Iron Maiden with The Raven Age at Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood 07/20/19

Words and Photos by Matt Delaney

Iron Maiden did not fail to impress with a lengthy 16 song set list exploding with intense energy. The stage was impressive to say the least. The visuals were rich, the lights were dramatic, and the music was loud. The intro to the show started with two men dressed in fatigues revealing the military netting typically used on airstrips for cover and concealment. An airplane emerged overhead and the music raged. Bruce Dickinson came out roaring full of life and vocals. You would never guess the man is 61 years old with that kind of energy. The opening song was a favorite of mine “Aces High” and Bruce came out wearing an old WW2 styled aviator hat.

At Saturday’s jam packed show full of black shirts and Maidenheads, the concert at Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood, where the band last performed in 2012, Iron Maiden played through a 16-song set list packed with, as Dickinson said with a grin to the crowd, “no new songs!” After Aces High was, “Where Eagles Dare” (1983) was followed by “2 Minutes to Midnight” (1984) and “The Clansman” (a newbie from 1998). My favorite thing about the show was how well the stage was lit and how smooth the visuals changed for certain songs. The old cathedral scene was my favorite. During the ‘80s, Iron Maiden scored a string of platinum records, and the devotion to songs such as “The Number of the Beast” and “Run to the Hills” are as testament to their enduring popularity, even as American record sales have slowed (by contrast, their last album, 2015’s “The Book of Souls,” went gold in countries ranging from Italy to Canada).

Atlanta was Maidens second stop for the North American tour, kicking their first show off in Florida. They will be ending the tour with a few stops in South America.

SETLIST