With this being the former Iron Maiden frontman’s eighth show on Irish soil this year, the Heavy Metal warhorse may as well don an Aran sweater and rebrand himself as Blaze O’Bayley. Seven months on from celebrating the 30th anniversary of his stint with Iron Maiden, Blaze Bayley is back in the cosy surroundings of Whelans to push his latest album Circle Of Stone.
Blaze Bayley – Absolva
Whelan’s, Dublin – 13 September 2024
Words: Brian Boyle
Photography: Antonella Addorisio
But first up, we get a 45-minute blast of Absolva, probably one of the most underrated Metal outfits around today, and without doubt one of the most hard-working as later they double job as Bayley’s band too.
The iconic bong of AC/DC’s Hells Bells announces their entrance before they light up the room with an electrifying Fire In The Sky.
These guys are no frills. There is not a tad of self-importance about them. They all look like they could have rewired your house earlier in the afternoon, but by night, they are a balls-to-the-wall Metal machine, churning out fist-raising live stalwarts Anthems To The Dead and Never A Good Day To Die like they were out for a fight.
Led by the Appleton brothers, Chris and Luke are a genuine force of nature, totally in tune with each other. They bang out the riffs with military precision without breaking a sweat.
A request from Chris for the healthy gathering to move a step forward resulted in Stand Your Ground becoming a polite headbanging stampede. A quick check-in on social media is the done thing these days, and Luke Appleton’s quick pan of the Metal-hungry Dubliners did nothing to halt the momentum during a rowdy Refuse To Die. 
Absolva have been knocking about and delivering the goods long enough now to deserve a slot on one of the big, lucrative tours. Whether that happens is in the lap of the gods, but seeing them in this intimate setting will always be a pleasure. A stunning Heavy Metal performance.
Blaze Bayley
The entrance of Blaze Bayley onto the tiny Whelan’s stage is as low key as you can get.
But this legendary Brummie does not need to be exploding up through the floor with a hail of pyro. He just casually takes to the centre and lays down the gauntlet with a slow raise of the horns, and we are immediately taken willingly into his world with a rampantly delivered Ten Seconds.
The venue may be the same as last time, but the setlist is vastly different. Tonight is dominated by Blaze material. Despite there being Iron Maiden shirts everywhere you looked, this crowd were bang in the mood to lap up anything thrown their way.
Warrior was sung by the faithful as if they were entering battle, and the deep meaning of War Within Me seemed to have a rejoicing effect.
Humble and appreciative as always, Bayley never shys away from public displays of affection for his fans. He worships the ground they walk on, and the feeling is mutual.
A roar of “I love you, Blaze Bayley,” following Stare At The Sun was a memorable moment in the night, and the lengthy line for the free meet and greet pre-show and the reasonably priced merch tells you all you need to know.
Although maintaining the furious Metal stare for most of the night, the sheer enthusiasm and energy of his flock had him breaking into wide-eyed smiles for most of the evening. The anthemic Pull Yourself Up had sheer glee all over his face. This was a genuine look of a man who believes he is the luckiest fella on earth.
His soul-tugging brand of Metal brought about some old-school synchronized headbanging. I’m not talking about the jerking chicken’s neck type – I’m talking about the proper cranium shaking, long-term damage type with mops of thick, long hair flying in all directions.
Despite being minus the bagpipes, The Call Of The Ancestors did not lose any of its tribal heartbeat and teed up Circle Of Stone perfectly.
We Were treated to a career first with Iron Maiden’s 2 A.M. making its debut live outing 29 years after its birth. Although pre-warned of a potential “fuck up”, Bayley, alongside an acoustic-wearing Luke Appleton, pulled it off like it has been in the set for years.
Two more of his Maiden tunes, Man On The Edge and Futureal, absolutely tore the place a new one, with clenched fists outnumbering raised phones. This was a sight to behold and a masterclass in how to round off a Heavy Metal gig.
Hand on heart, I did not think last February’s show could be topped. But there was a unique magic in Whelan’s tonight. Maybe the weekend was a factor, but whatever the reason, Blaze Bayley gave his Irish family a night to remember.
If you were there, you would probably feel as lucky as me to have witnessed it, and that, my friends, blows that Friday the 13th myth clean out the window.
