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Iron Maiden at the Kia Forum

Photos and review by Kevin Estrada - @KevinEstradaPhotography

Iron Maiden continued to conquer the heavy music world by bringing their Future Past Tour 2024 to the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, CA on October 8th.  The founding fathers of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal are still the leaders of the pack. 

With an average age of 70, the British- Metal Icons exploded on stage with Caught Somewhere In Time, sounding as timeless and cohesive as ever.  Steve Harris (bass), Dave Murray (guitar), Adrian Smith (guitar), Nico McBrain (drums), Janick Gers (guitar) and Bruce Dickinson (vocals) commanded the stage and the crowd like few bands can. 

Iron Maiden offered their die-hard fans a 15 song set that spanned the bands’ massive career with selections from their monstrous 17 studio album archive of songs.  The 2024 version of their Future Past tour focuses heavily on 1986’s Somewhere In Time and 2021’s Senjutsu – the band’s most recent release.

Vocalist Bruce Dickinson has always carried the flag for giving the fans their money’s worth, and this tour is no exception.  Constantly engaging the crowd from one end of the stage to the other, Dickinson kept the fans focused and pushed the energy of his fellow bandmates.  Dickinson’s vocals were as impressive as ever and seemed to get stronger as the night went on.  The triple guitar onslaught brought on by Murray, Smith and Gers continues to be untouchable and a key component to the Maiden sound.  The final secret to the Iron Maiden recipe lies in the brutal, driving, never-ending drum and bass attack of McBrain and Harris.

Decades ago, Iron Maiden showed the music world how to not only give their fans a great concert, but how to also give them an amazing show.  Arguably, Iron Maiden has the genre’s most iconic mascot – an ever evolving, living dead poster child simply known as Eddie, who truly represents the band’s legacy.  Eddie is a high point that fans cannot and will not miss at each show, normally making his grand appearance towards the end of the night. 

The Future Past Tour brought Eddie onto the stage not once, not twice, but three times – each representing a unique era of Iron Maiden History: a Gun-Slinging Cowboy hovering above a soloing Dave Murray during Stranger In A Strange Land; a Robotic Time Traveler engaged in a fierce laser battle with Bruce Dickinson during Death To The Celts; and as a Sword-Slinging Samurai failing to catch Janick Gers as he scuttled in and out from under the mascots giant legs during Iron Maiden.

As the encores came to an end, Dickinson announced, “we will be back!” There is no doubt that Iron Maiden will be back and there is no doubt that they will continue to deliver more of their amazing legacy with their fans.


IRON MAIDEN

KIA FORUM October 8, 2024

SET LIST

  • “Caught Somewhere in Time”
  • “Stranger in a Strange Land”
  • “The Writing on the Wall”
  • “Days of Future Past”
  • “The Time Machine”
  • “The Prisoner”
  • “Death of the Celts”
  • “Can I Play With Madness”
  • “Heaven Can Wait”
  • “Alexander the Great”
  • “Fear of the Dark”
  • “Iron Maiden”

Encore

  • “Hell on Earth”
  • “The Trooper”
  • “Wasted Years”