IRON MAIDEN - Live After Death [DVD]

Posted: 03/02/08

Reviewed by: Dirt

Category: Heavy Metal

Released: 02/05/08

Label URL: www.umeportal.com

Artist URL: www.ironmaiden.com

Finally!  We've been waiting for Live After Death to be pressed on DVD since the advent of the technology, and now, after a long, long wait, it's finally here.  Originally released on VHS in 1985, Live After Death has always been viewed as the quintessential live concert and Iron Maiden's best era.  Filmed on 35 mm film at the Long Beach Arena in Los Angeles, California during the World Slavery Tour, Live After Death made Bruce Dickinson's Scream For Me sound bite....famous.

This dvd package contains the Live After Death concert on disc 1, plus the History Of Iron Maiden, Behind The Iron Curtain, Rock In Rio '85, 'Ello Texas, and videos for "2 Minutes To Midnight" and "Aces High" on disc 2. 

The concert is as awesome as it was in 1985 but the 5.1 sound makes it so much more enjoyalbe.  Maiden was on fire at Long Beach Arena.  Bruce waved his arms in the air and ran all over the stage (something bands don't do enough of these days) like a man possessed.  His long locks (which are missed these days) and his interesting attire (who else could pull off wearing striped tube socks up to his calves?) are a thing of the past, but damn he looked cool in '85.  The Egyptian themed stage set looked amazing and is still the coolest looking set any band has ever had, and one that Maiden has yet to match too.  Bassist Steve Harris is energetic as hell, playing with an fire that makes him seem more like a lead guitarist than a bassist.  Watch those frantic fingers!  The setlist is killer, and rips from beginning to end - Maiden classics like "Aces High," "Flight Of Icarus," "2 Minutes To Midnight," and "Powerslave" should never be out of a Maiden set, but unfortunately in recent years they've been excluded for more current material.  But I'm assuming they are all present in the band's current Somwhere Back In Time setlist.

The History of Iron Maiden - Part 2 is an account of the recording of Powerslave in the Bahamas of all places, the band's growing popularity, and the 193 show World Slavery tour.  Behind The Iron Curtain, which was originally released on VHS in 1985, captures the band touring in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and Hungary during the Cold War.  This dvd version contains more footage than the original VHS release.  Apparently, the extra footage contained here in the dvd was actually seen one time during an airing on MTV in 1984.  Performance footage was filmed on video tape giving a completely different look to the performances (than what was seen from the Long Beach Arena performance).  "22 Acacia Avenue" is just one of the songs delivered and it's a classic.  The live Rock In Rio '85 footage, in which Maiden peforms in front of 300,000+ people, is somewhat rough, despite being culled from an original Brazilian TV broadcast.  Apparently, time has not been kind to the master.  'Ello Texas is the only non-Powerslave era footage included.  Filmed in July 1983 during the World Piece Tour in San Antonio, Texas, this short footage looks like it was to be used for news footage.  The promos for "Aces High" and "2 Minutes To Midnight" are already available on Visions Of The Beast, but their inclusion here is appropriate as they come from the Powerslave album.  "2 Minutes To Midnight" is one of the best metal videos and my favorite Maiden video.  It's gritty and edgy imagery fits the song perfectly.  It was made in an era when video directors wanted to tell a story - something that made early to mid-80s videos so interesting to watch.

The Bloody Truth:  Live After Death holds up to this day.  The setlist, the band's performance, and the stage set were sheer perfection, and the filming on 35 mm gave the performance an edge that I don't think video tape would have.  Now as a double dvd set, it's even greater than the original vhs release.  If there's one classic dvd that every metalhead should own, it is Live After Death.  It is the performance that all others continue to be compared to.