Iron Maiden live at the Utilita Arena Birmingham (21.6.2025) with The Raven Age supporting.
Two days on from my last visit to Birmingham’s premier gig venue, at the heart of the canal network, and I find myself in seering heat surrounded by legions of people wearing Iron Maiden t-shirts. Tonight I’m even wearing one, from my maiden Maiden gig almost exactly two years ago. (Previous blog link.)
I am staying nearby for three nights. A few gigs, a bit of wandering the city and a trip to Coventry to see an old work friend – gig going Tony. Gig buddy Dave is back tonight – he holds the key to these Utilita Arena gigs.
As the images illustrate we are up on a balcony lounge floor level – elevated but unobstructed views of the whole concert…and the odd waft of air conditioning competes with the rising sweaty heat.
The support band are new to me: The Raven Age. From London, they’ve been going 16 years and surviving founding member is the son of Iron Maiden bass guitarist, Steve Harris. Traditional metal offering with lots of dark references across three albums.
The last one was The Blood Omen and from my lofty position I grab a video of Serpents Tongue from that LP. (Link to my YouTube channel – Serpents Tongue)
You can see from the waving arms and the phone torches, that they get a good reception. They are evidently pleased to be on this bill. This heavy metal family is a very supportive lot I guess.
The heat is tremendous. It’s the hottest day of the year so far. Still room for the odd pair of leather trousers and some leather jackets – I’ve gone for linen – it’s dark, no one will notice. No one seems to have keeled over from my vantage point.
Iron Maiden
Then a roar and attention stagewards as UFO’s Doctor Doctor blasts out through the sound system. This happened last time – clearly a regular ‘thing’. (Another one of my very small collection of heavy metal singles – it only runs to four with the rest being Iron Maiden’s Running Free and two Motörhead singles.)
There’s loads of usable room on the Iron Maiden set. The new touring drummer is tucked away in his own discrete cubby hole and lead singer Bruce Dickinson gets to wander up on the surrounding upper level, as well as the main part of the stage.
There is ample familiarity for me – this stems in particular from seeing tribute act Ironed Maiden a few times in the difficult Covid years. The first big one is Number of the Beast. Classic metal eh. Another big’un is The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.…an epic tale that sees Dickinson off in the darkness of the upper stage level.
The Maiden mascot Eddie appears, staggering about, axe in hand for a while. The guitarists are playing at top revs. Janick Gers does endless guitar twirling tricks and spends periods with his left leg right up on the side speaker stacks.
I suppose Run to the Hills is the epic song for this tour – height of the fever and the song where the tour strap line comes from. With only four UK dates on this tour the magnitude of the event for true metal heads is not lost on me. I catch that on video: Run to the Hills.
The Trooper is another belter, again with great drama and imagery. A Union Jack is waved around by Dickinson, with a Cross of St George coming out just near the end of that one.
The Iron Maiden sound really is right on the metal. The pinnacle of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal genre. The guitarists continue industriously as Dickinson sings and screams the tales of darkness and evil.
Ending the main set is the song Iron Maiden, from that debut 1980 album. You have to experience that one sometime eh. Like Motörhead by Motörhead. This is classic stuff.
After the break, the voice of Winston Churchill booms out – the we will fight them on the beaches speech – before they launch into Aces High – images of flaming war planes crash on the backdrop. The rolling guitar riffs continue.
Fear of the Dark, title track from that 1992 album is another memorable tale which sees Dickinson off into the upper stage smoky gloom with his lamp. It’s an exhausting 8-10 minute epic which just about does us for the evening.
Last song is Wasted Years, a single from the 1986 Somewhere in Time album.
That’s it. A classic set from an iconic heavy metal band. An essential part of the live rock’n’roll experience and a privilege to be here, in my Iron Maiden t-shirt, even as a bit of an imposter.
Full setlist: Setlistfm
Rock on. ⚒️ (ok I may have been influenced by the West Ham connection – they are off to The London Stadium next Saturday.)
We leave the arena, expecting the cool night air to hit us – but no – it’s sweltering outside still. Broad Street bars are doing their best to be Ibiza. Another Saturday night out….can’t go mad: we have an all day festival tomorrow.
Gigs with Ivan 