GiGinJapan Artwork of Japanese CDs (mostly) Iron Maiden / Manchester 2023 / 2CDR / Shades
AO Arena, Manchester, UK 30th June 2023
Play sample :
The latest “THE FUTURE PAST World Tour” has finally landed in their home country, England. Two top-notch live albums that convey the latest stage will be released at the same time.
This work is the first to be released at the same time. It is the best audience recording of “Manchester performance on June 30, 2023”. At our shop, we are conducting a real-time report right after the tour starts, and this week we will release the super masterpiece “BIRMINGHAM 2023 (Shades 1807)” at the same time. Let’s take a bird’s-eye view of the positional relationship of each title, including this work, while checking the latest status of the tour here as well.
●European leg
* May 28 “ALEXANDER IN SLOVENIA 2023 (video)”
・ May 30-June 4 (4 performances)
* June 7 “BERGEN 2023”
・June 9-14 (4 performances)
* June 17 “HELLFEST 2023 (video)”
・June 19-28 (5 performances)
*June 30th: Manchester performance ← ★This work★
・June 28-July 3 (3 performances)
*July 4th: Birmingham performance ← This work
・July 7-August 5 (12 performances)
●North American leg
・September 28-October 6 (4 performances)
This is the “THE FUTURE PAST Tour” that has been announced so far. Looking more closely, the European leg has a three-stage structure of “13 continental performances → 7 UK performances → 12 continental performances”, and the Manchester performance of this work is also the 4th performance of the UK edition.
This vacuum-packed version of such a show is the latest recording that has become a hot topic for its superb quality. The core is very thick and powerful, and there is no sense of distance. The “AO Arena (former: Manchester Arena)” that became the site is an indoor venue with a capacity of 20,000 people, but the sound can only be felt as thickness and dynamism rather than air.
The provisional tour best recording so far is “BERGEN 2023 (Shades 1783)”, but this work is not inferior at all. Although it falls short of the simultaneous release of “BIRMINGHAM 2023” in shining clearness, conversely, this work has a wonderful rich sound. Also, compared to the Norwegian performance “BERGEN 2023”, the spectacle of the big chorus is delicious. Even though it is a chorus, there is no strange voice nearby, and the sense of synchronization is amazing because it is the home country of England. While the performance sound of bones and flesh roars as the main character to the last, it raises the impression several times.
With such a dynamic sound, the full show of “THE FUTURE PAST Tour”, which was highly acclaimed and some even said, “Isn’t this the best ever?” The set is fixed, but let’s repeat it here.
Somewhere in Time (5 songs)
・Caught Somewhere In Time (★)/Stranger In A Strange Land/Heaven Can Wait/Alexander The Great (★★)/Wasted Years
● Tactics (5 songs)
・The Writing On The Wall／Days Of Future Past（★★）／The Time Machine（★★）／Death Of The Celts（★★）／Hell On Earth（★★）
● Others (5 songs)
・The Prisoner/Can I Play With Madness/Fear Of The Dark/Iron Maiden/The Trooper
* Note: The “★” marks are the songs that were performed for the first time after the formation of 6 members. In particular, the “★★” mark is the song that was played for the first time on the current tour.
… and it looks like this. At the beginning of the tour, the big resurrection “Caught Somewhere In Time” and the first “Alexander The Great” attracted a lot of attention, but the more times they performed, the more unexpectedly good compatibility “SOMEWHERE IN TIME / Tactics” spread. rice field. Last year’s “LEGACY OF THE BEAST Tour” also performed three “tactical” numbers, but the solemn mood diverged from the main set of Greatest Hits. It was undeniable that the paste was awkward. But not this time. The “SOMEWHERE IN TIME” number is a catchy masterpiece in the MAIDEN catalog, and it interacts with the heavy epic “tactical” number. The sharpness of the show with the largest drop ever makes the whole show very dynamic.
“Nostalgic yet fresh, unexpectedly right in the middle.” “THE FUTURE PAST Tour” is an overwhelming selection of masterpieces with an exquisite sense of balance that has never been seen before. Famous recordings have been reported from various places, but again, in my home country England, the audience’s glue and the experience of the recording artist are orders of magnitude different. Two consecutive works that show off that amazing taste. Please enjoy it together!
UP THE IRONS!!!
★ The best audience recording of “Manchester performance on June 30, 2023”. The core is very thick and powerful, and there is no sense of distance. The hall sound does not become cloudy or cloudy, and adds thickness and dynamism to the core. You can fully experience the home country performance of the latest tour where “SOMEWHERE IN TIME” and “Tactics” create a miraculous synergy.
