Iron Maiden Show No Signs of Slowing Down at All | Concert Review (The Future Past Tour 2024)

Iron Maiden weren’t high on my “artists I need to see in concert” bucket list, however, when Easter 2024 turned up, I bought tickets out of curiosity, wondering if their shows were as spectacular as fans hyped them to be. Not to spoil my review, but man, they really know how to put on a show! 

I saw Iron Maiden with my dad on Saturday, October 5, 2024 at the Michelob ULTRA Arena, located in Mandalay Bay, in Las Vegas. I won’t say how much I spent on tickets because it’s common knowledge people need to pay more for bigger bands in this day and age. However, the seats we had were perfectly fine; not too far and not too close. We got in line at 6:00 p.m. and by then, the line to get inside the venue was already ridiculously long. It moved quickly, but still, I underestimated the power of Iron Maiden fans, which I will never do so ever again! The doors opened at 6:30 p.m. and we got to our seats at 7:00 p.m.

While waiting for the show to start, I had the pleasure of hearing AC/DC’s “Hells Bells” and Saxon’s “And the Bands Played On” through the speakers, to keep me entertained. At 7:36 p.m., The Hu kicked off the show and they were not bad. Granted, screaming vocals aren’t my thing, but their songs are real headbangers and I like that they all wear black clothing. Plus, I give them props for their unique instrumentation; they are a Mongolian folk metal band, after all! My only complaint about The Hu’s set is that their stage lighting was blinding my eyes. Their set was only 30 minutes, but I had to step out during the last 5-10 minutes because I couldn’t take it anymore!

At 8:54 p.m., “Doctor Doctor” by UFO started playing through the speakers, which was followed by “Blade Runner (End Titles)” by Vangelis. The setlist remained unchanged from the previous year, so the band played a good chunk of stuff from Somewhere in Time (1986) and Senjutsu (2021), along with fan favorites like “Fear of the Dark,” “The Trooper,” “Can I Play with Madness,” and “The Prisoner.” Iron Maiden’s set was about two hours long and concluded at 11:00 p.m. Vocalist Bruce Dickinson was an incredible frontman! He was constantly engaging with the audience, told short and entertaining stories, including one about guitarist Janick Gers always going to Irish pubs, and made the fans feel like they were part of the show. Speaking of Gers, I couldn’t stop watching him because he was filled with so much energy and was dancing up a storm! Is his dancing goofy to some extent? Yes, but I can’t blame him for having fun and loving what he does. 

I thought the musicianship was fine, as everyone played to the best of their ability. The guitars were very loud, but that was expected. Dickinson’s vocals aren’t what they used to be and there were noticeable moments when he was out of breath, but he’s been performing for over 40 years, therefore, I can’t hold that against him. Also, considering the band members are in their late 60s to early 70s (drummer Nicko McBrain is 72), they sure have a lot of energy to run around on stage nonstop. 

As for the visuals, I’m old school, and I find that big screens and fancy lighting are very distracting at shows. While the screens and backdrops at the Iron Maiden concert were very colorful and eye-catching, they weren’t distracting. The visuals weren’t constantly changing during each song. Except for clips from the “Can I Play with Madness” music video and clips from “The Trooper” music video, the visuals were simply backdrops that enhanced the performances, rather than hindered them. There were technical difficulties during “Alexander the Great,” which led to the “Fear of the Dark” backdrop being used by mistake. However, the band made it work and Dickinson had fun with the incident, showing facial expressions of amusement and confusion, all at once. 

My favorite part of the show was the band’s performance of “Hell on Earth.” While it is the second longest song on Senjutsu, every moment of that performance was magical and cinematic. During the slow and sentimental intro, Dickinson got the crowd to wave their hands in the air in unison, which was really cool. I loved the luscious guitar melodies that contributed to the heavy metal orchestra, as I like to call it. The backdrop was a sunny desert filled with buildings and the Eddie Statue of Liberty sunken into the ground, and fire balls shot out on stage! I even loved the headbanging part for the “Love in anger, life in danger, lost in anger, life in danger” lines that close the song. If you couldn’t tell, “Hell on Earth” is a very sad song that depicts an alarming future ahead of us.

As for the setlist, I enjoyed it, for the most part. While preparing for the concert, I gained an appreciation for Somewhere in Time and Senjutsu. I’ve always liked those albums, but Iron Maiden aren’t one of my favorite bands, so I don’t listen to those albums often. I was a little disappointed that “Darkest Hour” didn’t make the setlist because it’s my favorite song from Senjutsu, but hey, I’m just happy they didn’t play “Run to the Hills” and “2 Minutes to Midnight” because I’m so sick of those songs! “The Prisoner” was a cool addition to the setlist because I feel like it’s an underrated gem on The Number of the Beast (1982) album. It’s got a memorable hook and it’s incredibly melodic! Also, I’m glad I got to hear “Alexander the Great” live because it’s one of my favorites from Somewhere in Time; it’s a heavy metal banger and a history lesson all wrapped up into one! If I’m not mistaken, the song made its live debut when The Future Past tour kicked off last year, which is a little too late, but better late than never.

Overall, the show was amazing and the fans were right about Iron Maiden putting on a spectacular concert! Would I see them again if I had the chance? Well, that depends because as mentioned earlier, concert tickets for bigger bands are more expensive, meaning I have to be selective about the shows I attend. It was fun to experience Iron Maiden in all their glory, but I’m not sure I’d be willing to spend the money on seeing them twice, considering they’re not one of my favorite bands. However, the Run for Your Lives tour they announced recently to celebrate the band’s 50th anniversary sounds very intriguing because it’ll solely be focused on their first nine studio albums. Everything from the 1980 self-titled debut to Fear of the Dark (1992). Iron Maiden will spend 2025 covering Europe, so the tour will likely come to North America in 2026, so I’ll have time to save up till then!

But instead of worrying about the future, I’ll enjoy the memories I’ve made from this past show. Or should I say, “this future past show”? 

The Hu Concert Setlist

1. Shoog Shoog

2. TATAR Warrior

3. Wolf Totem

4. Black Thunder

5. This Is Mongol

6. Yuve Yuve Yu

Iron Maiden Concert Setlist

1. Caught Somewhere in Time

2. Stranger in a Strange Land

3. The Writing on the Wall

4. Days of Future Past

5. The Time Machine

6. The Prisoner

7. Death of the Celts

8. Can I Play with Madness

9. Heaven Can Wait

10. Alexander the Great

11. Fear of the Dark

12. Iron Maiden

13. Hell on Earth

14. The Trooper

15. Wasted Years

---

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it with your friends. I write about music, Disney, movies, shows, and mental status. If that sounds like your cup of tea, please subscribe to my blog for more content like this! To help me keep this blog going, you can either make a donation or support me through Patreon. You can also follow me on social media through Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!

Don’t forget to leave a comment down below to start a conversation!

Take care and see ya real soon!

Lana