Blaze Bayley saunters into the bar and past the throng, who barely notice him with his beanie hat and leather jacket on. Minutes later without the hat and jacket, he's hanging from the lighting rig imploring the crowd to get their hands in air to the opening strains of 'The Brave'.


In fact, Bayley seems to spend most of the gig atop the crowd barrier (clinging on for dear life) with only the occasional loss of grip resulting in a well-timed jump back onto the stage.

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History will list Bayley as the ex-lead singer of Iron Maiden, and his contribution to that band won't (and shouldn't) be forgotten or underestimated. The two albums he recorded with Maiden are still the subject of discussion with Maiden fans, but there's no doubt that the Maiden tracks he performed tonight are all great numbers. From 'Futureal' to 'Lord Of The Flies' and 'Man On The Edge', these are all great Metal songs. Even the inclusion of 'Look For The Truth' (a first for Bayley playing live) proves that he is a valid part of Maiden's history.

Having said that, his solo work also shows what a great songwriter he is in his own right. Tracks like 'Kill And Destroy', 'Ghost In The Machine', 'Blood And Belief' and 'Watching The Night Sky' all sit together well with the Maiden tracks played tonight.


The past twelve months have been a mix of personal highs and business issue lows for Bayley, but he still manages to put on a show that some bands would find hard to beat. He proves himself to be great frontman, adding drama as he celebrates his last gig of 2011 in Scotland at the same time bemoaning it's his last gig here - before inviting everyone to the pub for post-show drinks!

One thing is for sure that with a new album and tour being scheduled for 2012, there's no way that he'll be fading into Metal obscurity anytime soon.


Setlist:

The Brave
Futureal (Iron Maiden)
Lord Of The Flies (Iron Maiden)
Ghost In The Machine
Silicon Messiah
Ten Seconds
Look For The Truth (Iron Maiden)
Virus (Iron Maiden)
Voices From The Past
The Launch
Man On The Edge (Iron Maiden)
Kill And Destroy
Watching The Night Sky
Blood And Belief
The Clansman (Iron Maiden)

Band Members:

Blaze Bayley: vocals
Dave Andrews: guitar
Steve Deleu: guitar
Nick Meganck: bass
Claudio Tirincanti: drums


15.12.11