none of that was noticeable on this night.
As usual, the guys stormed onto the stage — led by vocalist Bruce Dickinson, who still possesses an absolutely stunning voice bursting with power. And it’s not just the voice: while he no longer sprints across the stage nonstop like in the old days, he’s still constantly in motion and changes outfits repeatedly. Then there’s the familiar string section with Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, and Janick Gers on guitars, as well as the incomparable Steve Harris on bass. The lineup is rounded out by Simon Dawson, who fills in live for Nicko McBrain and otherwise tours with Harris’ side project British Lion. Fifty years of Iron Maiden, a long time and an unbelievable amount of material to choose from.
Right at the beginning, Dickinson declared that they would play all the beloved songs the audience expected, and he wasn’t exaggerating. There were highlights like “The Trooper” from the 1983 album “Piece of Mind,” as well as “Run to the Hills” and “The Number of the Beast” from the album of the same name. Unlike previous tours, there wasn’t quite as much stage gimmickry, and the gigantic LED wall took over that role with brilliantly crafted visuals. The interplay of imagery and sound during “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” created genuine goosebump moments. Gers constantly showed how agile he still is by repeatedly propping his leg up on the monitors, Harris whirled around with his bass, and of course the obligatory Eddie made an appearance. He fought with Bruce during “The Trooper” and kept the other band members on their toes as well.
Next to me, several people were trying to hold up various balloons. Once they finally got them in the right order, Dickinson noticed too. “Happy 50th Birthday Iron Maiden” could be read, and he was visibly delighted. After “Iron Maiden” from the 1980 debut album, the band left the stage for a short break, only to return for the encore with the mega-hits “Aces High” (OK, here you could hear Bruce’s age a bit as he struggled slightly with the long sustained high note), “Fear Of The Dark” (another absolute goosebump moment), and finally “Wasted Years” from the 1986 album “Somewhere In Time.”
It was my fourth Iron Maiden concert over roughly 20 years, and the gentlemen still manage to thrill me. A flawless performance, a bit calmer than in earlier years and with less showmanship (though maybe only 15% less movement). I also know that it’s nearly impossible to fit 50 years into 2 hours and 15 minutes (they were actually only supposed to have 2 hours, but for Iron Maiden you let them run over). So many hits, and yet I was a bit disappointed in one regard: if you announce a tour celebrating 50 years of stage history and then only cover the first 12 years (they played songs only from the 1980 debut “Iron Maiden” up to 1992’s “Fear Of The Dark”), it doesn’t reflect the band’s musical evolution, especially not the last two albums “The Book Of Souls” or 2021’s “Senjutsu,” which even shows slightly progressive influences. But they’re forgiven.
I can no more predict than anyone else how long the band will continue touring. You can feel their joy every second they’re on stage, and the atmosphere in front of it is just as fantastic. But like all of us, the gentlemen aren’t getting any younger. After suffering a stroke, Nicko McBrain felt he hadn’t regained enough of his old form despite extensive rehab to handle the stress of touring, and the others are all approaching 70 as well. I, at least, hope for many more years with them and their music. Anyone who enjoys classic NWOBHM and hasn’t seen them live yet should do so as soon as possible. Their shows are almost always absolute no-brainers.