To Do List : Iron Maiden 10/13

Do you recognize this man? If you do, you're metal, and if you don't...well, I'll leave you to fiddle with your Justin Timberlake records. That's right, you are looking at Eddie, the mascot of the world's most popular heavy metal band, the mighty, all-powerful Iron Maiden. The boys from across the pond are gracing us with their presence at the Continental Airlines Arena tomorrow night in support of their new album, "A Matter of Life and Death", a superlative helping of power chord- laced madness that debuted at #9 on the U.S. charts (Number nine? Are you kidding me? After 30 years in the business, a Top Ten album for these guys?...that's impressive) , and reaffirmed that these guys are no mere nostalgia act.

Maiden. Friday the 13th. Live... in the festering swamps of Jersey. Does it get any more metal?

Very Stoned, Thank You

This was our view for the Rolling Stones show about a half hour before it began. The black square in the center was a screen that showed images of the band whilst they played, and the silver protruding arms flashed with multicolored lights...pretty cool. A small portion of the stage detached, and traveled down the ramp in the center to a position just behind the rectangular speaker ( see above).
As for the show, it was much better than I expected. The two previous times I saw the band, Jagger's voice was shot from excessive touring. No such problem here, as an average of four days separate each show, giving our rockin' sixty-somethings ample time for rest and recuperation. Indeed, Mick was in fine fettle, especially on Streets of Love, It's Only Rock'n'Roll, and a moving version of Sway, an underappreciated nugget from the stunning Sticky Fingers album. Keith nearly stole the show with a taut rendition of You Got the Silver, but it was two other songs from Let It Bleed that were the standouts: a brisk, super-energetic Monkey Man with a rejuvenated, whirling Jagger, and the evening's true triumph, a delirious twelve minute Midnight Rambler that turned back time and felt ( and sounded) like the early 70's all over again. Top it off with a perfect Sympathy For The Devil, and even my wife forgot about the super annoying fan two seats away who spasmodically contorted and twisted all night long in the most irritating way conceivable. Why do we always sit next to that guy?