werde hier mal auszüge aus den tourtagebüchern von nicko/rod/todd einstellen, sofern das rechtlich in ordnung geht. wenn nicht, bitte mir bescheid sagen (irenicus weiß auch bescheid).

Rod's Diary - Moscow, first show of 2011!
Published: February 11, 2011

3pm Moscow, sitting in room with laptop typing this before we go along for the first show of the 2011 Final Frontier World Tour. Only seems yesterday when we finished touring last year in Valencia where I went with Bruce Air! And now of course we have Ed Force One back, but a newer sleeker 757 with its new colours as you will have seen on the website. Looks great doesn't it.

Of course by Valencia I was already well into routing and arrangements for the 2011 touring. I like to get things set up as early as possible to give us the best opportunity to get the availabilities on the venues that we need -- the later you wait the less chance you have of getting the ones we want. The fact this leg of the tour is 66 days from Moscow to Tampa was a total fluke by the way, it just came out like that but 6's do seem to haunt us, it's quite incredible how often it comes up. Nothing sinister I trust! All the dates are set for this year although 3 festivals are yet to be announced but for any of you towards the eastern end of Europe it won't be long now

I travelled up to Stansted from Hove on Tues eve so I didn't have to deal with M25 traffic on a morning and it also gave me a chance to have a few beers with the Killer Krew, always a treat, honest!! Albeit expensive! The plane was due to leave for Moscow at about 9am but technical problems, hopefully our last, held us up for a few hours so we ended up arriving at about 10pm local time, 3 hours ahead of the UK. We were met with snow, sub-zero temperatures (which Floridian Nicko was NOT happy with despite being decked out in a Russian fur hat and jacket!!) and a great many (very patient) national TV news crews and press photographers, the result of which you can see on the website. When we land we have a couple of the guys and John McMurtrie our photographer and Andy M our film and IMTV man go down first if its steps onto the runway. Then, when they know transport is ready and everything is more or less under control, the band go down so the cameras can get them without Gaddsy in the way! Nice and smooth, Jan and Bruce had a few words on camera with the TV guys despite the cold (tough guys!) then it was off to our splendid hotel, drop the bags and up to the bar for a nightcap with Dave and Nicko, quickly to be joined by many of the others ending with staying up rather longer than expected although it was 3 hours earlier by our body clocks so probably wouldn't have slept earlier anyway.

Up in the morning and into the gym to be soon joined by Davey. I got in pretty decent shape for my Cuba bike ride last week,(I had to, it was tough!) and intend to keep it up. Famous last words on a tour like this. By the way because of all the tour prep I haven't got my thankyou notes up on the web yet but it is next on the agenda, so apologies to all of you who supported me on justgiving and the auction, it is much appreciated by myself and the two excellent charities.

The rest of the day was spent working on the laptop as usual then in the evening it was dinner with Sarah, Todd and Kath from our Phantom team and then to the bar where most of the guys and team were and again a later than intended evening!

Early today we had a meeting with relevant parts of the team to go through everything from media to guest lists to make sure everything runs smoothly -- it should have been yesterday to avoid this early start but some of the team were needed at the venue. You would think the show was more important than my meetings! The band always do a full and thorough sound check the day before the first show to make sure everything is to their satisfaction. After that, unless they are encountering problems, members of the crew do the soundchecks at every show and always end out playing Highway to Hell. Then took an hour for a swim - so both first two days I got to work out, for how much longer I wonder?

I am very much looking forward to tonight and the brand new set list covering a number of songs from the new album, of course, but also a healthy dose of "classics" as there will be so many new faces in audiences around the world, especially of course in Singapore, Indonesia and South Korea where we have never played before. It is terrific that in those places it looks like we will get a lot of fans coming along for their first ever Maiden show -- Singapore will be sold out out at about 12,000, Jakarta could be anything from 15 to 25,000, Bali is smaller and will sell out 7,000 and Korea is smaller still at just 5000, but still a great opportunity to visit there. And in Australia at the festivals we will have some 100,000 new faces at least plus our first visit to Belem in Brazil and the first time in Tampa in a long, long time. So there are a few songs we have to play, although not every one!! No doubt via the web you will soon know what those are.

