The city of Glasgow was abuzz with excitement as Iron Maiden took centre stage at the OVO Hydro. The state-of-the-art OVO Hydro provided the perfect setting for the electrifying show, making it an unforgettable experience for everyone in attendance. First up was support band originating in Hamburg, Germany, Lord of the Lost have had an interesting path to supporting Iron Maiden on their current tour.
Having formed in 2007, and more recently come via 2023s German Eurovision entry, the band have made themselves a force in terms of musical quality and stage show.
As tonight’s support act they have brought quite a stage set with them and their dedication to putting on a good show is clear from the outset. Many a headlining act have put less effort into their shows than Lord of the Lost have brought as a support act.
With undoubted heavy roots, their style of music is melodic with strong vocals, superb guitar and keyboards with a hint of controlled aggression which the crowd are immediately getting into.
As fan favourites go the band are outstanding on tracks such as ‘Morgana’, ‘Die Tomorrow’ and ‘Drag Me to Hell’. and “Die Tomorrow.”
With a great command of the stage and their music it is clear that Lord of The Lost are one to watch for the future.
LORD OF THE LOST
Chris Harms – Vocals, Guitar
Pi Stoffers – Guitar
Class Grenayde – Bass
Gared Dirge – Piano, Synths, Percussion, Guitar
Niklas Kahl – Drums
‘Scream For Me Glasgow’ – Iron Maiden
The anticipation of the sold out crowd at the Glasgow Hydro reaches fever pitch as the volume of the music over the PA suddenly changes from loud to very loud as the first notes of ‘Doctor Doctor’ by UFO ring out from the speakers, Recognised by the crowd as the precursor to the show, the atmosphere reaches near fever pitch with the crowd singing along to every word of the song.
Suddenly the house lights dim, the lighting rig comes to life and the theme to ‘Blade Runner’ is heard over the PA.
This morphs into the sound of a ticking clock and the opening bars of ‘Caught Somewhere In Time’,and the biggest stage explosion seen for some time, marks the arrival of ‘Iron Maiden’ to the stage.
Guitarists Dave Murray and Adrian Smith take to the left of the stage with Guitarist Janice Gers to the right whilst bassist Steve Harris roams the stage like a caged tiger.
Drummer Nicko McBrain is there at the back, hidden away behind his kit, but undoubtedly playing at his thumping best.
Vocalist Bruce Dickinson appears, running onto the stage, resplendent in an open steampunk style trench coat and dark shades.
This is the opening to the bands ‘The Future Past Tour’ which takes tracks from their albums ‘Somewhere in Time’ and ‘Senjutsu’ then pairs them with selected tracks from earlier releases. This is not a greatest hits tour and the crowd are well prepared for the spectacle to follow.
Having not played ‘Caught Somewhere In Time’ since late on in the 80’s it is received with a roar that could drown out the flights from the nearby Glasgow Airport.
With guitar solos a-plenty from Smith, Murray and Gers the band head straight into ‘Stranger In A Strange Land’ where we get Steve Harris front and centre with classic bass riffs, and classic bass pose he is known for, giving way to Bruce Dickinson who, like a whirling dervish, commands the crowd.
A laid back and relaxed ‘Eddie’ figure appears on stage and rests, complete with stetson and gun, at the back of the stage as if disinterested in the events in front of him. He soon wandered off but sure as the night becoming day, he will return later in the show.
In fact we actually have four appearances of ‘Eddie’ including one ending up in fire fight from one side of the stage to the other between ‘Eddie’ and Bruce Dickinson.
There are a few hits throughout the set with ‘Prisoner’ from the ‘Number of The Beast’ album being a highlight alongside ‘Can I Play With Madness’ and ‘Iron Maiden’.
It is the self titled ‘Iron Maiden’ that perhaps awakens the memories of past glories for the band and the older fans amongst the crowd who are collectively lapping it up.
Of the deeper cuts from the show it is perhaps ‘Death Of The Celts’, complete with the crowd appeasing humorous statement that its fantasy which, considering we are in Scotland, is just as well.
The often requested and seldom played ‘Alexander The Great’ is in its infancy on stage but is an incredible song to hear live and the crowd approve with their applause.
The entire show, resplendent in special effects, changing curtained backdrops, augmented by video screens, is outstanding and an amazing piece of musical production. It passes by in what feels like a brief moment though, thankfully for the fans, that moment has definitely been caught somewhere in time for them.
Lets hope it is not too long before we are being asked to ‘Scream For Me Glasgow’ once again by Iron Maiden.
IRON MAIDEN
Bruce Dickinson – Vocals
Steve Harris – Bass
Dave Murray – Guitar
Adrian Smith – Guitar
Janick Gers – Guitar
Nicko McBrain – Drums
Photos and review – Gavin Ross
