Dave Murray (Credit Steve Trager)

Iron Maiden Captivates Philadelphia Music Fans with Latest Stellar Rock Show on The Book Of Souls World Tour 2017

Review by Steve Trager

Music has always been an undivided parallel that leaves no sub-sequential boundaries that bring fans together to share a solitude of monumental decibel bliss. Many of us music fans have grown up in the eighties’ and have savored an era that has long surpassed a golden staple in our lives that we certainly have never outshined or simply out grown no matter how old we get, music will always be a sacred gift of passion and melodies.

It absolutely seemed to be an eighties flashback all over again after more than twenty-five years as the legendary British Heavy Metal known as Iron Maiden returned to Philadelphia with an all new concert spectacle in support of their fresh release of a double CD called The Book of Souls Tour (current supporting The Book of Souls World Tour 2017) which as peaked at number four on the Rock charts.

Fans of the mighty Iron Maiden have always never been disappointed the ultimate rock experience with a top notch production and high intense music of endless decibel meltdown that Iron Maiden has showcased throughout their entire musical career as a Live band.

In the back of my head I can still recall seeing Iron Maiden for the first time back in 1986 The Power Slave Tour and with an instant I was hooked from the bittersweet end since then, and have always looked forward to an intense show that has become more than just a typical metal live experience watching Bruce Dickenson nail the high notes in every single song.

While this tour has just kicked off, I along with twenty thousand fans first hand had the rare opportunity to sit center stage on the second night of the Book of Souls Tour at Wells Fargo Center for what could be the best show the naked eye could see.

As if Iron Maiden isn’t enough for an annual metal meltdown, fans enjoyed an opening set from quintet Swedish metal act Ghost, who puts on a great show and has that bizarre slipknot life like mysterious persona blending great guitar riffs and blissful melodies that make Ghost a great band to follow, if you missed that forty-five minute set, you definitely missed a great set there.

With a quick intermission, the stage was set for Iron Maiden to wow Philly fans for over one hundred plus minutes spanning their musical career as a band with a 15 song set list consisting of 6 new tracks from their latest release alongside a deep helping of classic favorites.

Maiden opened their set with If Eternity Should Fall with Bruce Dickenson up over the drum riser, the intensity of the show began to kick into overdrive, from there on in it felt like a full throttle metal show taking off at a high rate of speed.

This show could have easily been the greatest hits tour for the likes of Dickenson and his band mates, however, sitting through some great new tracks gives the fan a minute to relish the new material that can consistently grow on you in an instant.

For Iron Maiden, it’s always been about a high level of energy that has captivated them as a visual band and this book of souls tour most certainly resonates that momentous visual.

Perhaps the best part of the entire spectacle of this show is that fan to band interaction that Bruce Dickenson dominates from the stage in certain key songs like Fear of The Dark, and the ever popular classic The Trooper holding his hands out yelling “Scream for me Philly.”

The good old days when bands like Iron Maiden bring the entire house on its feet into a screaming roar of pure metal mayhem at its finest show degree very well displayed.

It’s not hard to believe that this band has spanned more than thirty-five years and has deep history within a rich catalog of hits sadly many were not jammed into the current set of songs during the Philadelphia show, however, a hand full of deep classics still tossed in for great Maiden listening pleasure, defiantly makes this a night to remember for a long time.

While the older Maiden classic metal songs never get old being tossed in during their set on this recent tour in Philadelphia, the newer fresh well-written material defiantly was well received by many at the show.

Nothing truly puts the emphasis on a true metal show other than Iron Maiden topping out the entire evening with mascot Eddie dominating the stage in fine fashion this time out dressed in full native tribe attire.

While the eighties’ will forever be etched in the back of our music minds, we still can say after two decades back in Philadelphia for an outstanding performance once again Iron Maiden set the entire Wells Fargo Center on an electric visual meltdown.

Iron Maiden at UnRated Magazine | Iron Maiden Website |

Iron Maiden Set List:

  • If Eternity Should Fail
  • Speed of Light
  • Wrathchild
  • Children of the Damned
  • Death of Glory
  • The Red and the Black
  • The Trooper
  • Powerslave
  • The Great Unknown
  • The Book of Souls
  • Fear of the Dark
  • Iron Maiden
  • The Number of the Beast
  • Blood Brothers
  • Wasted Years

Iron Maiden The Book of Souls World Tour 2017 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA, USA on June 4, 2017

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