The name of this tour, The Future Past, led me to believe it was one of those tours where Maiden would be sticking to the classic albums, which is all I really want to hear. If I had done any research at all, I would have learned that “Days of Future Past” is the name of a song on their 2021 album Senjutsu, and indeed, that album accounted for a full third of the setlist. Another third was devoted to 1986’s Somewhere in Time, which was released squarely within the band’s golden era, but is easily my least favorite album of that era. The remaining five songs were the big crowd-pleasers, but even those were hampered by noticeably sluggish tempos and sloppy drumming, presumably lasting effects from the stroke Nicko McBrain, who is now 72, suffered last year. I witnessed all this from a seat directly behind one of the camera operators, who blocked my view of center stage.
Not my ideal Maiden experience, but any Maiden experience is better than no Maiden experience, and this one included the 8-foot-tall cyborg version of their mascot Eddie having a gun battle (with actual firework projectiles) with Bruce Dickinson, whose boundless energy, showmanship, and vocal range continue to astound. And since they were limited-view, the seats were fairly cheap, which made this show a nice last-minute treat. Oh, and somehow it never occurred to me before this show that the chorus of “The Trooper” is wordless, which is a strange touch that makes me love it even more.