Iron Maiden thrashes a symbolic symphony of destruction for Melbourne’s metalheads

MUSIC
Iron Maiden | Run For Your Lives Tour ★★★★★
AAMI Park, November 13

Given demonic imagery is at the heart of their visual aesthetic, the Melbourne leg of Iron Maiden’s tour fell on a most notorious date: Friday the 13th of November.

The British masters of grandiose metal command a dedicated, flannel-shirted and denim-vested (complete with band badges) audience, which packed into AAMI Park as clouds gathered.

The diverse crowd comprised Gen Xers with their children, young women, teenage boys and ageing metalheads.

Iron Maiden have been playing with various line-ups for 50 years and have recorded 17 studio albums, placing them firmly in the pantheon of metal gods.

They are also frequent flyers to Australia and last played in Melbourne just two years ago. Indeed, lead singer Bruce Dickinson, a qualified pilot, flew the band to Australia himself on some previous tours.

Friday’s support act, Megadeth, are thrash metal legends in their own right. Megadeth singer and guitarist Dave Mustaine played with Metallica before he was fired in 1983, reportedly for substance abuse.

Mustaine quickly formed Megadeth and gained a global following with classics, including Symphony of Destruction and Peace Sells… but Who’s Buying? On Friday night, the band delivered these tracks live with all the punch and precision of their records.

The crowd was already hyped when Iron Maiden burst onto the stage as dusk and rain closed in on the stadium. It was all energy from the outset, with raised guitars pointing to the heavens and back-arching solos.

The line-up featured three guitarists (not including bass player Steve Harris) because one solo is not nearly enough for Iron Maiden’s epic sound.

The band leans heavily into history and classic literature in its lyrical themes. The track Rime of the Ancient Mariner, a metal reimagining of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s classic poem, lasted almost 15 minutes and felt like it could have gone on longer.

Dickinson is 68 with the vocal range and stamina of a man half his age. He had the crowd belting out the chorus and shaking fists in Run to the Hills, one of Iron Maiden’s best-known songs.

The triumphant Number of the Beast was another highlight that had the audience chanting along.

Elaborate stage design, flamethrowers and a towering skeleton mascot named Eddie, who emerged at key moments, are all part of the theatre that has helped make Iron Maiden the metal titans they are today.

Dickinson had numerous costume changes, and in the epic Hallowed Be Thy Name, he appeared in a cage elevated above the stage. They closed out the show with an encore that featured the rollicking rhythm of Fear of the Dark.

Based on Friday night’s performance, there is no reason why Iron Maiden cannot return in another two years to conquer Melbourne once again. If we’re lucky.

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