Blast From The Past: Iron Maiden/Testament/Corrosion of Conformity – July 11, 1992 – Atlanta, GA

Just looking at this line up alone is enough to cause your face to slide right off of your face.  I still remember this show like it was yesterday.  It was right after my high school graduation and I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate with my friends.  There were about 6 of us and we were so pumped to see this show.  We made our way to the merch booth and bought our Iron Maiden shirts.  We all managed to get the same shirt which is beyond lame but back then, who gave a rat’s ass?  Certainly not us.

Corrosion of Conformity hit the stage first and all we really knew about them was that they were once a punk band and now they were a metal band, and a damn good one at that. They had just released the album “Blind” and this would be their last one before they would go on to sound like the second coming of Black Sabbath. I don’t remember details other than the fact that they were really fucking good and the song “Vote With A Bullet” was a face melter. We were totally into them and it was a great way to start the night off.

Testament was a band that my friends and I were HUGE fans of at this point. I started listening to them when I first saw the “Over The Wall” video from “The Legacy” and was a fan ever sense. They were touring for “The Ritual” which was a kick ass album and opening with “Electric Crown” was a face melting mind bender and the set continued to bring it in a huge way with a mix of new material and classics. The energy of the audience was so high for all three bands but we were all on the edge of our seats waiting for the almighty Iron Fucking Maiden!

Back in ’92, we didn’t have the internet and mobile smart phones to spoil surprises by seeing the set lists of shows. We showed up not knowing what to expect so as the house lights went down, we were losing our shit knowing that we were about to see the fucking greatest metal band in the world. The band came out fists flying opening with “Be Quick or Be Dead” and we were losing it. People started lifting seats off the floor to make room to mosh and the lawn was one huge pit. It was so crazy. They then went right into “The Number of the Beast” which none of us were expecting so early in the set. Iron Maiden was playing with such a youthful energy and spot on delivery. We had no idea that Bruce was about to announce that he was leaving the band but looking back on it, I can clearly see now that he was going out with a bang. He was on top of his game vocally and in stage presence and I just knew that there was none better.

Just looking at the set list now, it was one of their finest moments. They did such a great job of mixing in the material from “Fear of the Dark” as I feel they picked the best songs from that album and they fit perfectly in with the classic material. The only thing that would’ve really sweetened the deal would have been to bring out “Judas Be My Guide.” I never understood why that song never got played as it was and is one of the greatest songs of their career.

The entire show was nonstop and the audience was out of their fucking minds. In my opinion, this was the last great metal audience I have ever been a part of. Since that time, I’ve been to shows where I couldn’t believe that the people were losing their shit over the bands. This night, it was almost as if everybody knew this was Bruce’s last hurrah for sometime because the entire crowd was nuts. The encore was a classic four way punch in the nads of Hallowed Be Thy Name, The Trooper, Sanctuary and a Running Free sing along that was so fucking intense that I lost my voice.

By the end of the night we were all walking out of their covered in sweat and still trying to express our excitement to each other with 1/2 gone voices. That night, Iron Maiden showed us all just why they are the greatest of the great. I’ve seen them many times since then and while they have been amazing each time, I can’t help but remember this particular show as being one stellar fucking moment. It was like they managed to catch and bottle lightening and then give it right back to us two fold. This is a show that I will never forget as being one of the greatest experiences of my life and forever an epic piece of metal history!

Testament Set List
Electric Crown
So Many Lies
Practice What You Preach
Souls of Black
Alone In The Dark
Return to Serenity
Trial By Fire
Sins Of Omission
Disciples of the Watch

Iron Maiden Setlist
Be Quick or Be Dead
The Number of the Beast
Wrathchild
From Here to Eternity
Can I Play With Madness?
Wasting Love
Tailgunner
The Evil That Men Do
Afraid to Shoot Strangers
Fear of The Dark
Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter
The Clairvoyant
Heaven Can Wait
Run to the Hills
2 Minutes to Midnight
Iron Maiden

Encore:

Hallowed Be Thy Name
The Trooper
Sanctuary
Running Free

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