Last night I went along to the cinema to see Iron Maiden: Flight 666. Basically, it’s a “rockumentary” made by the Sam Dunn, the same guy who made Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey and Global Metal. In this movie Sam follows one of the biggest metal bands of all time, Iron Maiden (and whose songs inspired the title of this blog) on their Somewhere Back in Time Tour, arguably the most ambitious tour in metal history.
From the get go you get a good impression of the logistics required for this tour. The band custom outfitted a Boeing 757 called Ed Force One (after band mascot Ed) to carry all their stage equipment with singer Bruce Dickinson in the cockpit so they were able to go to places that weren’t possible before. These included places like India, Costa Rica, Columbia and Chile. The last of these is perhaps the most significant as before this tour the band had been blocked from playing in the country by the powerful Catholic Church which felt their lyrics promoted Satanism. This is in stark contrast to Brazil where a minister in the church actually preaches the moral message of Iron Maiden’s lyrics to his congregation. Regardless, as Bruce Dickinson said in the movie, these kids weren’t there to start a revolution they simply wanted to see the band.
Another thing that struck me was the amazing reception they received in these remote places which proved that despite little airplay on mainstream radio they are one of the biggest bands in the world. Nowhere was this more obvious than in South America, where the band was greeted wherever they went with chanting hordes reminiscent of a soccer crowd. Drummer Nicko McBrain says he thinks this is because they came from humble working class beginnings, which lends them a certain authenticity which the impoverished South American crowds can relate to.
As enthusiastic as the crowds on the street are it’s nothing compared to what you see in the concerts. The band looks every inch the part in cut-off t-shirts, leather, bullet belts and in the case of Bruce Dickinson army uniforms and local wear such as a sombrero emblazoned with Ed’s face. The bands performativity again is enthusiastic and energetic. The guitarists run round the stage blazing out virtuosic riffs and solos and Dickinson gestures to the crowd often to get them involved. I’ve been to a lot of rock concerts and I don’t think I’ve seen anyone try and get the crowd involved as much as Bruce Dickinson does in this film. The crowd also responds more positively than usual with a sea of arms raising their “horns”, pumping fists and what seems like the whole crowd singing at the top of their lungs. Whilst enthusiastic, the crowds don’t seem to cross into the aggressive, something heavy metal has often been accused of. Here there are no “bash circles” or the like, just thousands of fans enjoying their heroes music. You can really see how much this means to some fans too as they leave the arena in tears.
The final impression of the documentary that I had was the amount of work Iron Maiden puts into pleasing their fans. The logistics involved in getting such a tour organised took a year. The songs played were old classics that hadn’t been played as much recently, which Dickinson says was a “thank you” to the newer, younger fans for their support. This tour isn’t what you would expect of a rock or metal act with little hedonistic partying, drugs or sex going on. The band members bring their families along. The schedule is gruelling and in their spare time rather than partying the band can be found on the golf course or tennis courts relaxing between gigs. Steve Harris, the musical driving force of the band, spends his spare time in the studio. Of course, you have to bear in mind that Iron Maiden are an older band now and were probably wilder in their younger days but overall this documentary gives a good indication of how much effort gets put into giving the fans the experience of a lifetime.
Flight 666 is in cinemas for an extremely limited amount of time so go see it now.
From the get go you get a good impression of the logistics required for this tour. The band custom outfitted a Boeing 757 called Ed Force One (after band mascot Ed) to carry all their stage equipment with singer Bruce Dickinson in the cockpit so they were able to go to places that weren’t possible before. These included places like India, Costa Rica, Columbia and Chile. The last of these is perhaps the most significant as before this tour the band had been blocked from playing in the country by the powerful Catholic Church which felt their lyrics promoted Satanism. This is in stark contrast to Brazil where a minister in the church actually preaches the moral message of Iron Maiden’s lyrics to his congregation. Regardless, as Bruce Dickinson said in the movie, these kids weren’t there to start a revolution they simply wanted to see the band.
Another thing that struck me was the amazing reception they received in these remote places which proved that despite little airplay on mainstream radio they are one of the biggest bands in the world. Nowhere was this more obvious than in South America, where the band was greeted wherever they went with chanting hordes reminiscent of a soccer crowd. Drummer Nicko McBrain says he thinks this is because they came from humble working class beginnings, which lends them a certain authenticity which the impoverished South American crowds can relate to.
As enthusiastic as the crowds on the street are it’s nothing compared to what you see in the concerts. The band looks every inch the part in cut-off t-shirts, leather, bullet belts and in the case of Bruce Dickinson army uniforms and local wear such as a sombrero emblazoned with Ed’s face. The bands performativity again is enthusiastic and energetic. The guitarists run round the stage blazing out virtuosic riffs and solos and Dickinson gestures to the crowd often to get them involved. I’ve been to a lot of rock concerts and I don’t think I’ve seen anyone try and get the crowd involved as much as Bruce Dickinson does in this film. The crowd also responds more positively than usual with a sea of arms raising their “horns”, pumping fists and what seems like the whole crowd singing at the top of their lungs. Whilst enthusiastic, the crowds don’t seem to cross into the aggressive, something heavy metal has often been accused of. Here there are no “bash circles” or the like, just thousands of fans enjoying their heroes music. You can really see how much this means to some fans too as they leave the arena in tears.
The final impression of the documentary that I had was the amount of work Iron Maiden puts into pleasing their fans. The logistics involved in getting such a tour organised took a year. The songs played were old classics that hadn’t been played as much recently, which Dickinson says was a “thank you” to the newer, younger fans for their support. This tour isn’t what you would expect of a rock or metal act with little hedonistic partying, drugs or sex going on. The band members bring their families along. The schedule is gruelling and in their spare time rather than partying the band can be found on the golf course or tennis courts relaxing between gigs. Steve Harris, the musical driving force of the band, spends his spare time in the studio. Of course, you have to bear in mind that Iron Maiden are an older band now and were probably wilder in their younger days but overall this documentary gives a good indication of how much effort gets put into giving the fans the experience of a lifetime.
Flight 666 is in cinemas for an extremely limited amount of time so go see it now.
