IRON MAIDEN
SZIGET FESTIVAL
Óbudai-sziget - Budapest, Hungary
August 14, 2010

Iron Maiden played as headliners on the mainstage of the Sziget Festival in Budapest.

I went to the fest just for their show, but I also saw Kamelot, who were playing later at the MTV Headbangers Ball stage.

The Sziget is one of the biggest festivals in Europe.
All music styles are represented, it’s not a metal festival, but there are always a few metal bands scheduled.

I was there also in 2005, seeing Saxon and the reunion of Accept with UDO.

Sziget Festival is in Obuda Island, in the middle of the Danube and right in the city of Budapest.

It’s very big, but well organized, with several food stalls and some other attractions, it’s not only about music.

I arrived to the festival just for the Iron Maiden show and went straight to the left side, to be near Adrian Smith and Dave Murray.

Unfortunately the sound was quite bad.
The only instrument that had a good sound was Nicko McBrain’s drums.
Everything he played could be clearly heard, but the guitars and bass were not well balanced.

Also, Bruce’s microphone faded away several times and we couldn’t head him sing.

By the end of the show, the sound went better, but still it wasn’t very good. 

Another negative point was the audience. Very few people were moving, headbanging and even singing the songs.

Some would blame the setlist, but I don’t think that’s fair: even during the classic songs not many people in the audience were moving a lot.

I guess it’s just that the Hungarian folks are quite calm… or that there were not many Maiden Fans at the gig: The Sziget is not exclusively a metal festival so probably a lot of folks were discovering the band, which is a very good thing.

A lot of people raised their hands when Bruce asked if this was the first time they were seeing Maiden, and then Bruce said “So Welcome to the Iron Maiden family, everybody is welcome!”

Just like in Stockholm, Maiden played a setlist composed mostly songs from their latest albums: four songs from Brave New World, three songs from Dance Of Death, two songs from A Matter Of Life and Death, and one new song from The Final Frontier (the album was not released at the time of the show).

Six classics were played, most of them at the end of the gig.

To me the setlist was almost perfect.
I love Iron Maiden’s recent records, and after the classic tour Somewhere Back In Time it think it was right to honour them.

The only new song I they they could have kept away from the setlist is Wildest Dreams.

It’s a good song with a first-class solo by Adrian Smith, but they have done several better songs in recent times.
Different Worlds would have been most welcomed.

About the classics, Maiden played an amazing version of Hallowed Be Thy Name.

Then Bruce introduced the band and made us sing during Running Free.

He also threw his Beanie Hat to the audience, and wore a British policeman cap instead until the end of the show.

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Setlist Iron Maiden – Sziget Festival - Budapest, Hungary – August 14, 2010

01. Intro: Mars, Bringer Of War
02. The Wicker Man
03. Ghost Of The Navigator
04. Wratchild
05. El Dorado
06. Dance Of Death
07. The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg
08. These Colours Don't Run
09. Blood Brothers
10. Wildest Dreams
11. No More Lies
12. Brave New World
13. Fear Of The Dark
14. Iron Maiden
————————————
15. The Number Of The Beast
16. Hallowed Be Thy Name
17. Running Free

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