On June 22, Iron Maiden found themselves forced to interrupt their concert at the Paris la Défense Arena due to a power outage. Present on site, the editorial team tells you.
UPDATE : Iron Maiden released a press release regarding the events related to the June 22 concert. If they welcome the 37,000 capacity of the Paris La Défense Arena and “the exuberance of French fans,” they recall the power outage during “2 Minutes To Midnight” and the fact that an investigation is underway “to find out exactly what happened with the electricity. » They explain that the curfew, initially scheduled for 11 p.m., was brought forward to 11:30 p.m., but could not be extended due to the end of the public transport service, scheduled for 12:15 a.m. and “could not leave more than 30,000 fans in the streets without the possibility of returning home. »
The group also recalls that the concert was filmed “for posterity and later release. » “Despite everything, the audience and the atmosphere were fantastic and, like every challenge that Iron Maiden In all these years, we will find a way to deal with the missing pieces of the encore in the final cut” assures singer Bruce Dickinson. “We know that many of you came from far away, waited patiently during the interruption and wanted to enjoy a full concert. We are as disappointed as you. No one is as frustrated as the group and the technical team. We did everything to give you the concert you deserved. »
He continues by congratulating the audience even more: “What we will remember most about this evening is the incredible fervor in this arena. Your patience, understanding and unwavering support despite this difficult situation mean a lot to us. The energy in the room was remarkable and exactly what we expected from Paris. It reminds us why we love playing it. »
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It was under radiant weather and scorching temperatures that fans ofIron Maiden gathered en masse to attend their concert in the Capital, on June 22 at the Paris la Défense Arena. If the taste for adventure is not foreign to the most fervent fans, an additional reason pushes them to choose Paris as a destination to see the British metal group. In fact, they film and record the Parisian concert, with a view to making a live DVD. Enough to immortalize this tour which celebrates half a century of career in the service of heavy metal.
Who says special date says special conditions: no mobile phone accessible in the pit. To do this, each holder of a standing place is invited to store their phone in a special pocket which prevents access to it, except in specific places within the room, outside the concert areas. An idea that worked during the last appearances of Ghost and Jack White, among others.
After a strong set from the Swedish melodic metal band Evergrey, Iron Maiden takes the stage on the thunderous “Murders in the Rue Morgue,” an extract from Killers brought out from the depths of their repertoire for this tour celebrating the group’s 50th anniversary. Bruce Dickinson, although French-speaking, explains that he must put the language of Molière in his pocket because “There are a lot of people in the world who don’t speak French. » The fans are delirious, the pit is incandescent, so much so that the cameramen present in the audience find themselves with tons of images to capture. All the conditions are met for an anthology live DVD.
Jo Hale / Redferns
However, after a good three quarters of an hour of frenzied show, the classic “Two Minutes to Midnight” finds itself cut off in the middle. The room is plunged into darkness for 10 minutes. The lights come back on and an employee of the Paris La Défense Arena announces on the microphone that a power outage has occurred and that the technical team is working to resolve the problem. A one-hour intermission follows, during which spectators must be patient, without knowing when the concert should resume.
Back on stage, the group is acclaimed, but the fans' ardor is dampened by Bruce Dickinson, who explains that the concert hall must observe a strict curfew at 11:30 p.m. and that it is impossible to negotiate an extension. After a squeaky “I prefer Bercy” and a touch of humor with “This is what not to do if La Défense shits on you,” Iron Maiden intones the epic “Rime of The Ancient Mariner,” an epic piece that closes the album Powerslave (1984).
The titles follow one another, from the hits “Run to the Hills” and “The Trooper,” to the epic “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son” and “Hallowed Be Thy Name” in a rapid and methodical manner, with an audience that manages to get back into the swing of things, up to the unmissable “Iron Maiden.” »
After the end of the title track, Bruce Dickinson announces the end of the festivities, because “the police are calling for the concert to be stopped. » So, no “Aces High,” “Fear of the Dark” or “Wasted Years,” initially planned for the encore, because the group must pack up. The lights come back on at 11:35 p.m. to the greetings of an audience in which enthusiasm and disappointment mix.
For the moment, neither the group, nor the promoter, nor the venue have released a statement regarding this incident, and the reason why this breakdown occurred remains unknown. The management of the Paris La Défense Arena assured AFP that an investigation was underway to determine the origin.
If the room's announcement indicated that it was a power cut in the neighborhood, the electricity supplier Enedis told AFP that the incident “would not be linked to a network problem but would come from the electrical installation of the Paris La Défense Arena”.
In the middle of a tour to celebrate its 50th anniversary, Iron Maiden has already given two concerts in 2025 at the Paris la Défense Arena and also made a stop on June 19 at Hellfest and will play at Groupama Stadium (Lyon – Décines) this Sunday June 28. This half-century of career was also the subject of an event documentary: Burning Ambition.
Setlist:
- Murders in the Rue Morgue
- Wrathchild
- Killers
- Phantom of the Opera
- The Number of the Beast
- Infinite Dreams
- Powerslave
- 2 Minutes to Midnight
- Rime of the Ancient Mariner
- Run to the Hills
- Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
- The Trooper
- Hallowed Be Thy Name
- Iron Maiden
