Synopsis
I’ll confess, I saw Maiden myself, lo these many years ago on their Powerslave tour, so I was sort of partial to this disc. The big favourites (“Number of the Beast” and “Run to the Hills” among them) are present and correct. As with all concert films, there are only so many ways of filming largely motionless people and making them look interesting, but the main point is the sound, when you get down to it.
Audio
The sound is BIG. A hugely powerful mix. I was suspic…ous at first, since the opening minutes have little-to-no surround effect, but once the concert itself begins, the volume goes up astronomically (as does the crowd sound). I had to lower the volume on the rear speakers before they exploded. A very nice recording, and the crowd does not drown out the music.
Video
The transfer looks very faithful. The picture quality is, of course, limited by on-site conditions, and what type of camera was filming what. So there are some very grainy moments, but I can’t really fault the disc for that. When all is said and done, this looks as good as can be expected.
Special Features
Both discs have fully scored and animated menus, though only disc 2 has animated transitions between the pages. Disc 2 is where all the special features are. “The Band” allows you to see what each member does on days off during the tour. You must really, really be interested to find endless footage of soccer games fascinating, but there you are. “Day in the Life” is more handheld footage of the daily grind of the tour. The best feature is the photo diary, narrated by photographer Ross Halfin, who tells us what each of the 50 photos is. I wish more picture galleries on movie DVDs were this complete.
Closing Thoughts
As full a concert tour package as you could want, and probably a bit more than you need. Terrifically loud, though, which is what really counts.
Special Features List
- “The Band” — “Day Off” Featurettes
- “Day in the Life” Featurette
- Ross Halfin Photo Diary (Narrated)
