As what looked like one-hundred thousand plus fought their way through abominable parking entrance lines and disinterested parking rent-a-cops, metal innovators Iron Maiden took the stage at Power Trip. The venue itself was setup like a tricked-out stadium at the famed Coachella main stage field, giant video walls were wisely placed for what seemed like miles and miles past the stage. This was a wise move, as the multitudes on hand who did not pay for the seemingly endless reserved seating sections, would have needed a telescope to actually see the stage from the general admission lawn. Still, the legions of classic metal fans on hand seemed undaunted by the logistical nightmares present and the voluminous venue structure. Steve Harris, Bruce Dickinson and Co. vaulted into a set that split the difference mostly between their classic album Somewhere in Time and their most recent offering, 2021s Senjutsu. Somewhere in Time’s “Caught Somewhere in Time” was the first of five classic cuts from that album that would make an appearance during the set. Rounding out the five were “Stranger in a Strange Land,” “Heaven Can Wait,” the elongated “Alexander the Great” and thankfully the grand finale number, “Wasted Years.”
From Senjutsu, the band dropped in “Days of Future Past” (no relation to the famed X-Men comic story), “The Time Machine,” “The Writing on the Wall,” “Death on the Celts” and right at the beginning of their one encore section, the positively epic “Hell on Earth.” The new songs have the trademark teeth, bombast flow and gallop the band has always been famous for. The guitar work by Dave Murray, Adrian Smith and Janick Gers was pretty much spotless, honestly entirely as expected, as all three are workmen of the highest order. Steve Harris and his one-of-a-kind bass playing is and has always been the spiritual and fan beloved backbone of the band. Bruce Dickinson puts in real work playing the frontman role and keeping the drama and intensity at a high. The unenviable part of all this for Iron Maiden as a band, is how many songs in a two-hour set they did not play. There could have been a solid two hours more just playing the choice cuts fans are dying for, there’s just no time for it. The band is known for this though, alternating between tours that include larger sections of more recent material, then tours packed with their hits and unforgettable numbers. The dedicated Maiden fans present, beyond the songs mentioned from Somewhere in Time, got only “Fear of the Dark,” their career starting track “Iron Maiden” and their World War II-harkening salvo, “The Trooper.”
Still though, the rich lyricism of “Wasted Years” would make for a smile-inducing finale to any show. Itself a rumination on warmly embracing the moment in an almost Zen-like fashion, not wasting time lost in worry for the years long gone. A look forward with pride and a solemn oath to embrace that life is always at its fullest only right now in this moment, “So understand / Don’t waste your time always searching for those wasted years / Face up, make your stand / Realize you’re living in the golden years.”
The advantage of Power Trip festival compared to your average daylong music event is there are literally only six bands playing the entire festival. On day one, it’s just Iron Maiden and Guns N’ Roses. So after a healthy set changeover, the capacity crowd was ready for the famed hard rock giants of the late ‘80s. Guns N’ Roses have long had a reputation of starting late in shows, both before the original members broke up and after Axl continued on with the band, only with hired hands not from the original lineup. This evening would be a sliver of that problem, as the band started about thirty minutes past their stated start time. This was a set filled with deep cuts, almost as if the rock giants had tailored this show with the hardcore GNR obsessive/nerd in mind. There were deeper cuts that average fans might not remember-including “Bad Obsession,” “Double Talkin’ Jive” and “Anything Goes,” coupled with tracks from Chinese Democracy-era such as “Better” and the album’s title track. There were also a bevy of covers that very neatly stitched together what are now increasingly obvious inspirations for the band’s original sound, among them Link Wray and his Wray Men’s “Rumble,” UK Subs’ “Down on the Farm” and The Stooges’ “T.V. Eye.” They also played both of their new songs, “Hard Skool” and “Absurd,” the first new tracks the band had done together since their initial separation in the ‘90s, quietly released online without much context or fanfare in 2021 and 2022.
