Maiden France

Madrid
Par Johnny B, publié le 30 septembre 1999 sur le site officiel d’Iron Maiden

We arrived at the venue, an indoor Bullring with great expectations. It was a massive venue. The gig had already been switched from it’s original venue as Maiden had sold out the concert 3 weeks before the gig date. With so many people desperate to see them it made sense to switch to a larger venue and this was large. Well it seemed that way when it was empty. We arrived at Madrid airport early afternoon and after quickly dumping our bags at the hotel we came straight to the venue. Good job we did as Steve found out that nothing was on time. The Bullring was a great venue for a concert but trying to get phone lines for the internet etc was fraught with difficulty. Also the Spanish phone lines can FRY your modems so be careful. They carry a much higher current than our system and even though you get online the connection can damage the sensitive wiring in your modem. However ….. I had Captain Jim Silvia to the rescue. He had his modem fried in Spain on his previous trip and did not want to repeat the nightmare so he bought a little gadget called a ‘Road Warrior’. (check them out at www.warrior.com … aren’t I good to you !) This little darling plugs into the phone socket and gives out a reading like a traffic light. Green means good, go ahead and connect in safety. Yellow means use an adapter or there will be trouble and red means ‘Frying tonight’.

I plugged in and ‘Warrior’ went to red immediately. After trying many different combinations of adapters, plugs and wiring adaptors I finally get a green. I log on and …. it cuts off. I log on again …. and it cuts off. I spend 45 minutes trying to fathom out what on earth is going on. Eventually after many conversations with venue staff in broken English I find out that they have no idea what is happening. By sheer fluke I hear the production office phone ring and …. my modem cuts off. It seems to ‘save time’, the national pastime, they have run my modem line to the band area off the same junction as the production phone. As a result every time someone picks up the production phone it has priority and cuts my line off. Another wait and eventually at 6pm I have a separate line.

I go for something to eat and on the way out to see the crowd I bump into Heidi, the band’s wardrobe lady. She reluctantly agrees to do a quick indent about the venue. The amazing thing was a 6pm the Spanish were only just finishing the stage area which meant the crew were still waiting to set the stage for the concert. Tempers were fraught. At 7pm, a good half hour after the doors were due to open the crew were still working on the stage set and the lighting and sound techs were just getting set up. Pandemonium.

I went off to film the crowd waiting outside. The crowd was singing already and when I walked up with the video camera I nearly started a riot. Whoops ! The security guards were unaware of the crowd reaction to the camera. They spotted the camera and suddenly started chanting and bouncing. The pushed forward and knocked over 3 barriers. This was outside and even before they were let in …. it was gonna be a massive gig.

I went back up to the check on the uploads when I hear a call on the walkie talkies for me to go to the stage. I rush down with the camera and witness an amazing sight. Sitting on the stage is Dickie Bell and Steve Cox enthralled at the site in front of them.

The venue is letting the crowd in …… through one entrance. They are pouring in like ants trying to escape rain. The view through the entrance is amazing. As far as the eye can see there are Maiden fans, bouncing, singing, chanting as they come through the doors. I finish videoing the sight and go off to film the secret underground operating theatres where the matadors and toreadors are taken if they get gouged by a rampaging bull.

The concert was intense. They venue crammed over 19,000 screaming fans into the gig and they were up for it. Boy were they up for it. Bruce was in great form as he climbed high on the stage like a trapeze artist. Every time you thought he was as high as he would g

Barcelone
Par Johnny B, publié le 30 septembre 1999 sur le site officiel d’Iron Maiden

We arrived in time for the press conference in Barcelona. Well …… not really on time it was put back but near enough seeing the horrendous hassle we had getting out of Milan it is amazing we got there the same day as the conference.

The Press conference was enlightening. It was house in a beautiful room, the walls of which were adorned with majestic paintings. The band all sat at one long table with their names proudly standing on name plates in front of them ….. to help the journalist know who was who !!!

The questions were varied and somewhat tame until one cocky guy asked Bruce if ‘he was going to over react and be hostile to the fans again’. Bruce was not pleased and decided to set him straight. The journo was referring to a previous visit by Bruce when he decided to leap into the crowd and sort out an unpleasant fan. What the journalist had failed to mention was that the guy had PURPOSELY spat in Bruce’s face on no less than three separate occasions. In fact every time Bruce came to that part of the crowd. The conference then took a different turn as the questions became more open. The band were great, they answered EVERYTHING chucked at them in a very honest and professional manner. Next year will be a massive Maiden year and the journos went away with no doubt about that. After a good thirty minutes of autograph and memorabilia signing the band were allowed to escape.

The hotel was great apart from the fact parts of it were being redesigned and the builders started drilling at 7am in the room next to Nicko the next morning. Many of the band went for a wander that night as Barcelona had some festival running and the streets were absolutely alive with people from all over the world.

The next day was fraught with anxiety. It started with breakfast. Wally, Jim and myself went down for breakfast as we always do. Wally is writing a book and we joked he could have finished that and the sequel in the time it took us to get served. Hotels like the Ritz are geared for the older client and for the business man. We must have been the only people at breakfast not in a SUIT ! Breakfast took over an hour but little did we know this was to set the tone for the whole day.

When on tour you have what are called ‘runners’. These are normally young vibrant guys and girls who are happy to be involved in the days mayhem. Their job is to save the Maiden crew and band party time. If the crew want anything from fruit for the band to A4 photocopy paper ….. they go for it. It is their job to track down the items on the list outside the production office as soon as physically possible. Spain is different. Everything is …. 5 minutes. Just another 5 minutes. There was a massive list for Barcelona as so much that is normally there when the crew arrive was just not provided. I normally camp down in the band’s rest room with all my gear as we have 2 phone lines and power sockets requested for there. We arrived at the venue about 12.30. At 3.30pm I am still keeping my cool and asking where the phone line and table are ….. just 5 minutes. Meanwhile Steve Cox is about to have a public hanging of a runner. He had asked her to go and collect some vital items only to be told that the shops would not be open again locally until 5pm. He asked why she had not gone back to the city …. too far ….. too busy !

To cut the story short at 8.50pm (remember the band go on about 9.15pm) there was a queue of people outside the production office wondering where the runner was with there particular items. To me the new DV Cam tapes I needed to film the concert that night seemed important but ….. compared to some of the items the crew had been waiting all day for …. they paled into insignificance.

As with all Maiden projects ….. it is always alright on the night. The show kicked off to an amazing reception. Barcelona was incredible. The crowd was absolutely fantastic. They sang so loudly and were so responsive. Bruce and Janick said to me afterwards that every time they come to Spain they just don’t believe it can get any b