The production is again everything we can ram onto the plane with other parts being built specially in each territory. Lights are provided locally and will be where possible/available (depending on the territory) be as good as last year (hats off to Rob Coleman for a terrific lighting design and operation) and as always sound will be the very best available and of course brilliant thanks to Mr Doug Hall. And of course there will be Eddie.

I am sorry to say that this will be my last regular diary, for a number of reasons, although I will contribute from time to time especially on special occasions. The reasons are partly that I won't be on the whole tour as I shall return home for a while to take care of business between Melbourne and Sao Paulo, but mainly the fact that I have written about shows in many of these places twice in the last three years, and often more before, so it needs a fresh pair of eyes on events. You can only say so much about anywhere. Also I can only do these if I do them properly, I have too much respect for you guys to fob you off with something rushed and badly written, and this takes some time to work out what to cover and then write up, especially as my typing is far from 100 words a minute!! There appears more and more to deal with on the Maiden front and that has to be priority.

So our new Phantom team member Todd Nakamine will be taking over with the regular diaries as from this first show in Moscow. Todd has worked with us for some five years in America based out of LA, firstly with our label and last year with our promoters dealing with media and other areas. He is a big Metal and Maiden fan and even went to two of the four legendary Live after Death shows at Long Beach in 1985 -- and has the photos to prove it. Believe me he knows his Maiden!! He is assisting me in many areas including casting a fresh but informed view over everything for the diaries. I do hope you enjoy them. They are certainly going to be more current than I was often able to do too!!

Todd is Japanese American as you can tell by the surname -- we went to a Japanese restaurant recently though and the staff were astounded when ...he asked for a fork!! Watching him try to use chopsticks is a remarkable experience akin to watching a cricketer facing up to a bowler but holding the wrong end of the bat. Or for you Americans a pitcher and a baseball bat.

This has taken a couple of hours so it's almost time to go. I am always nervous but excited before the first show on a tour especially with a number of new songs involved ( especially can't wait for Where the Wild Wind Blows, already one of my all-time favourites -- gives me chills down the spine)

So take care and wish us luck!!!!!

Quelle: ironmaiden.com IMOC
Todd's Diary - Singapore
Published: February 20, 2011

We flew out of Moscow some time in the afternoon on Saturday the 12th. Now we were supposed to leave at 3 but due to traffic, our car didn't make it in time so the flight was slightly delayed and the rest got on us a bit when we finally made it. This and the de-icing of the plane, which I'm told is very important. We finally landed in Singapore on Sunday at 9:00am after an exhausting 11 hour flight with a fuel stop somewhere I can't pronounce but near Dubai. Days were already becoming a blur and we were only on the second date of the tour!

The island of Singapore is located between Malaysia and Indonesia and surrounded by the Indian Ocean. About 23 percent of Singapore's land area consists of forest, nature reserves and rainforest, primarily Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. To the north of the Singapore River is the colonial district, with its many reminders of British rule.

We hit the tarmac after 9:00 am and again were met with a crowd of photographers and video crews and a lot of them were airport employees!!! Shouldn't they be guiding in planes or something?!?! When the hatch doors opened, I felt like I was in one of those British Invasion clips with all those screaming fans as the band waved and walked down the steps. It took us a little bit to get into customs as the band were pulled into photo ops with excited airline employees (again, what about the incoming planes?!? I guess meeting Iron Maiden is MUCH more of a priority than landing planes!). At some point Ian must have given "the look" and everyone dropped everything and marched in quickly. The WORST thing you want to hear is Ian look at you and say " Can I have a word?" You know you're in trouble when he calls you over.

What a difference in weather. We went from the sub zero temperatures of Moscow to the hot and humid climate of Singapore. I'm a California beach boy. I'm used to dry heat. Also, being a tour rookie, I was just a tad over-dressed for this this new climate with a sweater, jacket and jeans. I not only got it from the crew, I was soaked to the bone by the time we hit the tarmac. Rookie!

