Iron Maiden with Special guest Within Temptation, Amalie Arena: Oct 27, 2022
By Photojournalist Chaz Dykes of Chaz D Photography
What do you get when you mix smoke, fire, a massive demon, British spitfire, and a giant zombified human dressed up as a samurai & WWII British soldier with galloping bass rhythms, screaming guitars, thunderous drums, and amazing vocals? Iron Maiden, and a hell of a good time! Iron Maiden filled Amalie Arena with thousands of fans for the last show of the Legacy of The Beast Tour. Some of the fans have been following the band and have seen up to 200 shows since the tour started in 2018.
Maiden was firing on all cylinders. Bruce Dickinson was amazing as his vocals navigated the journey through the macabre of mayhem. Steve Harris proved yet again why he is one of the most renown bassists in the world. Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, and Janick Gers laid down those infamous melodic guitar riffs, while Nicko McBrain held down the rhythm effortlessly.
The band performed select songs from across their catalog “Revelations,” “Flight of Icarus” and “The Number of the Beast.” Maiden gave the fans two encores which included “The Trooper” and “Run to the Hills.” Their infamous mascot, Eddie, made a couple of appearances. The first was during the opening number “Senjutsu” and was donned in ancient samurai armor wielding a sizable katana. The second was during “The Trooper” dressed as a WWII British soldier and got into a sword fight with Dickinson. Dickinson later fires a musket at Eddie causing him to retreat. The last song of the night was “Aces High.” The band played while a huge British Spitfire fighter plane flew overhead simulating the historical dogfights that the second World War was known for. Unfortunately, this was the final show of the tour. At its end, Iron Maiden will have rocked over 3 million people. That is incredible!
These guys are in their mid 60’s (Nicko is 70), and they ripped up the Amalie Arena like they were still in their 20’s. The whole band was running all over the place. It was amazing, and they sounded fantastic. If I had four thumbs I would put them all up. If you want to keep up with new releases and future tour dates, visit Iron Maidens website. https://www.ironmaiden.com
Within Temptation started out the night. They are a Dutch symphonic metal band founded by singer Sharon den Adel and guitarist Robert Westerholt. I was impressed with this band and I decided to learn more about Within Temptation. I will write an article that I will put out at a later date. But if you can’t wait, you can go to their website to learn more about them. https://www.within-temptation.com
Now go out and see some live music!
