Iron Maiden: rock in Rio. How do you go about reviewing this title in a way that does not make you sound like you are on the payroll? If you a are a Maiden fan this is a title you must on, like it or not it is a resounding performance delivered by six men at the top of their game. The vocals are clear, the riffs are loud and the drum and bass is spot on. the only fault i have with it is that i wasn't there to witness this truly inspiring feat. there are not many bands out there nowadays that could pull of such a performance and from the intro to the end of run to the hills this performance delivers. Iron Maiden have since toured the world more than once, and released to more albums, Dance of death might not be to everyones taste but i like it and a Matter of Lfe and Death? the beast is back to its best!

To mark the release of their new (at the time) album "Brave New World", heavy metal group Iron Maiden took their show to approximately ¼ million people live in Rio de Janeiro. Now, I'm not a Maiden fan although I do know a couple of their bigger hits. Mainly a lot of metal sounds the same to me but the odd time I have been to a metal concert I have found that it works well for me in a crowd. So why did I watch this film then? Well partly out of interest – I knew it is so highly rated on this site because it had been viewed by fans and I was curious as a casual viewer.However my main reason for watching it was because earlier this week I watched Alice Cooper live in 1975 and enjoyed seeing the clichés that Spinal Tap spoofed being presented as real. However it did make me think about how stadium rock has grown from there to where it is now – and Iron Maiden are a fine example of what it means today. So where Cooper had people dressed in monster suits running over his stage, Maiden have a massive wicker man and hundreds or thousands of people in a state of the art show. Of course it helps to be a fan but if you do like metal even slightly then this gig is roundly good – you don't really need to specifically like Iron Maiden.For the casual viewer the gig is impressive anyway because of the scale of it but it did also give me enjoyment in seeing the modern rock clichés being played out (and I don't mean clichés in a negative way). So we get sweat, big hair, the wide-foot guitar playing stance and so on. It all suits the atmosphere of energy and friendly aggression from the crowd and I found the music more enjoyable than I probably would if I had just been listening to the studio album. The band themselves may be clichés but they do have great stage presence – Dickinson in particular runs the stage well and seems able to control a crowd this size.Overall then, understandably popular with fans but interesting enough for the casual viewer. The stadium rock clichés are in full effect and the heavy metal tracks all work well within the context of a massive crowd. I probably enjoyed it more due to the juxtaposition with the Alice Cooper concert but it is still an effect concert film.

On August 1, 2000, I witnessed Maiden's Brave New World Tour in Toronto. It was the opening show of the North American leg of the tour. This DVD captures the last show of the same tour, and it certainly captures the energy of Maiden's live performance.The concert is enjoyable for Maiden fans young & old, because the set strikes a balance between new material (6 tracks off BNW) and a good mix of the classics. Bruce injects new life into the Blaze-era tracks "Sign of the Cross" and "The Clansman", and this DVD shows why he is one of the best frontmen in metal, with plenty of running around, jumping, dancing, feeding (and feeding off!) the crowd of 1/4 million crazy Brazilians.The rest of the band are seen having the time of their lives. Nicko is all smiles behind the drum kit, Steve looks comfortable setting his groove, and the three guitarists gleefully take their turns soloing in the spotlight.There have been complaints about the sound quality of this DVD, but let's be honest: it's a LIVE recording and it sounds pretty good even if it was touched up here and there. Watching it makes me feel like I am right there huddled alongside my metal brothers, and for that I think it is a complete success. A perfect 10 for all Iron Maiden fans.

Iron Maiden are one of the worlds best metal bands and this DVD shows why. The sound is fantastic and the camera work is as well. Recorded live in front of 250,000 screaming fans this is Maiden at their best. In an age when most like shows are nothing more than lip synched dance party (Brittney Spears, n'synch, backstreet boys etc.) B.S. where the actual music is nothing more than an after thought, Maiden show what real musicians can do in a live atmosphere. Playing songs that span their 30+ year career these guys show no signs of slowing down. Bruce sounds great, Dave,Adrian and Janick all play their hearts out and unlike most of the bands that have popped up in the last 10 years Maiden plays quality guitar solos. Steve Harris is without a doubt one of the worlds best songwriter/bassists and as far as drummers go Nicko can't be touched. If you're a Maiden fan or metal fan, this is a must see/hear. Up the Irons!!!