We were taken to the hotel in usual caravan fashion and after working a bit I decided, hey, I've been to Moscow so I am a well-seasoned traveller and can manage a trip out for food. I ended up taking a taxi around 11 at night to Mustafa Centre in Little India for a little bit of Indian food. I was a little reluctant to let the cab go but again, I was a seasoned traveller now. Fast forward to after 1am. I'm sitting in a taxi line for 20 minutes and finally decided to cut the line and grab one before they got to the taxi stop. Yeah...doesn't work. After over an hour of trying, getting hit by one in the process, I figured out that no one will pick you up by flagging so back to the line I went only this time much further back. I finally got back around 2:30 and crashed from exhaustion.

The next day was a non-show day as well. BTW-you NEVER says "day off" around here. Whisper it and expect some kind of response such "Oh you have a day off do you?". After some breakfast and a much needed shower, band photographer John McMurtrie, William from EMI and I grabbed a cab (after the night before I felt a little safer in numbers) to China Town for a look around before we had to be back to meet Bruce, Steve and Rod for dinner.

We got back, changed our shirts for the second time (very muggy) and met with Rod in the lobby for a beer. Bruce trickled down shortly after followed by Steve and off we went to Raffles Hotel, named after Singapore's founder Sir Stamford Raffles, for some food and the infamous Singapore Slings (fruit juice mixed with gin and brandy).

I don't recall all to much other than at some point someone said it would be a good idea to return to our hotel in one of thecycle-driven rickshaws outside the front of Raffles. Squished into one rickshaw on a tiny seat was William, a six foot journalist and Bruce, speeding along the streets of Singapore racing Rod, John and myself on a second rickshaw. All I remember was there was some haggling going on and apparently the next morning Rod phoned William and asked if he remembered what happened. William had no clue. "You idiot" Rod chuckled. "You paid the guy 50 quid for 10 minute ride! Over here you ask how much *BEFORE* you get in" Rod laughed. "What did you pay?" William asked. "Nothing! He asked me and I told him I haven't gotten any money and I pointed at the wad of bills you gave him and said to take it from there, its more than enough for a 10 min ride and I walked off!" We do not take kindly to our team getting ripped off!

My stomach never seems to quit and I was still hungry so I walked across the street to see what they had to eat at the food carts courtyard. Against my better judgment I decided to try some kind of Indian type burrito. It looked safe and there were loads of tourists and locals there eating so I figured, what the hell, I have a little Imodium at the hotel and I dug in. Very tasty. I did take out my camera to grab a few shots but it was so humid, the camera lens steamed up and this is all I got.

SINGAPORE -- Show Night

Finally, off to Singapore Indoor Stadium with Bruce, Rod, William and Matt. Droves of fans were waiting for the band as we pulled into the carport. Of course we jumped out with the usual crowd chants of the crowds gathered at the end of the carport and Bruce jumped out and waved to everyone as we walked into the venue.

I LOVED the Singapore crowd. There are so passionate about Maiden. I've never seen more Iron Maiden patches, flags and t-shirts gathered in one place. I also noticed how young the crowd and how many girls were in the audience. I would guess the average age group was between 15-35. They appeared to come from many parts of SE Asia inc the North Borneo Troopers (see pic), with a number also from India, Australia and, of, course, our regular friends from Finland!!

As I was standing there waiting for the band to come on, one of the things I found interesting was each section of security up front had a huge tub of water near them that they handed to the thirsty crowd. Never seen that in the states and DEFINITELY not in LA. Anyway, when the lights went out and the band hit the stage, the crowd went ballistic! The band sounded phenomenal and they really played off the intensity of the Maiden fuelled crowd. Production, lights, sound, everything was in top form but then again, that's to be expected. It is a Maiden show. Nicko even remarked he could hear the crowd OVER his drumming!

ex-pat (ie British) contingent in Singapore were quite laid back so it could be a quiet concert. We don't know how many ex-pats were there, certainly some, but they sure as hell weren't quiet!!! Little do they know of Maiden and their fans!

