{"id":16529,"date":"2017-07-03T10:18:08","date_gmt":"2017-07-03T17:18:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/gig_reviews\/?p=16529"},"modified":"2017-07-03T10:51:42","modified_gmt":"2017-07-03T17:51:42","slug":"still-reigning-supreme-iron-maiden-turns-desert-hell-into-metal-heaven","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/gig_reviews\/2017\/07\/03\/still-reigning-supreme-iron-maiden-turns-desert-hell-into-metal-heaven\/","title":{"rendered":"Still Reigning Supreme: Iron Maiden turns Desert Hell into Metal Heaven"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Andrew Bansal<\/strong><\/p>\n

July 1st 2017, Glen Helen Amphitheater, San Bernardino CA:<\/strong>\u00a0Following a handful of shows in North America\u00a0in 2016 as part of the opening leg of their world tour in support of the latest album ‘The Books Of Souls’, heavy metal legends Iron Maiden returned for a full run\u00a0through the continent in June-July 2017, with opening act Ghost. Halfway into this leg, they arrived in San Bernardino for a gig at the Glen Helen Amphitheater on July 1st, with\u00a0Kamelot and Exodus were also part of the lineup for this one night only. Iron Maiden has had a connection with San Bernardino that dates all the way back to 1981 when they played the now extinct Swing Auditorium on the Killers tour. They then performed at the Orange Show Pavilion on the World Piece tour (’83), World Slavery tour (’85) and Somewhere on Tour (’87), and prior to last Saturday’s show, visited the Glen Helen Amphitheater three times, most recently headlining the unforgettable ‘Battle of San Bernardino’ in 2013. Thousands upon thousands of metalheads gathered here once again, to experience ‘The Book Of Souls’ live, to sing along to their favorite Maiden classics, and to belt their lungs out upon hearing\u00a0Bruce Dickinson say, “Scream for me San Bernardino!”<\/p>\n

Doors opened at 3 PM but most ticket holders had gathered in the parking lots to get ready for the big show with friends and cold ones, and by the time the show was set to begin, spirits were high all around.\u00a0A few minutes past 5 PM, Exodus<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>hit the stage, and after sound issues during the opening song wherein the vocals were inaudible, they got into their groove and played a typically fierce set. Their song selection was just about perfect for the amount of time allotted to them and for the purpose they were here to serve, and they certainly proved themselves to be an ideal opening act in this setting\u00a0(something that cannot be said for the next two bands that took the stage). Exodus\u00a0brought forth good energy, put in a solid performance, and singer Steve ‘Zetro’ Souza successfully got the crowd involved and excited. Going strong since the early ’80s, the Exodus machine keeps running and shows no signs of relenting.<\/p>\n

Exodus photos (by Albert Licano):<\/strong><\/p>\n

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