Last Night in Cleveland: Iron Maiden

It’s no big surprise that the T-shirt color of choice at last night’s Iron Maiden concert at Blossom Music Center was black. Audience members sported Black Sabbath, Queensryche, Slayer, and Maiden Ts. And everything from the merch table to the Powerslave-era stage set had a decidedly retro feel. Singer Bruce Dickinson is even putting his day-job skills as a pilot to work -- flying the band from gig to gig in a custom jet airliner emblazoned with Iron Maiden logos and artwork. Iron Maiden’s Somewhere Back in Time tour has a definite sense of purpose. Last night’s concert was packed with a sea of metal fans from front to back, pavilion to lawn -- almost like it was an Iron Maiden concert from the mid-’80s. It’s appropriate, since the focus was on a gigantic cross-section of ’80s classics. Although there was one detour for 1992’s “Fear of the Dark,” which was greeted with groans from online-forum fans. But, for better or worse, it’s become a live favorite, complete with an audience sing-along ...