After the show we headed back to the hotel to knock a few down so the band could unwind. I got into a cool conversation with Adrian about the old metal/hard rock scene and bands like Saxon, Tygers of Pan Tang, Angel Witch, Thin Lizzy and of course Gary Moore (RIP). During the course of the night, fans would summon up the nerve to ask for a photo and autographs. Funny thing, the professional side of me wants to tell fans to please let them have a breather after they just delivered an amazing show to them but the fan side me completely understands this mentality. I've been there many times before. What amazes me is that after all these years Maiden is really good to their fans and always try to accommodate when possible. They get it. It's rare these days with so many big egos out there. Another thing that impressed me was that they just got off stage and here they are, Bruce, Nicko, Janick and Adrian, discussing the set list, the song order and how well it all worked. Always in show mode and wanting to give the best performance possible.

The next morning, off we went. Luckily the flight to Jakarta was only a hour+ flight. Up The Irons Singapore!

- Todd

Quelle: ironmaiden.com (IMOC)
Todd's Diary - Indonesia
Published: February 24, 2011


We landed in Jakarta on February 16 (the actual days are becoming a blur) for Maiden's first ever shows in Indonesia. This one was a really short flight, about 90 min, which is good after that long haul to Singapore. There was a lot going on for these Indonesia shows. Dickie had flown ahead of us from Moscow, straight through to Indonesia, to rebuild the stage so that it was safe for the band and could handle the Maiden lighting rig among other things. As I wrote in my last two diaries, it is REALLY important for the Maiden team to deliver a top-notch show and give you fans your money's worth. I think you can see now how extremely serious we are to deliver. The stage HAS to be both safe and function in top form so Dickie spent weeks busting asses to make sure these shows went off without a hitch, all the way down to the very last detail even if it meant rebuilding the stage from scratch, which they nearly did! He even had the locals do a Rain Stopper dance (not kidding) called the Pawang Hujan. The forecast was for heavy rains and wind so this rain master performed this ceremony to keep the rain away. IT WORKED! The sky was clear and the wind was almost non-existent but I'll get to that later.

Wow! What a greeting! There must have been over 300 kids outside the terminal. They were all screaming and chanting for the band, holding hand made signs. Felt like a football match. As we were waiting for our passports (Ian and Gaddsy yelling at officials to get on with it) we were finally let go after about an hour wait (and all employees got everything signed by the band). The pandemonium and screaming that ensued as we walked out the front doors was deafening. As chaotic as it was, the fans were very respectful to the band and families. There were no barricades holding them back, just a thin line of security and Jeff. They were conscious not to crowd the band too much and quickly backed up (still screaming) when asked although when Steve stopped to sign a few autographs things got a little nutty. For the most part, it was actually very controlled pandemonium if that makes any sense.

We had police escort (apparently it's the same motorcade that US President Obama used), this being my very first. All I can say is what a way to travel. We zipped in and out of traffic with sirens blaring. This is not only to get us from point A to point B, but also to ensure the band and crew's safety. Since this was the first time in Indonesia and there were so many news photographers and TV crews, we rushed back to the hotel and held a press conference with Bruce and over 100 media types. Bruce answered a stream of questions regarding the tour, the new album and one reporter even wished him a belated Happy Valentines Day in which he jokingly replied "Thank you but that isn't a question." Bruce is always a quick wit.

We were told by officials not to wander off from the hotel because we were westerners and because of the thick political climate, so most of my time was spent in the hotel. Since it was close to dinner when we arrived, we decided to wash up before and head to the hotel restaurant. What a spread! It was buffet style with everything you could imagine. Indian, Japanese, British. Chinese, Italian etc. I decided to go for English style (Roast Beef and Yorkshire pudding) and not sushi since I was eating with Rod and didn't want to become the butt of the joke again regarding my chopsticks handling. This crew is HARSH! I've learned very quickly that with this lot they can turn on you at the drop of a dime just to "take the piss out of you and watch you squirm." Everyone gets a turn at some point. I never had Yorkshire Pudding. It wasn't very tasty alone but spread gravy and meat on it and you're on to something, although I am sure Rod would disagree with this!

