RUSH IN RIO

Richard MacLean

What can I say about the “Rush in Rio” concert? Well, really the only thing I can say
about it is that I fell asleep. I am not even joking. I respect Rush and their music, but I don’t
enjoy their music. I’d imagine that their music is best enjoyed by those . . . “under the
influence,” which is not my cup of tea.

So rather than talking about a concert that I didn’t really watch, I’ve decided to talk
about a band that I can honestly say is the greatest band to bless our time period. So what if
they’re not in the “Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame”? Any list including Madonna or Run-DMC
couldn’t be very important.

So first, I’d like to talk about the band members. They all are so advanced and unique in
what they do that it astonishes me. Steve Harris, on bass guitar, is the founding member of
Iron Maiden. He wrote a majority of the lyrics and music from the start of the band’s career,
but is not the sole song-writer. He really is the genius behind Iron Maiden. In an interview
with Bruce Dickinson, lead vocals, Bruce said that “every song put on an album goes through
Steve first, if he doesn’t like it then he’ll change it; distort it until he thinks it’s perfect.”

Not only this, but Steve is an astounding bassist. Most metal bands will have their lead
guitar(s) carrying the main melody, while the bass guitar simply plays root notes. That won’t
do for Steve; Steve will play his own riffs in between the riffs of the leads. Sometimes, he’ll be
doubling the melody, playing the same thing as the lead guitar. He throws in a lot of power
chords, arpeggios, and runs up and down the neck as well. Not only that, but he plays at
extremely fast speeds with only TWO FINGERS. Listen to the gallops of classics such as “Run
to the Hills,” or “The Trooper,” which most bassists would have to use a pick or multiple
fingers to play.

Though Iron Maiden has gone through many vocalists in its 5 decade existence, I believe
that Bruce Dickinson has always been, and will always be, the voice of Iron Maiden.
Somehow, he hits the highest of high notes, while still sounding like the manliest man to ever
be a man. His voice brings so much character to the songs of Iron Maiden, that it wouldn’t be
the same without him. This was proven when Bruce decided to pursue a solo career, which
was also amazing, and left Iron Maiden from around 1995-2000. His replacement was a man
by the name of Blaze. These years shall never be spoken of again. Seriously, I own every Iron
Maiden album EXCEPT for the two that were released with Blaze singing on vocals.
 Bruce is also an entertaining front-man. If you watch him live, he puts on a show that
people will never forget. Everything from costume changes between songs, to various props
and flags, Bruce is not afraid to use the ENTIRE stage during his performance. One second
he’ll be in the front, singing along with Steve (who sings every single word to the song, but is
normally not allowed to sing on studio albums), to standing on a platform two feet above
Nicko’s drum set, waving a British Flag in the air.

Nicko McBrain is the drummer for Iron Maiden. I myself am not a drummer, but I can
still see that he is a phenomenal drummer. During live performances and studio albums,
Nicko incorporates a variety of percussion equipment. Not only this, but he does more with a
single kick than most metal drummers do with a double kick. Listen to any of Iron Maiden’s
songs, “Caught Somewhere in Time,” for example, and you can clearly hear the flawless
speed in which Nicko plays with his single foot-pedal. I also think it’s pretty safe to say that
Nicko is probably the happiest drummer ever to live. If you look at any live performance,
every time that the camera switches over to Nicko, he has the biggest smile on his face as he
plays his complex fills. He’s the most social member of Iron maiden.

Now, onto my favourite aspect of Iron Maiden: their lead guitars. While it’s common for
a band to have a lead guitar and a rhythm guitar (or two), Iron Maiden brought a whole new
aspect to metal (and music itself) when they brought out their dual lead guitars. And they
didn’t stop there! Coming into 2000, when vocalist Bruce Dickinson and lead guitarist Adrian
Smith returned from both pursuing solo careers, Iron Maiden began their life with three lead
guitars.

The sound of these multiple lead guitars really gives Iron Maiden their unique sound.
They are most known for their duelling solos, their harmonic melodies, and heavy guitar riffs.
The guitarists of Iron maiden are Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, and Janick Gers (pronounced
“Yanick”). Dave Murray is the veteran guitarist of Iron Maiden. He was there ever since their
self titled, debut album “Iron Maiden.” Adrian Smith came into the picture in their second
album, “Killers,” replacing Dennis Stratton. Janick Gers joined Iron Maiden for the album
“Fear of the Dark,” following Adrian’s departure. Adrian then returned for their 2000 album
entitled “Brave New World.” This was their first album with three lead guitarists.

Each of these guitarists are extremely talented, but are very different in playing styles;
this is mostly evident in their soloing. While different, their styles complement each other,
bringing the sound that is “Iron Maiden” forward.
 Adrian Smith has a very melodic style of playing; this is mainly because he also doubles as a
singer. In Adrian’s solos, the notes have clear meaning, and express extreme emotions. This is
something that every guitarist strives to be able to do. Dave, on the other hand, is a very
technical player. His solos are filled with extremely difficult and complex patterns, while still
maintaining that aspect of clarity. Watching him live, he probably moves around the least,
due to the complexity of his solos and the massive concentration in which they require.

Janick, on the other hand, is the “performing” guitar of Iron Maiden. His solos are
almost always improvised on the spot, no questions asked. In an interview, Adrian Smith said
that “Janick will never play the same thing twice; he’s really a free spirit. Sometimes you’ll
just look over to Janick and say to yourself: ‘what the hell is he doing?(in a good way, not in a
“you’re ruining everything” way)’”. Janick likes to move around. A lot. He can always be seen
flipping his guitar through the air throughout concerts. Nonetheless, Janick is also a very
talented guitarist, and he completes the group.

This combination of characters makes a remarkable band. I believe that the music that
they make is comparable to classical music. The way that they combine the melodic
harmonies of the guitars, mixed with the variety of percussion and the galloping bass is no
different than the arrangements of some composers. Their songs are masterpieces, and if you
played them in an orchestra, they would sound as if they were designed to be played that
way.

So yeah . . . Rush in Rio was pretty cool.

Eddie is my favourite band member.