Iron Maiden Really Rocked The Ritz Monday

In preparation for another world tour and in support of their latest release, Fear Of The Dark, English rockers Iron Maiden made a special small theater appearance Monday at the Ritz in Manhattan.

This year, Iron Maiden has been moving away from their recent period of 10-minute-plus opuses and getting back to their roots. Though the band spearheaded the modern metal movement in the early 1980s, much of the new material brings to mind 1970s hard rock, with singer Bruce Dickinson sounding a lot like Deep Purple’s Ian Gillan.

Seeing Iron Maiden in a small club is rare treat for the fans who know the band for their 300-date world tours and gargantuan stage shows. No such extravagance was present for this show, which featured just a few basic lighting effects and an excellent sound system.

Opening for the band was the incredible Dream Theater. After an exceptional debut in 1989, the progressive metal band seemed to drift out of circulation. Fortunately Dream Theater is still around and sounds as great as ever.

You simply will not find many better musicians than Dream Theater. Each member possesses amazing skills and an exceptional sense of musicality. As a unit, the band has an uncanny sense of timing and great versatility. Their second release, due out in July, is sure to be a must have. And if you don’t have their debut album, When Dream and Day Unite, get it. It’s essential.

Iron Maiden appeared with little fanfare and started the set with the hyper ‘Be Quick or Be Dead.’ which continued their tradition of opening shows with the first song from the latest release.

Accustomed to larger stages, the band seemed physically too big for the club. In the first few seconds of the show, bassist Steve Harris, sprinting out over the stage in his usual fashion, nearly collided with guitarist Dave Murray, in what could have been an abrupt end to the show.

Not used to the moshing scene, Bruce was visibly perturbed at some of the unruly audience, pointing out the guilty parties and vocally chastizing them. He later apologized to the crowd for his anger, citing concern for the fans’ safety.

A surprising second number was their classic ‘Number of the Beast,’ followed by another classic, ‘Sanctuary,’ from their 1980 debut. Most of what followed was newer material: the catchy ‘The Evil That Men Do,’ the driving ‘Tailgunner’ and a bunch of new songs, the best of which included the majestic title track and ‘Afraid To Shoot Strangers,’ an interesting number about a soldier, who just before entering battle, struggles in his mind to justify the fighting.

The vocal crowd sang along with many of the choruses, especially on classics like ‘Run to the Hills,’ ‘Two Minutes to Midnight’ and ‘The Trooper.’

An encore of ‘Bring Your Daughter To the Slaughter’ and the extended ‘Running Free’ brought an end to another successful Iron Maiden show.

Kicking off their 1992 touring, Iron Maiden proved its business as usual.

And business is good.