Next day was show day. I awoke to what I THOUGHT was buzzing traffic but as I gained consciousness, I realized it was prayers over a loudspeaker! I've only seen this in movies and news clips. I looked out my window and there was a Mosque across the way. lt is a Muslim country after all. It was really fascinating. After listening for a while, I threw on some shoes and went upstairs for a quick lunch with William and Matt, later joined by Bruce and John Mc. Soon after we all jumped into a string of cars and again escorted through traffic to the show. When we arrived there were police, army and security everywhere, over 500 of them. The kids were great though, VERY respectful, all 20,000+ of them. It was definitely a different audience. They knew every lyric and beat but they listened carefully so they could soak in every word without missing a single second of the show. The band was in true Maiden form and as Bruce shouted "Scream for me Jakarta," the place erupted. He joked around with the crowd about the big water cannons the police had ready to fire, although this never looked at all likely to happen with such a great crowd and was probably more to cool them down as it was very hot and humid the whole time here. All in all I found the people of Jakarta happy, generous, polite and really passionate for metal and Maiden.

The venue was next to the sea so they even had security on the beach to stop anyone gate-crashing in canoes!! Often at dusk any winds blow in moisture from the sea which would condense on the metal stage and cause some water problems but as the weather was so good, perhaps thanks to Dickie's rain dance, this never occurred. Every show seems to bring up a different problem, especially in new places, and the Krew are always ready -- this time with miles of waterproof sheeting just in case the mists or the rain storms hit -- it was in fact rainy season!

The next day we were escorted to the airport, right on to the tarmac to a waiting Ed Force One and off to Bali, which is one of over 15,000 island that make up Indonesia, with some 2,500 different languages!! The crew was grabbing what little sleep they could as Ed Force One took off for short hour and a half flight. We landed in Bali and greeted with a red carpet (seriously!) and again escorted by police to hotel where we were met by a staff with leis, cold towels and a passion fruit drink. We were in this huge open patio with only a hut shapedroof. I asked where the lobby was and someone pointed out we were standing in it! I could already tell this was going to be a good stay. The only thing was this humidity. My God, it was humid. I think the whole time I walked aroundwith a soaked shirt (day and night) and probably emitted a very unpleasant odor. I've never experienced humidity quite like this. I also have never seen such a beautiful place like this as well. It really was a tropical paradise. I got to my air conditioned room to dry off, opened my window to the garden and a bird flew right up to my window and planted itself right there on my balcony. It would return the next day as well.

After I washed up and cooled off a bit, I went downstairs for a dinner graciously thrown by William from EMI for any of us that couldmuster up the energy to eat. I was there! Also joining was Rod, Gaddsy, Ian, Janick and Nicko along with Matt (journalist). We had a four course meal consisting of duck, chicken, fish, prawn rolls and some vegetable dish (I didn't eat that) plus, what else, beer! I actually preferred my pina colada at the risk of being the butt of the joke, and of course Nicko had his wine. William half jokingly told Nicko to order the table a bottle of wine but not the most expensive. Being a gentleman, Nicko complied by ordering the second most expensive bottle. He is a man of his word! After having a few, somewhere around 10:30, some of us decided to go for a swim in the pool. I can't tell you how mind blowing it was swimming in a cool, refreshing pool under the Bali moon. Words can't describe so here's a photo.

After we ended up in the hotel pool bar until around 3am or so before turning in.

The next day was another non-show day so I figured I'd get some work out of the way so I could join some of the group (including Bruce and Janick) on a day trip to the Uluwatu Temple to check out the Temple Monkeys and see the Kecak & Fire Dance. After a long bus ride with a tour guide who seemed to go into stories not at all related to where we were going but what seemed like his own family background, we arrived at the temple. We were atthat point warned that the monkeys go after jewelry, glasses, can pick pocket you and unzip purses where some of the locals bribe the monkeys with food and grab the things they stole and send them back to the tourists. They can sometimes attack you as well. What have you gotten us into Zeb!? As we approached the temple there were monkeys all over the place! And yes, they not only jumped on tourists who were naïve enough to feed them, they actually went after Zeb and tried to open her purse! Scandalous primates.

We ended up at the top of the temple for the Kecak & Fire Dance. The view from above was breathtaking!
As our group was ushered in we actually heard "Bruce! Bruce" from the audience across from us. No doubt there are now photos of Bruce in someone's vacation photo album.

