Day three of Aftershock is a rare communion of titans, a moment that borders on the surreal. Two of the most revered institutions in heavy metal — Judas Priest and Iron Maiden — play back-to-back and you can feel the weight of it in the air. Priest have just finished a set that bulldozed the crowd like a runaway train and now it’s Iron Maiden’s turn. This is indeed no ordinary festival lineup; this is metal history unfolding in real-time.
Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson is a creature seemingly untouched by the natural decay of time. At 66, the man is a locomotive - a kinetic force that barrels forward, relentless and unyielding. He lurches across the stage donning a steampunk cloak and dark goggles, like a time-traveling general from a dystopian future. From the first note of Caught Somewhere in Time, it becomes evident that age is irrelevant here. Dickinson’s voice, somehow still soaring, cuts through the Sacramento night like a scalpel, precise and brutal. In fact, the entire band ping-pong across the stage with more energy and glee than bands half their ages. At one point, Dickinson playfully points out a man hoisting a pineapple into the air, awed by the moment’s innate lunacy and unable to let it go, notes that the man’s ability to hold the pineapple in either hand makes him “pineapple dextrous.” Oof.
Generational anthems like Can I Play With Madness and Fear Of The Dark trade off slots on the setlist with newer fare like Senjutsu’s The Writing On The Wall, Days Of Future Past and The Time Machine. A nod to the diehards appears via Alexander the Great, a song Maiden have never played live before this tour. Dickinson belts out the final note as if he’s standing at the edge of the universe, howling into the void, daring it to push back. And for a moment, you’re convinced time itself could bend to his will.
Throughout tonight’s fifteen-song set, the three-headed beast of Adrian Smith, Dave Murray, and Janick Gers is a marvel of synchronised destruction and as always, the heart of Iron Maiden’s sound remains the timeless gallop of bassist Steve Harris and drummer Nicko McBrain, stridently felt in closer Iron Maiden and encores Hell On Earth, The Trooper and Wasted Years.
Festivals like Aftershock serve as a vital crossroads for heavy metal, where the old guard and new blood share the stage, passing the torch between generations. It’s a place where veterans like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden stand tall, reminding us why they’re still the benchmarks, while newer acts scramble to prove their worth under the same spotlight. The energy of the crowd, equal parts seasoned fans and fresh faces, speaks to metal’s unbroken lineage - but the question looms: who will be ready to pick up the torch when Maiden finally call it quits? It’s a question that won’t be answered anytime soon, because from tonight’s performance, it’s clear that Iron Maiden aren’t going anywhere just yet.
Iron Maiden Aftershock 2024 setlist
- 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
- Hell on Earth
- The Trooper
- Wasted Years
