Reflections of an Ageing Gig Goer 9

Iron Maiden, Halestorm and The Raven Age at London Stadium June 28 2025

One thing was sure, even before any music was played. This would be the hottest gig I had ever attended, temperature wise! Whether it would live up to that billing in terms of music, well that remained to be seen. Before I start the review I just have to give a shout out to the brilliant security and gate staff who were just as warm as anyone else, but did their jobs quickly, efficiently and with smiles on their faces. They made what could have been a difficult time in the excess heat far easier. Now, the gig itself started at 5.45 and lasted until 10.20 so it was a long haul, but the quality of music kept us so enthralled that it was only during the breaks that we realised we were actually melting!

The Raven Age

When The Raven Age started their set I would say that the stadium was half full, but those who decided to turn up later in the day missed a cracking set. I had listened to them before the concert to get familiar with their style, but, as with a number of bands particularly in the rock or metal genre, to really understand how good they are you have to see them live. The Raven Age are Matt James, the lead singer, George Harris and Robbie Gentry, the guitarists, Matt Cox on bass and Jai Patel on drums. Their seven song set was really high quality throughout, showing the tightness that the band, who have been going since 2009, have developed. James’ vocals soared and swooped throughout, especially on the tracks Hangman, Serpents Tongue and Fleur De Lis, which were standouts in a really good set. They were no doubt familiar to many of the standing audience, with The Raven Age having supported Iron Maiden before, which added to the atmosphere as they were already very well disposed to them. For someone completely unfamiliar with them, the set made me want to hear more of them especially live. They had a huge sound that was heavier than the records and I really enjoyed the guitar solos and the interplay between Harris and Gentry who have a fantastic understanding that gives their sound a real quality. The engine room of any rock band are the bass and drums who lay the foundations for the rest of the group to build on and Cox and Patel were absolutely top class. The audience had really warmed up, metaphorically and figuratively speaking by the end of their excellent set. The Raven Age are definitely good enough to be headliners in their own right, so if you have a chance to see them touring I urge you to take it.

Halestorm

I turned out to be the only person in our quintet of metal fans who hadn’t really listened to much Halestorm. My daughter in particular was a huge fan of theirs during her teens and was really looking forward to seeing them. Halestorm are a four piece band with vocalist and guitarist Lzzy Hale, drummer and younger brother Arejay Hale, guitarist Joe Hottinger and bassist Josh Smith. They have been touring together for 20 years and it really shows. The music just explodes out of the speakers with Arejay Hale leading the way. He is one of the finest drummers I have ever seen live and his drum solo was so epic it left everyone in awe. He had a massive drumkit that he pounded into submission for five exhilarating minutes and towards the end he swapped his normal sized drumsticks for two that resembled baseball bats in size and then proceeded to play the drums just as intricately. It was an absolute tour de force. Smith was the perfect foil to his showier counterpart, giving his bass a real workout and laying the basis for the tracks. Hottinger and Lzzy Hale matched each other on the guitars as they ramped up the sound and the pace and showed the fruits of playing around 200 shows a year, according to the internet. This leaves one question. How the hell does Lzzy Hale do it?! Her voice is the most astonishing instrument you can imagine. It has an upper register that few can match, a growl that shakes the stadium and a scream that has to be experienced to be believed. What an incredible singer! I have never heard anyone like her in 4 decades of gig going, and I sat there in awe for 45 minutes just thinking how lucky I was to hear her live in a venue like the London Stadium. I can only wonder at the strength, stamina and vocal training that goes into maintaining her voice at that level. All the songs were top class, but the standouts were the opener Fallen Star, Love Bites (So Do I!), I Get Off and the finale from August’s new album, the title track Everest. I have become an instant fan and I know at least three of our party are now looking at the possibility of going to the O2 in November to see them as headliners, and a whole 90 minutes plus of Lzzy Hale and Halestorm will be worth it for any self respecting rock fan.