Kecak is a unique Balinese dance because it is not accompanied by actual musical instruments but a chorus of about seventy men imitating sounds of the musical instruments, telling a story and provide sound effects with only their mouths. The name Kecak comes from the chattering cak-cak sounds of the chorus. It was very infectious and Janick in particular seemed to really enjoy the rhythmic chants (I actually heard him chanting back). While I was sitting there, it REALLY dawned on me what a wonderful, once in a lifetime opportunity that was handed to me. As I sat under the Bali sunset, watching this incredible cultural performance, I realized, aside from working for one of the greatest heavy metal bands of all time, I was experiencing worlds I never dreamt I would WITH members of the band! Life is good.

When we got back to the hotel we immediately ate a nice dinner and went to the local pool hall for drinks. We met some of the crew and sat with some of the locals who offered us some food. A sealed package of Quail eggs. Yeah, as nice of a gesture that it was, I couldn't risk something going terribly wrong down there with a big show we had coming up so I pretended to eat it and discreetly put it in a napkin. They were smiling so I think they knew. William and a new friend Chris actually tried it. In the end, nothing went wrong so I am a little bummed I didn't actually try it but I just couldn't risk it.

The next day was show day. We headed out in a convoy of cars, police escort of course, to Garuda Wisnu Kencana. The venue was mind blowing! It was like stepping into The Temple Of Doom! Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) is a private cultural park at the southern end of the island of Bali in Indonesia. Bukit is a limestone plateau with Uluwatu to the west and Nusa Dua to the eastern. It is devoted to the Hindu god Vishnu, and his mount, Garuda, the mythical bird who is his companion. The statue of Vishnu is 23m high, although the original plan was for a 146 metre gold plated Vishnu riding Garuda on top of an 11 story entertainment complex. This was apparently the first metal concert held at this venue.

Fans from all around (Malaysia, Surabaya and even Denmark and of course, Finland!) packed GWK to capacity. Just before show, I was running around backstage dealing with press when word had it, Bruce being Bruce, had decided he wanted to climb one of those stone walls in the back, got about 10 feet up and fell to the ground hurting his foot! I thought Rod was going to bust a vein. They sat Bruce down, which is never easy to begin with, and iced his foot until show time. At show time, he shot out of a cannon like nothing happened, giving Bali one of the best shows of this leg so far.
Unfortunately I was distracted from part of the show because I was kept busy chasing around sneaky video bootleggers and pro photographers trying to make a free buck off the band. I wanted to talk to you fans about this and explain our point of view: There are always illegal bootleggers pushing pricey, subpar videos and photos into the market place and basically ripping you off on low quality bootlegs and knockoffs. Iron Maiden has always been about quality. When Maiden put out a live DVD or issue photos, we work very hard to make sure you get the best quality possible and not something below our very high standards. For the true fans I will always try and show you the utmost respect and give you a little warning and still let youwatch the show. I really don't like chasing those around who break our rules. Ok, enough lecturing.

Whilst the band carry a full show on the plane in some places due to technical or local conditions it cant all be used. ln this case the stage was on the flimsy side, high with just 8 "legs" and little cross bracing so the backdrop drapes couldn't be used as they would act as a sail in the wind and bring the whole roof and lights down on the band. lt was a only a breeze but even that with a huge "sail" was enough to be dangerous -- when it abated a bit as the evening got a bit cooler the Krew tried putting one up but with the rock walls either side providing a wind tunnel even this was not feasible and was quickly taken down. So if you were there you now know why this was, but it didn't dampen the show or the audience reaction.

After the show we went back at the hotel, Bruce walked in and said "I need a beer" and carried around a trash bag of ice for his ankle. If you don't believe me, see below (sorry for the bad quality. It was dark).

After a few drinks and some food, he went back to his room because he was flying us out the next morning!

The next morning we all gathered in the lobby ready to leave for the airport but not before one last "winding" of our group. This time Janick fell victim. As we were waiting for our cars, Janick turned for just a moment to sign some stuff for fans and Dickie decided to hide Janick's guitar. Janick is never without his guitar and was a bit panicked when he saw it was gone. Dickie let him off the hook and Janick took it like a true gentleman with a hardy laugh.


Off to Australia!

- Todd