SHARING THE SHOWS
I can’t talk about Iron Maiden without delving into the origin story of how I became a fan. During my sophomore year of high school, I was pushing toward the “hard rock way,” listening to bands like Black Sabbath, AC/DC, and Aerosmith. My school friend Robert Fox made me a tape of Iron Maiden’s Fear of the Dark, and like so many other cassettes, I wore out the heads within a week. But upon hearing that album, I was a bona fide metalhead.
Fast-forward to 2017. I happened to be in Tampa, Florida for my first Advanced Placement reading, and they happened to be at the Amalie Arena for their Book of Souls tour. I walked a quick ten minutes from my hotel to get to and from the show. Having to be at the grading site at 8 a.m. the next day was rough, but I would have regretted not going. Fast-forward to 2022. They were playing again, this time at the Capital One Arena, a short Metro ride away from my apartment. My Mom and brother were also coming in that weekend, so this would be a good bonding opportunity for me and my bro (metal is far beyond my Mom’s musical tolerance). And he liked the show. The three of us walked around DC, and yesterday, we went to the Museum of American History, where I learned some things about historical eras I didn’t know (the Huey helicopters in Vietnam, for example). I saw a few people wearing Maiden T-shirts (good for you for making a day out of the experience, and not just blasting in for the show). Ultimately, what stuck out to me was that line in Dazed and Confused. So true. Another movie reference. When I saw a young woman wearing her Maiden shirt on the Metro, I had to open my flannel to bust out my Maiden colors as well. My brother offered me this iconic quote from PCU. A few other fans hopped on as well; one of my favorite things to do is walk around the venue before shows and feel united with the other fans sporting their show gear. Many Maiden shirts, a Motorhead one, a Slipknot, and a hockey jersey with the mascot’s name, “Eddie,” on the back. Someone also had “Revelations” playing loudly on their phone (a song I actually know how to play the opening for on my guitar). Jeremy and I walked around in the rain trying to find a pub that could serve us burgers, but the two we found were packed to the gills. The first one was an hour away, and when I asked the waitress at the second one if there were any tables, she replied, “If you can find one.” That was our cue to pick from one of the many Asian restaurants in Chinatown. We went to a place called Wok and Roll (Get it? Hahahahahahha). I enjoyed some wonton soup and Chicken Lo Mein, while Jeremy had some General Tso’s Chicken. Easy peasy. From there, we made our way to the nosebleeds, where we heard some of the opener, a Dutch metal band. I enjoyed them. It was about a 45-minute wait between acts, but totally worth it. The band opened with some tracks from Senjutsu, their new album. I got a skingasm during “The Writing on the Wall,” and it was a lot of fun making devil’s horns and fist pumping during, well, pretty much every song. I couldn’t not recite along with the preamble to “The Number of the Beast” and I had never heard “The Clansman” before, but that could easily become my favorite tune of theirs. The last time I saw Iron Maiden, I thought Bruce talked a bit too much. But this time, I was hearing what he said. He joked about DC as being “somewhere between the North and South Pole,” and in an apolitical statement, he said something to the effect of “People are trying to divide us up but I don’t give a fuck! We don’t care what your political views are, just as long as you’re here to rock! We are BROTHERS IN ARMS!” And they played “Blood Brothers.” Take notes, Roger Waters. We took off after “The Clansmen,” the second encore, to beat the crowds. Despite some bumps with the Metro, we blood brothers made it home. While I enjoy solo shows, my favorites are the ones with bros, especially an actual sibling. Love you, Jeremy.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
May 2024
Categories |