February 11th, 1987 was my first Iron Maiden show. It was next door to The Moda Center at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Iron Maiden were touring behind ‘Somewhere In Time’ which had a ‘Blade Runner’ themed, futuristic cyborg Eddie on the album cover and it also was represented in the stage show. I’ve seen Iron Maiden a handful of times since but I still have a soft spot for ‘Somewhere In Time,’ when the band announced that ‘Future Past’ would focus on the ‘Somewhere’ album I was thrilled and I knew I needed to be there.
As 9:00 pm approached “Doctor Doctor” by UFO started playing through the PA. Maiden have been playing the song for a number of tours and the fans knowing it’s just about showtime start to become even more restless.
“Doctor, Doctor” was followed by “Blade Runner (End Titles)” by Vangelis. Maiden surface and they kicked into “Caught Somewhere In Time” with era eye-catching themed imagery being displayed on the huge screen that served as the backdrop for the stage set. Iron Maiden performed for close to 2 hours. As you’re aware their set doesn’t deviate from what they’ve done in Europe in 2023.
The setlist for the Portland show remained unchanged we got a good helping of material from ‘Somewhere in Time’ and ‘Senjutsu’ along with fan favorites like “Fear of the Dark,” “The Trooper,” “Can I Play with Madness,” and “The Prisoner,” to name a few. There was a lot happening on stage throughout the night. There was a ‘shootout’ between frontman Bruce Dickinson and Eddie during “Heaven Can Wait.” Then there was “Hell On Earth” which was another highlight along with the fireballs on stage images that were right out of ‘Escape From New York’ completed with a Statue of Liberty that looked like Eddie.
Vocalist Bruce Dickinson was incredible, he’s still mobile, animated and very engaging with the audience. The musicianship is still top notch, and all still playing at a high level. The guitars were very loud, but not to a point that they drowned out everything else. Dickinson’s vocals aren’t what they used to be, there were points where he was out of breath. I’ll take this time to point out that guitarist Janick Gers is still a strange fit for this band to this day. His prancing around and posing is still a distraction decades into his tenure with the band. Guitarists Dave Murray and Adrian Smith focus on their roles in the band and what the songs need which makes Gers’ antics standout even most. The rhythm section of bassist Steve Harris and drummer Nicko Mcbrian are still tighter than spandex tights on a pro wrestler.
My personal highlights of the night in the set were; “Can I Play with Madness,” “Alexander the Great,” “Wasted Years,” “Heaven Can Wait,” “Caught Somewhere In Time,” and “Stranger In A Strange Land.” Overall, the show was nothing short of amazing. Iron Maiden announced their 50th anniversary tour for 2025, titled “Run for Your Lives Tour” which will focus on the debut through ‘Fear of the Dark.’ Sounds intriguing, doesn’t it? They’ll focus on Europe in 2025 so we’re unlikely to be seeing them until some time in 2026. What’s that saying “take my money…”