SHARING THE SHOWS
So the first show of 2019 was an Iron Maiden tribute called Eyes of the Nile. When I first saw them on YouTube, some ingrained stereotypes of mine were questioned. The lead singer’s complexion was a little darker than one might expect from the singer of an Iron Maiden tribute band. His name is Rashid Navid, and he sounds exactly like Bruce Dickinson and sports a ZZ Topesque beard . When I saw him on stage, he jumped around with the energy of a dude on a pogo stick. I do have to discuss this, though. I like to think I’m “woke.” I teach at a Historically Black College or University (HBCU), I’m aware and supportive of social justice issues, and I’m left-leaning in my political philosophy. But I guess I just have some ingrained assumptions I still need to examine and question. Navid helped me break down this particular one.
The Boathouse is literally a two-minute walk from where I live, and due to all the friends I was supposed to go with cancelling (work, life, adulting, etc.), I was flying solo. The show was slated to start at 9, which, in band time, means 9:30, so I walked over at that point. I had been feeling bloated from a nice dinner of mozzarella sticks and two slices of broccoli-topped pizza, so my motivation had taken a dive. When I walked over, a death metal group called Black Mammoth was tearing it up. I have to be in the right mood for that genre; fortunately, I was. I banged my head lightly along with the remainder of the audience until they ended. During the setbreak, I walked home, took out some garbage, checked the mail, and finished a movie I’m watching for ideas for my screenplay (A Birder’s Guide to Everything, check it out if you get a chance). Finally, I changed jackets; out went the burgundy fleece, in came the leather. I walked in on “2 Minutes to Midnight,” and the size of the crowd had grown significantly. Navid is very into audience participation, so he had us sing the first couple of lines from “The Trooper” (“You’ll take my life but I’ll take yours too/You’ll fire your musket but I’ll run you through”). The band spanned the catalog (“Children of the Damned,” “Wrathchild,” Purgatory”). “The Prisoner” came next. My first memory of that song is watching Beavis and Butthead scream it during their Scared Straight tour with actual prisoners, which gets them PUMPED from prison. The opening of “22 Acacia Avenue’ gave me chills; he yelled “22” and we responded “Acacia Avenue.” At that point, Eddie, Maiden’s mascot, came out. After this, I heard “Die With Your Boots On,” which I’m pretty sure I hadn’t heard since 11th grade, when I had ordered Peace of Mind from Columbia House under the name “Hugh G. Rection.” He asked us to help him out with the opening of “Moonchild” (“Seven deadly sins/Seven ways to win/Seven holy paths to hell/And your trip begins”). “Fear of the Dark” was next, for which I have a true soft spot, as it was my introduction to Iron Maiden. In 10th grade, Robert Fox, a friend and classmate from Spring Valley High School, made me a cassette tape of Fear of the Dark, which I spent the next couple of months wearing the heads out on. That would lead me down the path of metaldom. “Powerslave” and “Run to the Hills” were next. During “Iron Maiden,” the guy next to me complimented my Book of Souls tour shirt. This was my first (and only) actual Maiden show, which took place at Tampa’s Amelie Arena the night before the first day of my first year of grading the Advanced Language Composition and Language exam. I regretted it the day afterwards, but if I hadn’t gone, I would’ve regretted it for the rest of my life. “Number of the Beast” and “Hallowed Be Thy Name” closed the set. We yelled for an encore, and a couple of people banged aggressively on the table in front of the stage. Metal fans are awesome! They encored with “Wasted Years” and “Flight of Icarus.” When I went home, my cat Chester was on the couch in the very same position he was when I left. Side note: During “Flight of Icarus,” a fan stepped on my foot and immediately apologized. No big deal, but I’ve never gotten an apology like that when seeing a jam band. Not out of rudeness, it’s just those fans are generally stoned, tripping, or generally not aware of what goes on around them. I still love the music, but I think my affinity for fellow metalheads may be starting to outrank that for Deadheads (and especially Phishheads). Hmmmm.
0 Comments
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
April 2024
Categories |