Scream for Me San Antonio

Review submitted by KK

(Iron Maiden review 21-May-2008 Verizon Center Selma, TX)

I got to the parking lot about 5:30 and it was filling up but still pretty empty. No bad traffic even through the main entrance (we took side road way to get there to avoid traffic). Very pumped about the show since 1) its Maiden and 2) its "Somewhere Back In Time" tour consisting, mainly, of Powerslave material and a redo of the 84 tour. Cooler filled with Budlight and a flask of Evan Williams. Drank a few beers in the parking lot but the scene was definitely not "HeavyMetal Parking Lot" though the cars and trucks were mainly vintage and lots of people wearing gear. Being San Antonio, and knowing how SA loves their metal, there was a lot of Hispanics ready to party. It was really like a family reunion. Literally, I was surprised how many multi-generational groups there were. One truck next to mine had a grandma, parents, and little kids. Lots of kids, even some young ones, with their parents or dad there also. Glad to see the next generation is learning to appreciate Iron Maiden, though I was sorta surprised (it was a heavy metal concert and a school night after all).

Opening act was Lauren Harris, yes, daughter of Steve Harris (wonder how she got the gig, huh?), I hung out by the beer lines and got my drink on. Rumors were flying that Anthrax was opening but this was just a rumor. She was pretty good though I didn’t watch it. I went to the back fence to peak around and see if I could see the sets, busses, etc. I saw 3 roadies, I think, hanging out by the concession area and fence wearing blue Rangers FC jerseys. Toothless and pale, like many a Scotsman. I went over and complemented them on the good showing during their recent UEFA Cup loss in Manchester (the now-infamous hooligans who rioted and fought pitched battles with the police. Manchester had to clean up 100 tonnes of refuse after the riots consisting of primarily "alcohol containers" according to news reports.) They nodded and we laughed about the events.

As it was approaching go-time we went to the seats. My seats were next to a young Hispanic kid with an amazingly large, older white girlfriend, and hair on her upper lip. The kid was tatted also but around 19 or 20 years old. It was a weird couple. Nice though. I talked with the kid about the show and he lamented to me that "nobody in SA likes metal anymore" and the "younger kids just don't appreciate Maiden or 'the Priest'". I said people were showing up late and also encouraged him to like Motorhead which he then explained to his wife/girlfriend was “really old school” but “awesome”. I was also getting worried because there were a lot of empty seats. It is a sure sign of the apocalypse if Iron Maiden doesn't sell out in SAN ANTONIO! Of course the Spurs were playing that night also, but still…

Luckily the world is not ending. The place soon filled to capacity and the sun went down, stage lights dimmed, and the opening with Churchill's famous speech sent chills down my spine and the first strains of "Aces High" kicked in. Everyone went nuts. Beers were swilled and the Evan Williams flask was quickly emptied. The set was awesome, of course. The Egyptian motifs from the album. At one point Bruce Dickinson called out a guy smoking weed which was pretty funny: “we do have our own smoke machines”. Someone caught the exchange on YouTube. Like that stopped anyone! In fact I sorta went into a still-standing, but precariously swaying, haze during "Moonchild" & "Clairvoyant" but was revived by the frightening appearance of the cyborg Eddie! Friggin’ awesome. The mummy Eddie was also in FULL EFFECT during “Iron Maiden” which got everyone screaming and going nuts. Nobody sat for the whole show and pretty much everyone knew the words to all the songs and was shouting the whole time. Awesome pyrotechnics also, of course. One funny aspect is that instead of lighters illuminating the crowd seemed like everyone was holding cellphones and digital cameras, their blue screens having a similar effect like the old-school lighters held aloft.

Recap: Though aged, Iron Maiden still really rocks and had a lot of energy. Running around everywhere and getting the crowd into the show. Great show. You can find more clips, of varying quality, on YouTube. I wish I coulda gone to the Houston show yesterday also….

Set List:

01. Aces High
02. 2 Minutes to Midnight
03. Revelations
04. The Trooper
05. Wasted Years
06. The Number of the Beast
07. Can I Play With Madness?
08. Rime of the Ancient Mariner
09. Powerslave
10. Heaven Can Wait
11. Run to the Hills
12. Fear of the Dark
13. Iron Maiden
14. Moonchild
15. The Clairvoyant
16. Hallowed Be Thy Name