The Somewhere Back In Time World Tour revisited Iron Maiden's ancient Egyptian themed World Slavery Tour stage set of 84-85. The setlist also focused on the band's 1980's material, with 1985's Powerslave album getting the most play with four songs. The only post '80s song performed was the always excellent "Fear Of The Dark," from the 1992 album of the same name. Dickinson was adamant that this tour was not undertaken for the sake of nostalgia, but rather as a gift to all of the younger fans that have been turning out in droves on their recent tours, and have not had the pleasure of witnessing a lot of their older material.
The DVD also features an incredible 16-song concert performance, with each song coming from a different night/city on the tour. Put it this way, if you think that the World Slavery Tour was Iron Maiden's pinnacle, and you still find yourself watching Live After Death on a weekly basis, then you will be tickled pink by this new addition to the Maiden catalog. Hell, they even opened the shows the same way with Churchill's speech, followed by the two Powerslave classics, "Aces High" and "2 Minutes To Midnight."
The documentary film really captures just how incredibly popular Iron Maiden are throughout the world, especially in South America where it was absolute madness before, during, and after every show. Every time the band arrived at the airport or their hotel, it looked like they were ready to shit their pants at the site of some of the mob scenes that were there to greet them. But hey, its nothing a few hundred armed soldiers can't take care of.
One of the funniest scenes was of a young fan in Mumbai, who after getting his guitar autographed by the band, was asked if he was happy. With a beaming grin on his face, he replies in that distinct Indian accent, "Ho, ho, ho, it's not even funny man!" I nearly spit my drink all over myself.
Article comments
1 - Triniman
Great review, Paul. This is an essential purchase for all Maiden fans and it proves to me why they are the finest band in all of metal. Few bands in any genre can last this long and still produce top notch new material, like their last studio album, 2006's A Matter of Life and Death.
2 - Paul Roy
Thanks Triniman. It's great to see old dinosaurs like Maiden remain relevant after all these years.