Lords of the Ring
Wear & Tear went to see Iron Maiden at The Forum in Inglewood last night as part of their Somewhere Back in Time world tour and it was quite a rocking evening. I’d been a fan since the 1988 album Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, and having never experienced them live until now, this one was worth the nearly 20 year wait. The stage decoration was ancient Egyptian-themed with a pyramid backdrop and sarcophagi to match the art of Powerslave and all but one of the songs were from the ‘80s. Their undead mascot Eddie emerged at the end of their main set, a 15 foot tall version of the cyborg depicted on the cover of Somewhere in Time, and for a fitting touch stage hands briefly dressed it in an oversized Los Angeles Lakers jersey. Pyrotechnics, fog, and pillars of flame were some of the effects used to bring the music and lyrics to life as a sold-out crowd of 14,000 fans erupted at the numerous calls to “Scream for me Los Angeles!” Instrumentally they were about as tight as could be, so if you’re even remotely interested in the band, these are the shows to attend. For me, it was a throwback of sorts, but the group is entirely serious about taking this production all around the globe as they’ve already played India, Australia, and Japan in just this month alone. More US tour dates for this year were announced during the show; they’ll be back to Southern California at the end of May for two nights at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, once known as Irvine Meadows, where they’ve promised more elaborate props and an even bigger presentation at the outdoor venue. Given the opportunity, this concert would be well worth seeing again as an early start to the long, hot summer. “Up the Irons,” indeed!
Following a 122-93 blowout victory over the Atlanta Hawks at Staples Center yesterday, the Los Angeles Lakers visit Phoenix today to oppose Shaquille O’Neal in his first game with the Suns. Now that Shaq’s back in the Western Conference, playing for the Lakers’ playoff nemesis, there’s a good chance we’ll see more competitive fire from him than in recent years. This highly anticipated game will be televised on KCAL 9 starting at 6 pm and a Lakers win ties them with Phoenix for best record in the Pacific division.
Rain has returned to Southern California and, in glancing at an extended forecast, showers can be expected today through Sunday. While red carpet festivities at the Academy Awards this weekend are in jeopardy of being drizzled upon, that isn’t the only reason people are focusing on the sky. The US Navy is spending $60 million to destroy a faulty spy satellite by missile and this evening at 7:30 pm PST would be their first chance to get a clear shot if the weather and ocean swells cooperate. With only a 10-second window for a successful “kill,” they need to get it right the first time and only have until early March before it re-enters Earth’s atmosphere with the potential to release toxic gas. Read the entire news article here and keep your fingers crossed for a direct hit. Also dependent on visibility, if cloud coverage disperses enough, a total lunar eclipse and the rings of Saturn can be seen after 7 pm PST tonight for approximately one hour. The next total lunar eclipse isn’t until the end of 2010, so be sure to get outside and glance upwards for this rare sight that, unlike a solar eclipse, is safe to the naked eye.
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