Thursday night, I put on my “metal shoes” to go see Iron Maiden at Blossom Music Center. I pick up my tickets at the box office – fifth row…SWEET!

The tickets are on the left hand side, right in front of the stacks……did I bring my earplugs? Of course not.

So much for my ongoing effort to actually protect what’s left of my hearing. We won’t make any progress on that campaign tonight!

It’s the first time that I’ve seen Maiden in a few years, and to give you an idea of where I stand with Maiden, here are a few things to know:

1. My favorite Maiden show was at Nautica Stage (here in Cleveland) during the initial reunion tour with Dickinson in 1999.

2. Bruce Dickinson’s solo CD The Chemical Wedding is one of my favorite heavy albums of all time – so much so, that my friend Chris and I were disappointed when Dickinson reunited with Maiden, because it put the kibosh on what would have been a tour to support The Chemical Wedding. And Dickinson’s posthumous Scream For Me Brazil release documenting the sole Chemical Wedding-era live performance didn’t help to ease the pain.

3. My great Maiden regret – not going to Detroit to see Iron Maiden touring to support A Matter of Life and Death, at the Palace of Auburn Hills. As much as fans bitched about Maiden performing the new album in its entirety, I’m the guy that actually wanted to see them play that album live.

On to the review….

A visual survey of Thursday night’s Blossom crowd reveals t-shirts from Black Sabbath, Queensryche, Slayer, and a ton of Iron Maiden t-shirts. It’s not surprising that the predominant clothing color of choice tonight, is black. We must be at an Iron Maiden concert, but from which decade? Everything from the merch to the much-discussed Powerslave-era stage has a decidedly retro feel, and a definite sense of purpose. The tour is Iron Maiden’s 2008 “Somewhere Back in Time” jaunt that is currently making its way across the world.

Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson is putting his pilot day job skills to work, as he flies the band from date to date in a custom jet airliner emblazoned with Iron Maiden logos and artwork. Do you want to fly the friendly skies with Eddie, the bony longtime mascot of the band? I’m not so sure about that – what’s that they say about omens? Tonight’s Blossom date is packed impressively with a sea of metal fans from front to back, and pavilion to lawn, almost like we are at an Iron Maiden concert in the mid-80s.

Which is appropriate, since the musical focus for tonight’s show featured a gigantic cross-section of 80s Maiden classics, with the exception of 1992’s “Fear of the Dark.” “Fear of the Dark” brought groans from early internet setlist watchers, but the reason for its inclusion in tonight’s setlist is obvious – for better or worse, it’s become a fan favorite, with singalong from crowd in full effect, fists pumping in the air, etc. The Blossom concert slayed everyone in attendance with a setlist that simply wouldn’t disappoint.

Dickinson remarked mid-set that “there are some people here tonight that weren’t even born when these songs were conceived.” And hell, guitarist Janick Gers wasn’t even in the band at the time of conception! There was a large group of students from the Paul Green School of Rock in attendance getting a memorable night of education, and also a number of kids that were just YOUNG, and at an Iron Maiden concert – very cool.

Consistency at an Iron Maiden concert brings us Dickinson, the barely human “now you see him/now you don’t” air raid siren on vocals, bassist/principal songwriter Steve Harris singing along to every song, and the guarantee that chances are better than good that you will get “Hallowed Be Thy Name” to wrap up the setlist, something you can almost set your watch to.

“Two Minutes to Midnight” came way before midnight and got the crowd torqued up early for tracks like “Revelations,” which showcased the triple-guitar attack (yeah, THREE guitar players) of guitarists Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, and the previously-mentioned Gers. Murray and Smith are ageless, which probably has something to do with having to keep up with the always-energetic Dickinson, who was spot-on with tonight’s performance.

Although vocally excellent, Dickinson did seem a bit subdued tonight (which is still high energy compared to most,) and hung back crouching menacingly by drummer Nicko McBrain during the first couple of songs of the night. Many of the featured tracks in tonight’s setlist have been staples of many an Iron Maiden show for the average diehard, but accessorized with fire (times SIX during “Number of the Beast”,) a helluva lot of pyro, the elaborate stage, and Dickinson’s album-period appropriate outfits, it was clear why the Somewhere Back in Time tour is Maiden’s most successful tour in America in years.

Besides, how can you disagree with 13-plus minutes of “Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” complete with the original Live After Death-era “Riiiiime of the Anc-IENT Mariner!” song intro from Dickinson?

Answer – there’s no way in hell that you can disagree with that.

The encores numbered three, with a couple of tracks from Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (“Moonchild” and “The Clairvoyant”,) that were likely unexpected metal gifts for some. And yeah, we got “Hallowed Be Thy Name” as a set closer, too. Satisfaction was guaranteed, and delivered in the words of the concert-goer walking up the Blossom hill declaring tonight’s performance as “the BEST f-ckin’ Maiden show EVER.”

….put them in the Iron Maiden….