Iron Maiden concluded the second leg of their Legacy of the Beast Tour in Brazil last Sunday, the 4th, in São Paulo, with a breathtaking performance that filled the Morumbi stadium with thousands of passionate fans.
Despite the persistent cold and drizzle, the crowd dressed in black arrived early at the stadium, which was almost full when the opening band, the Swedish group AVATAR , took the stage at 6:45 PM. In the audience, people of all ages eagerly awaited the start of the grand spectacle that had already passed through the country in 2019 and is back, now with tracks from their most recent album Senjutsu (2021) in the setlist of classics from the band's entire discography.
Around 8 PM, the audience already knew what to expect when the volume of UFO increased and the lights went out. It wasn't long before Iron Maiden appeared, within the comfortable Senjutsu created on stage, with Japanese architectural constructions in the set design. It's to be expected that the band's latest release won over even the most hesitant fans after the three-dimensional experience of the show, with the possibility of seeing the environment in which Eddie Samurai was forged. After the opening with "Senjutsu," the audience became increasingly engaged during "Stratego" and "The Writing on the Wall," a strong contender to remain on the setlists of the band's future tours.
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With the new album announcements over, Iron Maiden's show in São Paulo was everything you could expect from a Maiden concert. Featuring only three different songs compared to their show three years ago, the British band took a journey through their career with impressive stage sets and flames, celebrating their trajectory as one of the greatest bands in metal and music.
Even with the setlist almost identical to three years ago and the already expected moments of the show – Bruce Dickinson running with the cross in “Sign of the Cross”, using a flamethrower in “Flight of Icarus” and the fight with Eddie in “The Trooper”, for example – there is such absolute dedication in the way each of the six band members performs each song that it is impossible to consider this show as just another one.
Every detail, from punctuality to the glorious extravagance of the stage, creates an atmosphere of respect for the band's legacy and the bond built with the fans, so passionate that they resemble believers in a spiritual trance, singing the lyrics and guitar solos with open hearts. Complaining about the cold that night before "Blood Brothers," Dickinson was right to say that the Brazilian climate might change, but the fans hadn't changed their feelings, and for that, they are grateful.
Just as they did at Rock In Rio and as they will continue to do until they "drop dead on stage ," the group once again showed why they have earned so much loyalty and the recipe for longevity at the top: after four decades on the road, the band remains passionate about the stage and the fans they have won over. To say that the Iron Maiden show was exactly what was expected is to say that it was an explosive enough show to leave you speechless once again, as it certainly will the next time – and in subsequent times as well.
See the photo gallery from our contributor Leca Suzuki below. You can also revisit our photo gallery from the show in Ribeirão Preto here .
READ ALSO: Best of Iron Maiden: Playlist compiles the band's setlist from their 2022 tour in Brazil
