The Maiden Mania

30,000 metal-heads gathering in a city like Bangalore.... it was an event not to be missed by maiden fans and metal maniacs alike. As the pioneers of the heavy metal genre descended upon the city with Eddy leading the way, the crowd soon realized that every rupee they paid for coming here was worth it.

Days before the event, the Maiden mania had already been settling upon the population. Gossip topics were ditched, Iron Maiden was the talk of the town. Banners all over the streets and ads in newspapers proclaimed their arrival. Bunk classes, bunk exams, BUT BE THERE FOR MAIDEN!

The crowd had begun gathering since 10 in the morning, although the gates were not to be opened till 3 pm. It was hard to recognize people amongst the sea of black Iron Maiden t-shirts. I preferred to stand out in white... the blazing noon sun was too hot for my liking. Personally, i don't know how those people survived.

By 3, the line had finally started moving. Once inside, people flooded to the refreshment stalls. For the forthcoming 3 hour wait, people had little better to do than load themselves up with fluids in retaliation to the uncaring sun. The chat centers too must have made one helluva profit that day. By 5, the chants of “Maiden” could be heard all over the grounds.

The first show was a let-down. As the Campus Rock Idols winners, FTN took the stage the crowd was so non-responsive, that i feared i was in for a boring night. The vocals too, failed to rouse the crowd. I mean, what the hell would shouting “BANGALORE!” in some guttural tone prove???

By the time Parikrama arrived, the crowd was so bored that the Maiden chants had started all over again, although they knew that that wouldn't happen before 8 in the night. They underestimated Parikrama though. With their amazing mix of fusion and funk rock, they stole the show.

There is nothing much to be said about Lauren Harris. I mean, i dunno who the heck she was or what a pop-singer was doing in an Iron Maiden concert. The crowd had had enough. The braves attempted jumping the barriers dividing the 900's and 1500's while others just resigned and lay flop on the ground.

At 8 sharp, the lights on stage went out. This was the signal Bangalore had been waiting for a week. The chants took a new meaning all together... yet Maiden did not show for another 15 minutes. Once they did come, the whole stadium went pitch black. The crowd went wild. Eddie's figure could easily be made out now, atop the huge Russian tank on stage. A rolling start was followed by one of their most popular songs from their new album, Different Worlds. The crowd did not hesitate to sing along. In some like The Trooper and The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg, the crowd could be heard more than Bruce, irrespective of the huge two-story speakers.

The show was marked by some senseless show of greed, as some broke down the barrier. The police watched on helplessly as the 900 crowd flowed to mingle amongst the 1500's, trying to get as close to the stage as possible.

The most memorable part would have been Fear of the Dark. The whole stadium was singing along as one. Near the end, Maiden took a short break. Some people exited believing that the show was over. But loyal fans stayed. And they weren't let down either. 10 minutes later, they started again with Hallowed Be Thy Name. Head bangers had a party, returning with a sore throat and an aching neck, but more than satisfied.

In all, the Iron Maiden concert was one helluva success, pulling fans from all over the country. Not only did Maiden recognize this, but also promised that within a year, they would be back, and India had better watch out!