That tour was my first maiden show. It was great, but not great at the same time.

The crowd was utter shit, and it was obvious the band was… difficult.

But holy shit did they manage to be professionals and perform balls out anyway. Me and my two best friends, plus this girl we knew. We’re out on the grass at this shitty amphitheater, way back from the stage. The place was maybe half full, with a biker gang having taken over a section to the right of the stage. So there was some bullshit with that.

The people in the seats were dead as fuck, even the drunk bikers. Just fucking sitting there, maybe doing a little banging here and there.

But us idiots in the grass were fucking hyped. Maybe a hundred people total back there, but everyone was on their feet, singing along, banging, just fucking enjoying the shit out of it. Fucking Maiden didn’t usually come close enough for anyone in my town to drive to a show without having to get a hotel or two. But I had a cousin that put us up :). Meant all we had to cover was gas, tickets, and food.

So the overall experience could have been better, but at least the band fucking killed it.