Review by Andrew Bansal, photos by Chad Alexander
February 27th 2016, Count’s Vamp’d, Las Vegas NV: It is not often that you get to pre-game for a big metal concert by enjoying a live set by the band’s best tribute band on the planet, but such was the case in Las Vegas this past weekend, as Iron Maiden fans got a chance to rock out with their favorite music performed live by Los Angeles-based all-female tribute act The Iron Maidens. The girls took the stage at Count’s Vamp’d Rock Bar & Grill on Saturday February 27th 2016, the night before Iron Maiden played a sold-out show at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, and gave fans a night to remember, with a performance that befitted the enormity of the occasion and a set filled to the brim with rarities and deep cuts that even the original band was unlikely to perform.
Although this event was billed as the official Iron Maiden Fan Club Las Vegas pre-party, it was open to the public and you didn’t need to be an FC member to get access. All it took was early arrival and a $10 cover charge to get in. That being the case, Count’s Vamp’d got packed to capacity as early as 9 PM, and any more potential attendees that showed up had to be turned away. The band wouldn’t start until 10:30, but the atmosphere was jovial and festive, Trooper Ale flowing endlessly through the Vamp’d bar tap, Maiden shirts everywhere, fans from all around the country and beyond exchanging pleasantries and discussing Sunday’s gig. You could just feel the Maiden in the air.
The wait was finally over and The Iron Maidens hit the stage, grabbing the audience by the throat straightaway with a delightfully perfect rendition of ‘Invaders’, going straight into ‘The Prisoner’ and then the Somewhere In Time deep cut ‘Deja Vu’. It was clear that the Maidens knew the audience they were facing, and accordingly compiled a set list that would cater to the most hardcore Maiden fans. Their performance level is always top notch and through at least 8 years of seeing them I am yet to experience such a thing as a bad Maidens show, but they were particularly intense on this special occasion, reserving their best for this Maiden-hungry gathering and pouring their wholehearted efforts into songs such as ’22 Acacia Avenue’, ‘The Duellists’, ‘Murders In The Rue Morgue’ and ‘Alexander The Great’. Of course, no Maiden set is complete without songs like ‘The Trooper’, ‘Fear Of The Dark’, ‘Hallowed Be Thy Name’, ‘Number Of The Beast’ and ‘Iron Maiden’, and the Maidens stayed true to form by playing all of those. All five members were at the peak of their individual and collective powers as musicians and performers. As they took a well-deserved bow after the end of the show and were greeted with the loudest applause I’ve ever heard them get, it was revealed that drummer Linda McDonald had a fractured leg and walked off the stage using crutches, which made it all the more astonishing that she nailed all the drum parts during this show.
Aside from the musical accuracy, the Maidens take great pride in the visual aspect of the show, very much inspired by and in tune with what Iron Maiden themselves do, but done in its own unique manner and obviously on a much smaller production scale, which greatly adds to the charm. The Cyborg Eddie during ‘Wasted Years’ captured the crowd’s attention, as did the Satan-esque Eddie during ‘Number Of The Beast’, who orchestrated what turned out to be one of the visual highlights of the show as he dove into the crowd and surfed all the way to the back.
But more than the musicianship and the imagery, the most striking resemblance of The Iron Maidens to the original band is that they’re not on auto-pilot and always pull something out of the hat to keep things interesting for first-timers and repeat attendees alike, which is what makes them the premier Maiden tribute act. Fans in Las Vegas could not have imagined or expected a better pre-party to the main event on Sunday, and one thing is for sure, Iron Maiden’s gonna get all of you, but if they don’t, The Iron Maidens certainly will.
The Iron Maidens photos:
Set List:
01. Invaders
02. The Prisoner
03. Deja Vu
04. 22 Acacia Avenue
05. The Trooper
06. The Duellists
07. Murders In The Rue Morgue
08. Wasted Years
09. Alexander The Great
10. The Evil That Men Do
11. Still Life
12. Fear Of The Dark
13. The Number Of The Beast
14. Hallowed Be Thy Name
Encore:
15. Iron Maiden
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