Iron Maiden closes Live is Live in Antwerp
For months, Iron Maiden had been billed as the headliner for the final day of Live is Live in Antwerp. On Monday evening, 40,000 enthusiastic fans flocked to the festival site to see these absolute metal legends perform live.
The first spectators were welcomed by the DJ duo Goe Vur In Den Otto, who warmed up the festival field with the hardest metal hits, interspersed with a nod to ABBA. Afterwards, it was the turn of DORO. The ‘Queen of Metal’ proved her status with a powerful mix of Warlock classics and solo work, including “I Rule The World” and the inevitable “All We Are”.
Next, Testament took to the stage, flanked by a gigantic inflatable skeleton behind the drum kit. With the opening track “Henchmen”, immediately followed by “Infanticide A.I.” and “Shadow People”, the band showed that after all these years they had lost none of their brute force. This show marked the official start of their European tour. The biggest surprise of the afternoon was “So Many Lies”, a song which, according to frontman Chuck Billy, had never before been played at a festival.
At 19:15, the Dutch symphonic metal band Epica took over. From the opening number “Cross the Divide”, Simone Simons sang with crystal clarity, supported by an energetic and razor-tight playing band. Of course, the fan favourite “Cry for the Moon” also passed by, after which the dazzling show was brought to a bombastic close with “Consign to Oblivion”.
As evening fell, tension at the site reached a boiling point. While 40,000 voices chanted the name of the headliner, the intro “The Idyll of March” began. To loud cheers, Iron Maiden stormed the stage and immediately kicked off with “Murders in the Rue Morgue”. Frontman Bruce Dickinson instantly showed himself to be an inexhaustible bundle of energy. With his first vocal outburst in “Wrathchild”, he made it clear that his vocal cords were still in absolute top form.
During “Killers”, Eddie, the towering mascot of the band, took centre stage. Armed with an axe, he commanded the stage and challenged the band members before disappearing backstage again. After a brief interaction with the crowd, the very first iconic ‘Scream for me, Antwerp!’ followed.
When the classic “Phantom of the Opera” began, dusk set in. As a result, the impressive visuals truly came into their own and the performance rose to an even higher level. The crowd went completely wild during “The Number of the Beast”. The dynamic between the guitarists was fantastic; Steve Harris and Janick Gers dominated one side of the stage, while Dave Murray and Adrian Smith shone on the other. Together with Bruce, Janick and Steve covered by far the most ground on stage.
The visual effects transformed “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” into a grand theatrical spectacle, followed by the equally theatrical visual “Seventh Son Of The Seventh Son”. This was followed by the singalongs “Run to the Hills” and “The Trooper”. Bruce Dickinson stood inside a cage that had been placed on stage for “Hallowed Be Thy Name”. It delivered a breathtaking piece of theatre that could easily have formed the basis of a musical. The main set ended with the anthem “Iron Maiden”, after which the band left the stage to loud applause.
The encore traditionally opened with Sir Winston Churchill’s historical speech, immediately followed by an explosive “Aces High”. For “Fear of the Dark”, Dickinson appeared in a long black coat and a black hat, holding a lantern in his hand, which created a horror effect. ‘Fear of the Dark, Antwerp’, Bruce sang in the intro. In the now complete darkness, he sang to the crowd against the backdrop of an ominous moon. With the classic “Wasted Years”, the evening finally came to an end.
Iron Maiden proved last night in Antwerp exactly why they have earned their place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice over. It was an evening full of timeless classics, delivered with a fire that is still far from extinguished. The 40,000 fans present were treated to a spectacular finale to this edition of Live is Live. Keep Up the Irons!