遂に母国イギリスへ上陸を果たした最新“THE FUTURE PAST World Tour”。その最新ステージを伝える話題の極上ライヴアルバム２作が同時リリース決定です。
本作は同時リリースの第一弾。「2023年６月30日マンチェスター公演」の極上オーディエンス録音です。当店ではツアー開始直後からリアルタイム・レポートを実施中ですし、今週は超傑作『BIRMINGHAM 2023（Shades 1807）』も同時リリース。ここでもツアーの最新状況を確認しつつ、本作も含めた各タイトルの位置関係を俯瞰してみましょう。
●欧州レッグ
＊５月28日『ALEXANDER IN SLOVENIA 2023（映像）』
・５月30日ー６月４日（４公演）
＊６月７日『BERGEN 2023』
・６月９日ー14日（４公演）
＊６月17日『HELLFEST 2023（映像）』
・６月19日ー28日（５公演）
＊６月30日：マンチェスター公演 ←★本作★
・６月28日ー７月３日（３公演）
＊７月４日：バーミンガム公演 ←★本作★
・７月７日ー８月５日（12公演）
●北米レッグ
・９月28日ー10月６日（４公演）
これが現在までに公表されている“THE FUTURE PAST Tour”。さらに細かく見ると欧州レッグは「大陸13公演→英国７公演→大陸12公演」という三段構えになっており、本作のマンチェスター公演は英国編の４公演目でもあります。
そんなショウを真空パックした本作は、極上クオリティで話題の最新録音。芯は極太で力強く、距離感などまるでない。現場となった“ＡＯアリーナ（旧：マンチェスター・アリーナ）”は２万人規模の屋内会場ではありますが、その鳴りは空気感というより厚みとダイナミズムとしか感じられません。
ここまでの暫定ツアーベスト録音は『BERGEN 2023（Shades 1783）』とされていますが、本作もまったく劣らない。輝くクリアさでは同時リリースの『BIRMINGHAM 2023』に一歩及ばないものの、逆に言えば本作はリッチな鳴りが素晴らしい。また、ノルウェー公演の『BERGEN 2023』と比べると大合唱のスペクタクルが美味しい。唱和とは言っても間近な奇声はまったくなく、母国イギリスだからこそのシンクロ感が凄い。あくまでも骨太・肉厚の演奏音が主役として轟きつつ、その感動を数倍増にハネ上げてくれるのです。
そんなダイナミック・サウンドで綴られるのは、大絶賛が高じて「歴代最高では？」との声も出てきた“THE FUTURE PAST Tour”のフルショウ。セットは固定ですが、ここでも再掲しておきましょう。
●サムホエア・イン・タイム（５曲）
・Caught Somewhere In Time（★）／Stranger In A Strange Land／Heaven Can Wait／Alexander The Great（★★）／Wasted Years
●戦術（５曲）
・The Writing On The Wall／Days Of Future Past（★★）／The Time Machine（★★）／Death Of The Celts（★★）／Hell On Earth（★★）
●その他（５曲）
・The Prisoner／Can I Play With Madness／Fear Of The Dark／Iron Maiden／The Trooper
※注：「★」印は６人編成になって初めて演奏された曲。特に「★★」印は現行ツアーで初めて演奏された曲。
……と、このようになっています。ツアー開始当初は大復活の「Caught Somewhere In Time」や初の「Alexander The Great」が話題を呼びましたが、回を重ねるほどに「SOMEWHERE IN TIME／戦術」という想定外な好相性も浸透してきました。昨年の“LEGACY OF THE BEAST Tour”でも『戦術』ナンバーを３曲披露していましたが、荘厳ムードがグレイテスト・ヒッツなセット本編と乖離。ノリがギクシャクしていたのも否めないところでした。しかし、今回は違う。『SOMEWHERE IN TIME』ナンバーはMAIDENカタログでもキャッチーな名盤ですし、それが重厚エピックな『戦術』ナンバーと相互作用。かつてなく落差の大きいショウのメリハリがショウ全体をえらくダイナミックにしているのです。
懐かしくも新鮮で、意外だけど正道ド真ん中。これまでになく絶妙なバランス感覚の名曲選が圧倒的な“THE FUTURE PAST Tour”。各地から名録音が報告されていますが、やはり母国イギリスは観客のノリも録音家の経験値もケタ違い。そのスゴ味を見せつけるような２連作。どうぞ、合わせてたっぷりとお楽しみください！
UP THE IRONS!!!
★「2023年６月30日マンチェスター公演」の極上オーディエンス録音。芯は極太で力強く、距離感などまるでない。ホール鳴りも曇りや濁りを起こさず、芯に厚みとダイナミズムを添加しています。『SOMEWHERE IN TIME』『戦術』が奇跡の相乗効果を生む最新ツアーの母国公演をフル体験できます。
Disc 1(60:01)
01. Intro: Doctor Doctor
02. Intro: Blade Runner (End Titles)
03. Caught Somewhere In Time
04. Stranger In A Strange Land
05. The Writing On The Wall
06. Days Of Future Past
07. The Time Machine
08. The Prisoner
09. Death Of The Celts
Disc 2(62:42)
01. Can I Play With Madness
02. Heaven Can Wait
03. Alexander The Great
04. Fear Of The Dark
05. Iron Maiden
06. Hell On Earth
07. The Trooper
08. Wasted Years
09. Outro: Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life
Bruce Dickinson – Vocals
Steve Harris – Bass
Dave Murray – Guitar
Adrian Smith – Guitar
Janick Gers – Guitar
Nicko McBrain – Drums
Shades 1808
