Photos: Iron Maiden at Oakland’s Oracle Arena, September 10, 2019

Iron Maiden’s return to Oakland on the night of September 10, 2019 had all the hallmark of a classic Maiden show, even putting aside their “Legacy of the Beast” setlist that focuses only on their classic material. You know the deal, either because you’ve witnessed it in person at some point in your life or just from the oral accolades passed down through the generations: pyro! costume changes! set changes! a giant Eddie that comes out on stage to fight the band! Bruce Fucking Dickinson, more spry at 60, and a survivor of tongue cancer, than at any point in his life! Janick Gers and his patented leg kicks!

Iron Maiden’s Legacy of the Beast tour has all that and more, offering a new backdrop for every song, an epic battle between Bruce and Eddie, and a dual-fisted flamethrower backpack that Dickinson dons for “Flight of Icarus.” The setlist even contained songs from Brave New World (2000) and Dance of Death (2003), which are now old and beloved enough to be considered classics, and a couple from the Blaze Bayley era of the band. It was truly a catch-all performance running the gamut of Maiden’s career.

The only thing the band’s Oakland appearance was lacking was energy from the crowd, which Dickinson wasn’t shy about calling out, questioning aloud whether California’s recreational marijuana laws made the audience too sleepy. But the audience rallied, as did the band, as you can see from MetalSucks contributing photographer Simmons Tobias‘s photos of the night, below.