Iron Maiden have a true sense of how to really put on a SHOW (in caps), with their trademark metal brand going out to audience's the world over with the impact of a harrowing horror movie and the gusto of superb theater (perhaps there's a reason why the lead young girl in Persepolis, in Iran of all places, loved Maiden enough to get it off the black market). I was there for their 2003 tour, and comparatively, even at a much smaller venue to see them at, their appearance in Rio in 2000 is no more or less spectacular. They deliver hard-driving heavy metal tunes, some faster than others, with the energetic, awesome Bruce Dickinson belting out the tunes (pretty much, with some minor exceptions in belting out some complicated lyrics) with the same power and vocal range that he had on the original recordings.
Now, the music here and there, while usually spot on, does depend on its being effective if you really like their 2000 album, Brave New World. In truth, I didn't think it was quite a Number of the Beast or Seventh Son of a Seventh Son; sometimes even repetitive and loaded with more thought to the words than the music, it's not one of their best, and those songs make up a good bunch that are on this tour. This being said, however (and what a however), when Maiden is dynamite, they are f***ing dynamite squared. They deliver some of their most acclaimed and loved 80s period Dickonson songs for screaming Brazilians all rocking their heads off in the stadium, and the buzz makes up for any of the faults in the actual performance. And, of course, what would a Maiden show be without Eddie! It's a damn hell of a good show, in more ways than one, and it should only be a disappointment to the most purist of Maiden fans (i.e. can only appreciate the 80s stuff).