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IRON MAIDEN
+ Killswitch Engage
@ RAC Arena, Perth,
1st September 2024
(Live Review)

Review and photos by Pete Gardner (@petegardnerphotography)

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IRON MAIDEN / Photo – @petegardnerphotography

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Iron Maiden, one of the biggest, and arguably the most influential bands in the world kicked off their Future Past 2024 World Tour tonight at Perths RAC Arena to a sell out crowd. Having missed out on the Australian leg of the Legacy of the Beast tour, scheduled for April 2020 – unfortunately cancelled due to a nasty bug that was going around –Perth Metal Heads were rewarded for their long wait with a masterclass in Heavy Metal excellence.

Opening the night to a rapid filling arena, Massachusetts Metalcore masters Killswitch Engage thundered onto the stage. Their high octane performance didn’t take long to start the circle pits and crowd surfing, with frontman Jesse Leach declaring Perth the wildest town in Australia.

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IRON MAIDEN / Photo – @petegardnerphotography

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IRON MAIDEN / Photo – @petegardnerphotography

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With the crowd nicely warmed up the packed arena waited in eager anticipation for the main event. On cue, the Blade Runner theme played over the PA, giving a hint of what was to come. As the intro music gave way to the opening chords of Somewhere in Time, the band entered the stage to a huge roar from the crowd. Hitting the ground running, the triple guitar attack of Dave Murray, Adrian Smith and Janick Gers, was driven along by the brilliant Steve Harris on bass and the incredible Nicko McBrain beating the skins behind a wall of drums and cymbals making it very hard to see him behind the kit!

As Bruce Dickinson, burst onto the stage, he showed why he is one of the most respected frontmen in rock history, His vocals are still, at 66, extraordinary, with a range still greater than most singers can only dream of, hitting the high notes with ease and delivering his theatrical performance with the same energy and intensity that has been his trademark for decades. This was especially evident during the big crowd pleasers Can I Play With Madness, Fear Of The Dark and The Trooper, whilst battling various incarnations of Cyborg and Samurai Eddie’s across the stage.

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IRON MAIDEN / Photo – @petegardnerphotography

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IRON MAIDEN / Photo – @petegardnerphotography

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With a setlist sharing the heavy lifting between their latest album Senjutsu, and 1986’s Somewhere in Time, plus a few favorites such as The Prisoner, the band satisfied everybody’s need for a mix of old and new. The older material has weathered time and is still as fresh as it was nearly 40 years ago. The “Three Amigos” were in top form, showcasing the guitar harmonies that create Maiden’s signature sound. Sharing lead guitar duties, one solo just flowed into another, especially on the epics Death of the Celts and Alexander the Great. Murray’s fluid Melodic solos, contrasting with Smith’s riff driven style and Gers’ aggressive attack, created a soundscape that filled the area, ably assisted by Harris and McBrain driving the band relentlessly along.

By the time the final curtain came down we were in no doubt of Iron Maiden’s enduring legacy, and their ability to continue producing electrifying performances after nearly five decades since Steve Harris formed the band with Dave Murray way back in the seventies.

With Bruce’s final words to everyone “you’ve only got one F**king life, Live it to the full!”, the crowd left the arena with ringing ears, happy in the knowledge they has just witnessed one of the world great bands still at the height of their powers.

The tour has just begun. Check out all future dates and tour information below.

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IRON MAIDEN / Photo – @petegardnerphotography

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Check out Pete Gardner’s (@petegardnerphotography) full gallery of this event HERE

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IRON MAIDEN / Photo – @petegardnerphotography

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Follow IRON MAIDEN
Website – Facebook – Youtube – Instagram

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IRON MAIDEN / Photo – @petegardnerphotography

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Press Release 26th October 2023 (below) HERE

Due to phenomenal demand,
IRON MAIDEN
announces second Sydney show
on their epic
THE FUTURE PAST TOUR

FRIDAY 13 SEPTEMBER, 2024 – QUDOS BANK ARENA
TICKETS ON SALE AT 2.00PM AEDT TODAY!

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Photographed in OTTOWA 2022 copyright JOHN McMURTRIE

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The 2024 AUSTRALIAN tour dates are:

Sunday 1 September: PERTH, RAC Arena
Wednesday 4 September: ADELAIDE, Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Friday 6 September: MELBOURNE, Rod Laver Arena
Saturday 7 September: MELBOURNE, Rod Laver Arena
Tuesday 10 September: BRISBANE, Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Thursday 12 September: SYDNEY, Qudos Bank Arena
Friday 13 September: SYDNEY, Qudos Bank Arena 

Visit: www.ironmaiden.com or www.tegdainty.com for further information.

Support on all shows comes from American metallers Killswitch Engage.

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AMNPLIFY – DB