The Garden. Madison Square Garden. Pure magic for musicians for many reasons.

Aside from the historic sporting events that have taken place here, there have also been monumental rock shows that have brought the house down, including the legendary filming of “The Song Remains The Same” by Led Zeppelin in 1973, where Janis Joplin performed her last concert in 1969, and where Elvis performed the only shows he ever played in New York in 1972.

There really is an electricity you feel when you first walk in, and makes you catch your breath when you look up to the ceiling. This is where most every band wants to play someday.

MSG has a big fat lofty spaceship looking ceiling for great acoustics, plenty of space for roaring crowds, and an enormous circular room to fill with sound..

But what happens when a band rocks the place so hard, it blows the PA system??

If you’re Iron Maiden, you punt. Quite literally.

Our British Heavy Metal heros returned to the Big Apple last weekend and played to a sold out crowd that included our Fox News crew that did a story in March on the band, and in a bizarro celebrity sighting world, Lance Armstrong and Kate Hudson. As Maiden fans rocked and sang along to “Powerslave” suddenly the guitar strings and Bruce’s voice were silenced, as if someone had turned off a big power switch in the bowels of the building. Some bands might retire backstage and have a beer, throw a fit, or ask the sound man to put on some music to keep the fans occupied, but not these guys.

done

The band turned to their second favorite activitiy … playing soccer. Die hard fans know that Steve Harris, bass player extraordinaire, is a die hard West Ham United fan. (I know, I know, they call it football, but for purposes of this blog, we’ll call it soccer due to the visuals). When the PA system blew, luckily, the house lights stayed on (can you imagine if the entire place went dark?) Someone busted out a ball, and the band started kicking it around on stage, much to the delight of the fans who were at first bummed about the power outage, then realized they were all a part of a very cool rock historic moment, THIS is definitely something you don’t see everyday!

You might remember, the story I did on Iron Maiden and “Ed Force One”. The band’s airplane that is the biggest, baddest, rock n’ roll flying tour bus that ever took to the sky. (you can You Tube the report)

It was an amazing experience as a reporter, and as a long time fan of the band to hitch such a ride, see two shows as a special guest (San Juan, and New Jersey), and get to know the band and crew. These guys are the REAL deal: professional, devoted musicians, and loyal to the core to their fans, collegues, and friends.

When we parted ways back in March, their longtime manager Rod Smallwood, told us they would love to have the Fox crew back as special guests when they returned on their tour in June, and true to his word, we were all invited along with our significant others to get “in the pit” at Madison Square Garden, and hang out with the band afterwards backstage.

Playing Madison Square Garden, is special for any band, but you could feel the energy in the air on this particular night, because Maiden hadn’t played MSG since 1983. Old friends, and new, came to celebrate and rock.

As I mentioned earlier, Lance Armstrong and Kate Hudson were there, which was sort of a surprise to see them. One minute you are minding your own business, the next, you turn around and see Kate Hudson singing along at the soundboard with one of your favorite Maiden songs. It actually stopped me in my tracks.

I guess though, you can never be too surprised in New York, famous people pop up when you least expect them on the street. Case in point, I walked right by Carlos Santana strolling down 7th Avenue earlier in the day heading towards Central Park, looking cool as a cucumber, in a beanie, suit jacket and slacks with his shades on… but I digress.

Being a former Rock DJ, I have been to a lot of shows, working behind the scenes, interviewing bands, and seeing all the hard work that goes into a show, that most people don’t get to see. I find that I am still impressed with the intricate maze of power lines, Marshall stacks, crew members and production efforts that goes into a show as big as Iron Maiden puts on. Check out the tech crew working the camera shots from every angle, and mixing it down to give cool view on the big screens inside the arena, so that everyone can feel like they have a front row seat. I love this stuff…and it never gets old for me

Another person I saw backstage was Eddie Trunk, FAMED heavy metal DJ in New York, he was really cool, and I was especially happy to meet him, because I have been listening to him for years, and watching him on VH1 and other networks that showcase music.

While we were talking, Nicko McBrain (Maiden’s drummer) came up to say hello, which was a lot of fun, note the “Pimp Cup” in his hand; need I say more? Nicko and I sat next to each other on Ed Force One when we flew from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Newark, New Jersey.. SUCH a nice guy, and amazing drummer, one of the best conversations I’ve ever had with a rock star, he is a true gem!

I can’t wait for next tour, which sadly won’t be for a long long while. Rod tells me they won’t come back to New York for at least two more years until after they complete their next album, to be recorded in the Caribbean. Mmmmm? So until then, I guess I’ll have to wait. Perhaps this would be a good follow up piece to do later on?? I’m in!