First and foremost, Iron Maiden is un-fuck-with-able. It is the platonic ideal of what a metal band should be — flashy, furious and tough as fucking nails. Four decades and running, Maiden is still out-shredding the ever-loving shit out of every band on earth. Hell, even their branded beer Trooper is better than any other celebrity hooch I’ve ever tried. Even if Maiden’s only contribution to world culture were “Number of the Beast” and every other song was just hand-farts in an echo chamber, Maiden would still be one of the all-time greats. “Aces High”? Dude, c’mon. “The Trooper”? “Wasted Years”? “Run to the Goddamn Hills”? Un-fuck-with-able. Nobody has ruled so hard for so long. Plus, they are bringing out Ghost, the coolest super-satanic Swedes I’ve ever met at Twin Kegs. (They were recording at Blackbird. I was waiting for the shuffleboard table.) The ghouls have a new album coming this summer, so expect some seriously demonic riffage. SEAN L MALONEY
Iron Maiden w/Ghost
