On the 4th of September, I went to the Lycabetus Theatre in Athens to watch the most important metal band of our decade. The gig was sold out and 7,000 people from all over the country (Crete, Corfu etc.) had prepared themselves for the upcoming show. 21:30 and Maiden explode into ‘Futureal’. It is impossible to describe the reaction! The whole crowd was head banging and singing along with Blaze.
Maiden played six songs from ‘Virtual XI’, three from ‘X-Factor’ and many of our old favorites. The crowd were singing along from the start to the finish of the show, and it was quite obvious that Maiden, and especially Blaze, love the Greek audience and really enjoy themselves every time they play in Greece. That was also very obvious when they played here in 1996, and according to Blaze, that is why they decided to begin the 2nd leg of the European tour in Greece. Highlights of the show 20 fans that won the Metal Hammer competition got to meet Maiden backstage and also went on-stage to sing during ‘Heaven Can Wait’. Before ‘The Clansman’, Blaze thanked the Greek fans for buying ‘Virtual XI’ and said that it went to No.1 and showed us the Gold Album award that was given to them by the record company. He said that it was a great honor for them to receive it. Then Blaze dedicated ‘The Clansman’ to the fans saying that he knows how important ‘FREEDOM’ is to the Greeks, and that Greece has a special place in his heart, because of his acceptance by the Greek fans. He also said ‘good evening’ and ‘thank you’ in Greek - pretty cool — and did not forget to mention that the Greek crowd is the most energetic he has ever seen. The only bad thing was that the stage was not very big, so they only brought out the small ‘walk on’ Eddie during ‘Iron Maiden’. But that was OK by us! Maiden were very accurate and did not make mistakes, even though they played the songs faster than usual and Blaze sang very very well, leaving us fans extremely happy and exhausted! Maiden love playing live, especially in front of audiences as enthusiastic as the Greeks and this is totally obvious. But most important of all, Maiden are true, honest and have a genuine respect for their fans. The Greeks really appreciate this, as they do not follow trends. As long as Maiden exist, metal will never die. We can’t wait to see you in Greece again, guys.
UP THE IRONS!
SETLIST
Futureal
The Angel And The Gambler
Man On The Edge
Lightning Strikes Twice
When Two Worlds Collide
Heaven Can Wait
Lord Of The Flies
The Clansman
The Educated Fool
2 Minutes To Midnight
Sign Of The Cross
Afraid To Shoot Strangers
The Evil That Men Do
The Clairvoyant
Hallowed Be Thy Name
Fear Of The Dark
Iron Maiden
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Number Of The Beast
Trooper
Sanctuary
125 minutes
