All the Iron Maiden fans should have been on this gig... This was and will be the best gig I have ever been to! It was five o'clock when the doors of the stage opened, but fortunately a friend of mine informed me that the band was at Metropolitan Hotel next to Onasio hospital... When I heard that I took a cub and get to the hotel immediately! When I got there I saw Steve Harris in front of me...
I never got the chance in the past to meet the members of the band personally so you can imagine how I looked like. I got really closed to him and I talked to him. GOD!!! We took some really great pictures with my own camera and some others for the Greek Metal Magazine called Metal Invader! We also met Adrian Smith, but we didn't got the chance to meet Janick Gers, Bruce Dickinson, Dave Murray and Nicko McBrain because they were already in the hotel when we arrived. So after one hour we went at St.Cosmas again (Posidonas Stadium) for the forthcoming gig. Steve Harris (has to be mentioned) was truly sad during the golden lp award at the hotel! Brave New World has been Gold in the first week on sale... which is one more record for Iron Maiden in Greece :-), don't know why but... Unfortunately we didn't got in time for Phantom Lord (Greek metal band - very good as I heard!). But Iron Maiden were just in time! Having all the equipment (finally - I mean the backround the stage, fire and very good lights effects and these big and cool eddies, as also as the girls on Iron Maiden with the wicker man huge flag!) on this gig for the first time in the last five years! I don't know exactly how many tickets have been sold for the gig but Posidonas stadium (which was right next to the sea) was full! Yeah! The gig begun... This introduction music has just begun and the crowd has also just begun to scream! In a few seconds the Wicker man came on with Bruce Dickinson running up and down on the stage, the track list of this gig was just like all the other during the Metal 2000 World Tour! Here it is:
Track list
Wicker Man
The Ghost Of The Navigator
Brave New World
Wrathchild
2 Minutes To Midnight
Blood Brothers
The Sign Of The Cross
The Mercenary
The Trooper
Dream Of Mirrors
The Clansman
The Evil That Men Do
Fear Of The Dark
Iron Maiden
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The Number Of The Beast
Hallowed Be Thy Name
Sanctuary
The whole live was incredible... There have been lots of rumors that Iron Maiden were about to play Alexander the Great... When I asked Steve Harris about it, he told me that this was only on the rumors... We all got very sad, but when Iron Maiden played The Clansman there was something different and really dangerous as Bruce Dickinson said on the stage... Read the lyrics below:
No, no we can't let them take anymore
No we can't let them take anymore
Alexander The Great!
Freedom...
(you know the rest). God can you believe this? In a moment Bruce said " Hey Athina it's a full moon tonight" The Evil that Men do was next...! He is and definitely be the best front man!! And the last thing that could do for the Greek fans was to get as crazy, when he stopped during the last song (Sanctuary) he started singing all alone Alexander's the Great chorus with a great white light on him:
Alexander the Great,
His name struck fear into hearts of men,
Alexander the Great,
He died of fever in Babylon.
After that he just thank us for being the best and most fire crowed all around the world! That was the best gig I have ever been my friends!
Manolis "In Heaven" Varouhas