Iron Maiden

Now for the main event after two amazing support acts it was the turn of Iron Maiden. They have been top of the bill for five decades and I was about to find out why. What was really interesting looking back at the setlist was the number of album tracks that there were. Probably two thirds of the set would have been unfamiliar to the more casual fan, and I would have to include myself on that list in terms of these songs, but what an education it was. The opening four tracks, if you include the recorded instrumental version of The Ides of March, came from Killers, their second album, which I had not listened to. That didn’t matter because I was instantly won over by Murders in the Rue Morgue, Wrathchild and Killers, the latter of those which I did actually recognise. One of the hardcore fans in front of me was in increasing disbelief as they played those three tracks, but given that the first and last were getting their first airing on tour for 26 years and 20 years respectively and even Wrathchild hadn’t been played since 2017. I have some catching up to do!

The line up for tonight was Bruce Dickinson, their vocalist since 1982, one of the most legendary performers in British musical history. Bass player Steve Harris was the founder of the group in 1975, and on Saturday he realised one of his few remaining ambitions, playing at the home of his beloved West Ham. Their three guitarists Dave Murray, Adrian Smith and Janick Gers have been playing together for the whole second half of the band’s history. The drummer, Simon Dawson, was the one new boy in the six piece line up, having taken over as tour drummer from Nicko McBrain after the last tour. It was clearly a good replacement because he fitted in as if he had been there for years and gave the band a fantastic base to work from.

My favourite Iron Maiden album is Number of the Beast and there were three tracks from it, the title track, Hallowed Be Thy Name and Run to the Hills. The latter is my favourite single of theirs and my favourite heavy metal track of all. The performance just took me back to the first time I ever heard it. Dickinson’s voice was powerful throughout the night and had a real depth to it and on Run to the Hills in particular he gave a performance that was awe inspiring. After hearing the four tracks from Powerslave I realised that this was a close second with two great singles, the title track itself and the incredible 13 plus minute epic of Rime of the Ancient Mariner. That track was perhaps the best showcase for the way that Dickinson’s voice has matured like a fine claret as he completely inhabited the story and gave such an intense reading of it that it almost certainly won’t be another 15 years before it is revived. Funnily enough, a number of clues in the Telegraph Cryptic Crossword on Saturday morning referenced Rime of the Ancient Mariner, so I wonder if he or she might have been in the crowd! There were two tracks from Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, the title track, another mesmerising epic clocking in at ten minutes, and The Clairvoyant. Can I Play With Madness comes from that album, and is one of their most recognisable singles, having reached Number 3 in the UK charts, but it didn’t make the cut, which is testament to the embarrassment of riches that they had in their first decade. Their only Number 1 Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter was on Prayer for the Dying, the only album from their first nine that did not feature at all. Mind you, the British public have not always been the best arbiters of quality have they? The quality throughout the night, both of the performances and the songs themselves, never dipped as they confirmed that they have the finest discography of any group from the metal genre. The final four tracks were probably the encapsulation of this.

The final track before the encore was Iron Maiden, their second song from their self titled debut album, and it hits just as hard 45 years on. The encore itself started with Churchill’s Fight Them on the Beaches speech which of course led straight into Aces High, my son’s favourite Iron Maiden track. It is a tour de force that really shows the quality of their writing as it replicates the timing of a dogfight in the way that it is structured. I don’t think any other group would even think about trying it, let alone nailing it. Next is the haunting Fear of the Dark which has the crowd chanting along in one of the most effective moments of the entire night. The beauty and the darkness of the song is truly magical and I thought that was going to be the last song of the night, but they had one final treat in store. Wasted Years from Somewhere in Time brought the night to a close with a wall of sound from a group not in the first flush of youth, but one that seems to have made a pact with the devil to display youthful energy every time they step on the stage. Dickinson then promises the crowd that ‘Like James Bond we will return’! They aren’t done yet, and with what they showed on Saturday night, why the hell would they stop doing what they are so good at? Their performance didn’t just live up to my expectations, it left those expectations in the dust as I watched live geniuses at work. Thank you Iron Maiden, Halestorm and The Raven Age for one of the best gigs ever.