My "Best Gig" - Iron Maiden + Shinedown - Cardiff Motorpoitn Arena

The one gig that holds a permanent place in my head is the 2017 Iron Maiden gig in the Cardiff Motor point Arena. This would have been just another show if it was not for the context in which the show took place. The gig happened 2 days after the terror attack in Manchester at the Ariana Grande concert.

After the attack took place there were rumors circulating that the Iron Maiden gig would be canceled (understandably so), but the day came and the show went on. As we all shuffled into the arena there was an almost physical tension present and an all around uneasy feeling from staff and fans alike. Weirdly for a "Metal" concert no-one tried to push to the front, everyone just took their place in the audience and waited. The mad thing is that, even though Iron Maiden played an insane show, the act that really made it the best was Shinedown, the support act. The band started their set as they usually would with a high energy, "fist pumping" feel, only to bring everyone down to a dead silence. The lead singer then spoke about the attack and held a silence out of respect. It's what happened after that truly made the show, the singer spoke again and this time spoke in such a way that could only inspire courage, he spoke about fear and loss and rallied the audience into one mind that the band followed up by playing an anthemic tune that completely tore down any barriers up between fans. So much so that by the end of the set I was on some guys shoulders, who's name I do not know and haven't seen since and crowd surfing over the barriers at the front.

This was the best gig as it showed every one in that room that the power of music is pretty insane !