Building off of last month’s posting, here is this month’s suggestions.
My music isn’t setting the world afire. But it’s fucking fun. There are worse things to be obsessed with.
\m/
Kairi got out of work later than anticipated and we departed late to the venue. Absurd traffic made us even later. Ultimately, we ended up parking at the middle school and we traipsed through the woods, only emerging from the gates as Megadeth was playing Ride The Lightning. It was ecxeedingly disappointing, particularly after the setlist revealed they played The Mechanix just prior.
The disappointment lingered, but Tornado Of Souls helped elevate my spirits. That it is Kairi’s favorite song by the band is a nice perk. Symphony sucks, as much now as it did then, but Peace Sells and Holy Wars were as good as I could have hoped.
Unfortunately, the brief exposure to Megadeth was not enough, and I certainly hope a full headlining farewell tour will follow.
After the usual turnaround, Iron Maiden arrived, representing my 9th time seeing them (plus Bruce twice!) and first in 14 years.
Ides Of March was tape, but Murders In The Rue Morgue was not. It was a fantastic snapshot at the early days of the band, particularly as it went into Wrathchild, Killers, and Phantom Of The Opera. The band sounded fantastic.
Much like with Metallica, seemingly boring setlists never truly represent a show’s quality. However, seeing Infinite Dreams, one of my favorite songs from possibly my favorite Maiden record, was particularly poignant. Certain setlist entries are more powerful than others. The Trooper offers less potency, but goddamn, the “Ooooh oooh ooh ooh ooooh ooh oh oh ohhhhh,” of that song has never felt lackluster. Ignoring such tracks, there’s no way to turn a blind eye to epics Rime Of The Ancient Mariner, and Seventh Son. Each has its meandering mid-section, but the outros are simply legendary and display what got me into the band in the first place.
If I’m honest: Hallowed rocked. Aces High ruled. Fear Of The Dark was phenomenal. I’m 50. Bruce is the youngest core member, and he’s 68! Yes, parts of the show are by-the-numbers, but goddamn, those numbers aren’t shrinking. And they simply killed it. The new drummer was consistent and solid. Janick was Janick. Dave shredded and Steve is timeless. Having seen Bruce just last year, you hear his limitations, but he tore through the set. I won’t say he sounds better than ever, but he sounds way better than most after 40+ years in the business.
This is a topic I’ve thought of over the years. Many of us can agree on what the Golden-Age records are for bands. For those who were engaged in the ’80s outputs by the major bands, there’s a clear dividing line—often the early 1990s. What if we took ALL those post-heyday records and whittled them down to one super album? What would it contain? My first entry into this list is a WIP one on the mighty Slayer. These are organized by album for ease. Anyhow, it’s just an idea. I don’t know if it’s worth double digits in its counter.
Not sure how official this is, but as of today, it’s postable.