Iron Maiden's ‘2 Minutes to Midnight' has never felt more timely

Telegraph

3 hours ago

Iron Maiden are a band undimmed by age. In front of a capacity crowd at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham, the group of 60-somethings – propelled by drummer Simon Dawson, who replaced the now-retired Nicko McBrain last year – appeared adrenalized. Delivering 1980s hits such as The Trooper, Aces High, The Number of the Beast and Run to the Hills, bassist Steve Harris sprinted back and forth across the stage while guitarists Adrian Smith, Dave Murray and Janick Gers lacerated the air with solos that sounded like electricity looking for trouble and lead singer Bruce Dickinson became an air-raid siren in human form.
Unlike AC/DC and Metallica, metal's other market leaders, Iron Maiden refuse simply to wheel out the same show for years on end. On their last arena tour, they stuck to a set list harvested, mostly, from their most recent album, Senjutsu (2021) and Somewhere Back in Time, from 1986. A year later, they are instead performing a series of evergreen bangers drawn from their first decade or so, and somehow making them sound brand new.
Despite largely representing a period in which they wore younger men's clothes – Spandex, mostly – the set also featured a smattering of the kind of roomier material the band have increasingly embraced in more recent years. And, during the 13-odd minute Rime of the Ancient Mariner and the fussy Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, with their innumerable time-changes and scenic detours, I admit I found my mind wandering.
At other times, though, they remained bang on the money. Indeed, given the events that would unfold in Iran overnight, the nuclear war-themed 2 Minutes to Midnight was a grimly prescient choice. At the time of its release, many people sneered at music like this. Now, 41 years later, you could argue that, with its fixation on death and apocalyptic anxiety, metal might just be the protest music of our times.
Elsewhere, with lyrics about being pursued by Satan or chasing Native Americans across the plains, Maiden provided escapism in a thrillingly immediate form. Nothing wrong with that, of course. This normally unreflective band also allowed their audience a rare glimpse behind the bombast. The evening ended with the superb Wasted Years, a song about the sacrifices made by musicians who live on the road. 'Too much time on my hands, I got you on my mind / Can't ease this pain,' Dickinson sang.
Perhaps not. But in the four decades that have elapsed since the track's release, Iron Maiden have embarked on dozens of tours, playing hundreds of concerts to people who, as was clearly the case in Birmingham, adore them. And, with great purpose, they're still at it. Never mind that the band's core members are all marching towards their 70th birthdays, evidently their journey continues to bring joys – both to them and us – that far outweigh the strain.
Iron Maiden are on tour in the UK until June 30. For details, see: ironmaiden.com