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Iron Maiden were in Quebec City for one of their few "off-Ozzfest" dates in North America. It's not surprising that they picked this town for one of their two Canadian dates - in fact if they were to play ONE date in North America, I strongly believe that it would be in Quebec City. It had been a couple of years since I'd seen Maiden play in my place of birth (the city, not the arena...), just before the release of "Dance of Death" in 2003 and even though the crowds response then was beyond amazing, I think it was even more vocal this time around: At times the band was practically buried by the screams of the fans.

The openers were Mastodon. I listened to the first song and stopped listening afterwards. I just didn't give a damn. I don't like them and the fucking Colis"e is an oven and I was already sweating even though I was sitting down and not moving - so I just chilled, if that's at all possible in such heat. That was going to be a long night. Makes for some interesting scantily-clad chick spotting, however. hehehe. The crowd gave Mastodon a polite to semi-enthusiastic reception, so I doubt they'll be keeping a bad memory of their show (although the crowd was already screaming "Maiden! Maiden!" even before the band had left the stage after their last song.. :))

It's been known for several weeks that the shows Maiden would be playing this year would have a set list made of songs from their first four albums only, in support of the "The Early Years-Part I" DVD. Everyone was speculating on the possible content of the set list, since so many of these songs have not been played live for several years. Many songs were sure bets, but then again the set list wasn't identical at all their shows so... Anticipation!

They kicked off with "Murders in the Rue Morgue" and already the sold-out crowd was so loud I thought they'd blow off the roof of the building. Unsurprisingly, the band members were all over the place right from the start. I don't know how they do it - they all have 15-20 years on me and I was ready to die from the heat, and I wasn't under the huge spotlights on stage. That'll always amaze me. Funny that some people claim that "these old guys should retire" when they put on a more energetic (and often longer) stage show that most bands 20-30 years younger than they are.

Want it or not, with a semi-obscure set list, I knew I wouldn't recognise a couple of songs, and it happened. I couldn't for the life of me remember the titles of "Another Life" and "Drifter" and neither could my friends. It didn't matter though, they still rocked our socks off!

Even though the crowd was a massive roar from beginning to end, some songs engendered more reactions than the others, such as "Prowler", "Remember Tomorrow" (Bruce mentioning that this was the song he had to sing when he auditioned for Maiden), "Where Eagles Dare" and "Phantom of the Opera" are clear memories of over-the-top reactions. Even songs common to the sets for nearly 20 years, such as "Run to the Hills", "The Number of the Beast" and "Running Free" threw the crowd in an uncontrollable frenzy (that helped Bruce give his voice a break, since the crowd did the job for him, especially during "Run to the Hills".)

As usual there were some minor hiccups, the sound was a bit uneven at times and the inflatable Eddie had some problems staying up, but that made things funny (especially since it was practically on top of Nicko.) The sound could have been better in my opinion, but seasoned attendees to shows at the Colis"e tell me that it has more to do with the building itself.

Quebec crowds go nuts if a visiting band utters a heavily-accented "Bonjour", so you can imagine the collective orgasm since Bruce speaks French fluently and spoke to the crowd in French only between the songs, and appealing to the Quebecers' genetic vanity (I should know, I'm one - lol) by constantly praising the city for its legendary support of the band and repeating a couple of times how much Quebec City is the most supportive place in the world for Iron Maiden. And it's actually true. I think the earth shook when he announced that there would be a new album in 2006 and he asked the crowd whether they'd like the band to stop by during the tour. :)

I could go on forever and I think I'd still manage to miss some detail, so I'll just end this here. This was another unforgettable performance just like the one I witnessed in 2003. It was a dream come true to hear some of the older material live. I wasn't really unhappy when the show ended, but that was only, and I do mean only because the heat was killing me. :)

I left the show covered in sweat, telling myself that I would never again go to a show in that fucking oven... er... I mean arena. But five minutes after I was out I knew deep down that the next time Maiden grace the old Colis"e with their presence, I'll be there too. If there's one place on the planet where you must experience Iron Maiden live, it's in Quebec City.

Finally, as usual I forgot my camera (and the ticket said no camera, so I guess I would have needed a press pass anyway), so unfortunately I don't have any pictures, but you can find some excellent shots on this Quebec City-based metal web site: Capitale du Métal as well as this other Quebec City fan site: www.ironmaiden.qc.ca. Up the fucking irons, bitches!!

Set list:

1. Murder in the Rue Morgue
2. Another Life
3. Prowler
4. The Trooper
5. Remember Tomorrow
6. Where Eagles Dare
7. Run to the Hills
8. Revelations
9. Wratchild
10. Die with Your Boots On
11. Phantom of the Opera
12. The Number of the Beast
13. Hallowed be Thy Name
14. Iron Maiden

Encore:

1. Running Free
2. Drifter
3. Sanctuary