Iron Maiden Live in Chicago 2006

We had seen countless shows at the Allstate Arena, formerly known as the Rosemont Horizon, in Chicago. Being from the southside of Chicago, we always drove to the venue taking the usually gridlocked I-90/94. This time, however, we decided to drive west on I-55 and merge onto I-294 which would take us straight to the O'Hare Airport area, which is minutes away from Allstate Arena. We became lost among the streets which were virgin to our eyes. The rainy, cold, and gloomy weather only complicated the situation. Finally, we decided to stop by a Shell gas station and ask for directions. To our surprise, the attendant said we were only about a mile away down the same street. We drove down and finally found the venue, which had a specific aura, one that invoked excitement. As we approached the arena, we found the crowd lined up outside the venue. It looked like we weren't getting in anytime soon. Luckily, we went to the other side where the line was nonexistent. We were finally in.

We, my brother-in-law and I, found our way to our seats. We admired the excellent view and sat down to chat about Iron Maiden and all the other shows we had seen there. The lights then came off.

Bullet for My Valentine came on to a suprisingly good response. They played a half-hour set. We admired their attention to please the audience. Nevertheless, we weren't impressed. By the end of their set, the crowd around us began chanting a Slayer-esque demand for the main band.

Iron Maiden finally hit the stage. The stage theme was one of a war zone, which fit contemporary political discourse on foreign policy. The sound of marching soldiers only added to the suspense. They came out to a roaring response and quickly ripped into their new album, "A Matter of Life and Death". The band played the entire album and it sounded spectacular. The songs sounded like typical Iron Maiden songwriting glory, but with an updated twist. Their single, the "Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg" received the loudest response for the new songs, but nothing could match the crowd intensity when they played their classics.

After treating the crowd to such a display of musical perfection, Iron Maiden played "Fear of the Dark". The crowd, in Rock in Rio deja vu, sang the "Oh ooh oooh oooh ooh oh oh oooh" part in the intro to the song, and went into a frenzy when the fast part came in. They continued with "Iron Maiden", "2 Minutes to Midnight", which got the loudest sing-along, "The Evil that Men Do", and the stunning "Hallowed be thy Name" as the closing tune. Of course, Eddie made his appearance twice. First he came from inside a giant tank, which suddenly rose from the stage. He had his binoculars, looking for his next target. Then he walked on stage with his M-16 like a true metal soldier.

This was easily one of the best performances I've ever seen. I've seen Iron Maiden many times before, where they played only classics. It was refreshing to hear mostly new music plus a few of the most-notable classics. The sound was crystal-clear, the stage was phenomenal, the crowd response was enormous, and the overall vibe of the show was unmatchable. Lucky are us who witnessed the magic!

10/10 \m/

Written by Lefty Metalhead