This all amounted to what could arguably be considered a lot of lost time set against a gigantic crowd that is really starved for bands of this vintage ilk. Whatever rock and roll means to today’s world, it doesn’t have the unvarnished power that was common in late ‘80s rock. More accurate crowd estimates will come, but this looked and felt like one-hundred thousand strong all squarely in the pocket of fandom of what Guns N’ Roses does best. Along with extended Slash guitar solos in numerous cuts, the set had just a bit too much downtime. If you were a diehard fan of the band, you might have been impressed by some of these choices, but this is one set where if a lot of these lesser known inclusions were cut and more of the songs people adore from the band were played, it would’ve made for an absolutely amazing show. No “Yesterdays,” no “Dead Horse” and no “Don’t Cry” in this setlist, just in case you’re keeping score.
On the positive side, there were numerous cuts one would hope for sprinkled amidst the other deeper cuts. “Mr. Brownstone,” “It’s So Easy” and “Welcome to the Jungle” all made an appearance in the first third of the set. Far later, “You Could Be Mine” and “Estranged” came in as a nice one-two punch after momentum had been lost. “Live and Let Die” brought the crowd back to their feet in a joyous singalong. “Civil War” from Use Your Illusion I had a similar effect near the latter third of the set. After an extended solo set piece for Slash to show off his unparalleled fretwork, “Sweet Child of Mine” was the glowing ode everyone fell in love with over thirty years ago. They also ended the set with many of their most beloved songs. Following a curious cover of Jimmy Webb’s “Wichita Lineman” they brought everything home without an encore break—presumably because of how late they started—with their cover of Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door,” acoustic ballad “Patience,” the foreboding fever dream “Coma,” the rollicking “Nighttrain” and the only song that could possibly end the set, “Paradise City.”
It’s hard to talk about this set without giving a close look at Axl Rose’s vocal performance. Rose has one of the most original voices in all of rock and roll history. Like a snarling hyena and at times a comforting old friend, there’s no one ever that could take such an unconventional voice and make it so likable and unforgettable. It’s impossible not to notice how the upper register of his vocals just seems to be a massive struggle for him. If you watch closely you can see him trying really hard to hit those higher notes and not being able to make it a lot of the time. Sometimes he artfully avoids the parts that are hard to achieve, while others he tries his best and it just doesn’t sound quite like what you remember. What can be said is that he has lost none of the charisma and drive to be one of the best frontmen in the business. No one else could lead this band, but like The Smashing Pumpkins, some fans might not be able to enjoy this the way they remember when hearing so many intricate vocal lines being delivered so differently. It’s important to remember, people’s voice’s change over time. At thirty years on, some notes and register’s just change. We all age and our bodies degrade, there’s really nothing to be done about it. It’s a weird dichotomy perhaps given that this is a rock festival centered mostly on the giants of the previous generation, but the only thing you can do is appreciate Axl Rose for the singer he is now, not the singer he was. And if you doubt this assertion, imagine if Led Zeppelin reunited right now and did a big tour. Do you think Robert Plant would sound the way all those classic records did?
With that said, every other part of Guns N’ Roses sounds as raw and vital as it ever did. Slash and Duff McKagan play their instruments almost flawlessly, punctuating each song with every bit of nuance and control necessary to make them more than just power chords blasted out angrily. There’s no wonder that the band can command such a massive audience, as about six of these songs are some of the most important the last four decades of music have to offer.
Setlist
It’s So Easy
Bad Obsession
Chinese Democracy
Slither (Velvet Revolver cover)
Pretty Tied Up
Mr. Brownstone
Rumble (Link Wray and His Wray Men cover)
Welcome to the Jungle
Hard Skool
Absurd
Double Talkin’ Jive
Reckless Life
You Could Be Mine
Estranged
Live and Let Die (Wings cover)
Down on the Farm (UK Subs cover)
Rocket Queen
T.V. Eye (The Stooges cover)
Better
Anything Goes
Civil War
Slash Guitar Solo
Sweet Child o’ Mine
November Rain
Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb cover)
Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover)
Patience
Coma
Nightrain
Paradise City
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