Iron Maiden
Breaking In Bruce

LA RECENSIONE

 

An interesting bootleg of the Iron, given that the one from Milan on October 30th, '81 was the fifth ever concert of the Maiden with Bruce Dickinson, to the extent that that mini Italian tour was later dubbed "Bruce Dickinson´s Warm Up Tour".

 

For the most meticulous, here is the complete list of the five Italian dates of our beloved long-haired band: 10/26/1981 at Palasport in Bologna (Bruce's first ever official concert with the Maiden), 10/27/1981 at Teatro Tenda in Rome, 10/28/1981 at Teatro Tenda in Florence, 10/29/1981 at Palasport in Padua, and 10/30/1981 at Palalido in Milan.

 

A very delicate phase for the Maiden then, since a change of singer is not something to go unnoticed, especially if the just-replaced singer is a stage beast like Paul Di Anno and if the newcomer has completely different characteristics, so much so that the controversies continue even today (people really have nothing to do... and the fact that I'm writing this review proves it).

Anyway, despite everything, in my opinion, Bruce sings very well in this concert, making an effort to interpret songs that were certainly not the best for his vocal qualities and immediately proving not to be inferior to his predecessor, at least in terms of charisma.

The recording is not terrific, but the Maiden come out brilliantly, with all the ferocity and power of those who knew they had to earn their keep on stage because they wouldn't receive discounts from anyone.

The concert runs straight like a missile and very probably those crazies inside the Palalido realized they were facing a band that would go a long way.

For collectors only.