Absolutely superb! This was definitely one of the finest Blaze Bayley shows in Greece! When the whole club goes crazy in almost every single song then you know that this is a concert bound to live forever on as you rarely see such crowd reactions nowadays. But let’s start from the beiginning.
Side Effects was the first opening band and I must say that they were pretty good. Despite the fact that they appear on stage at an early time where they were only a few people present, the guys played really tight and all their songs were taken from their debut record “Expedition”. Iron Maiden fans..check them out.
photo from Side Effects Facebook page
Up next was Serpent Lord, a band that was the constant support act throughout Blaze Bayley’s Greek tour. Serpent Lord pay close attention to a well-crafted stage and light show and their occult metal combined with some musicial references in US power/prog sound left us under good impressions. The guys have one album under their belt and I believe that if they keep up with the same persistence then we will definitely hear some more things about them in the future.
photo from Serpent Lord Facebook page
But the time has come for the one and only Blaze Bayley. The ex-Iron Maiden singer is on the “Tour of the Eagle Spirit” thus his set list was mainly based on songs from the “Infinite Entaglement” trilogy. The first two songs, “The Dark Side of Black” and “A Thousand Years”, set the pace for the things to come as it was evident that Blaze and his band was on top form. Especially, guitarist-extraordinaire Chris Appleton was absolutely flawless and he is a great asset to the Blaze Bayley band. The overall reaction of the crowd is more than encouraging and the first notes of “The Lord of the Flies” set the venue on fire as the song took us back to the “X-Factour” wher Maiden played some magnificebnt shows in Greece. “Silicon Messiah”, “Stare At The Sun” and “The Day I Fell To Earth” remind us all of the first Blaze era but as it was expected the absolutely mayhem was created upon the sheer listening of the Maiden anthems “Virus”, “Clansman”, “Man on the Edge” and the closing number “Futureal”. Blaze was constantly smiling and he thanked his fans for their loyal support all these years.
We have said it many times in the past…Blaze Bayley is one of the most authentic artists in the metal business. He always gives 110% and he always deliver the goods (both on stage and on his recording efforts). You will find him patiently waiting before and after the show signing autographs for his fans and he will put on a genuine smile when you ask him for a photograph. This is atruly an artist that every single metalhead should support. May we see him on Greek soil really soon…
Sakis Nikas
