The Hard Lessons | The Diggs @ Union Hall

Didn’t know much about The Hard Lessons other than the reports coming back from SXSW, but after tonight’s show I want to learn more. This trio has lots of energy and foot stomping sing along songs. I’m not that thrilled with their recordings, but in a live setting these guys are lots of fun.

The Diggs
finally release a full length called “Ctrl-Alt-Del” and it’s filled lots of drifting songs and tales of modern life angst. I’ve seen these guys a lot and I feel at this record release show, they played one of their most energetic shows yet. I really enjoyed the new tracks live and luckily they still played some of my favorites. Although not all their new stuff is as tight as in the past, some tracks are highly addictive and pointing to new directions. See them again on the 14th.

Pictures from the show. (soon)

http://thehardlessons.com/

http://www.thediggs.com/

Iron Maiden @ Izod Center

Revisiting one of their most exciting world tours, Iron Maiden stormed into the sold out Izod arena surrounded by their rabid fanbase. The elaborate stage was decorated with the Powerslave motif and became the main focus of the night. With the curtain closed and the Churchill speech being eerily pumped through the speakers I couldn’t contain the excitement of seeing one of my favorite and most influential bands of all time. There was so much energy in the room. Images of the band and fans were projected on 2 large screens including Air Maiden, the 747 that Bruce himself flies into all the cities for the tour. When the band came out playing “Aces High” the venue erupted and it was an early indication of how amazing this show was going to be.

The band was very energetic, especially Bruce Dickenson who continuously jumped and ran across the entire stage. With VIP tickets we were in the front pit to watch all the action up close and smell all the pyrotechnic gunpowder. They played probably the best set list any Maiden fan could hope for and each song included a set change to capture the mood of the song. Bruce would disappear and reappear out of these hidden doors with a different costume and singing each song perfectly. The music from the band was practically flawless as well. The beautiful artwork on the screens accompanied with fireworks and fireballs exploding on stage created a full sensory experience. The crowd was amazing which included parents and kids. One of the most amazing nights of my life.

They played for 2 hours with this killer set of songs: 01. Intro – Churchill’s Speech 
02. Aces High
 03. Two Minutes to Midnight
 04. Revelations
 05. The Trooper
 06. Wasted Years
 07. The Number of the Beast
08. Run to the Hills 
09. Rime of the Ancient Mariner
 10. Powerslave
 11. Heaven Can Wait
 12. Can I Play With Madness?
 13. Fear of the Dark 
14. Iron Maiden
—encore—
 15. Moonchild
 16. The Clairvoyant
 17. Hallowed Be Thy Name

Pictures and video from the show.

http://www.ironmaiden.com