En Vivo! (Live At Estadio Nacional, Santiago)

Iron Maiden have been the undisputed kings of metal since they hit big in the 1980s, and have enjoyed a lengthy and successful career that continues to attract more fans with every turning day, and play to sold out stadiums, arenas, and amphitheaters worldwide- all without the help of mainstream attention. And in 2010, the band embarked in a rehearsal leg for the Final Frontier Tour, only to return to the stage in 2011 for a full scale, cutting edge tour, playing to several countries in several countries worldwide! And En Vivo! is a depiction of one of these spectacular shows, which shows us that even after 36 years, Maiden still rule the music world with an iron fist!This blu-ray really does showcase Maiden at their best. Even more amazing show is that Maiden play to a sold out crowd of 50,000 (or so Bruce says) in a large stadium setting, with a setlist based on NEW material, with a few classics thrown in there for good measure. The fans go WILD with every tune and the band's energy is just unbelievable, considering how old they are.The band are in top shape, folks. Bruce brings back the mic stand for the first time since 1999, but even that doesn't stop him from giving it his all here. He still runs around the stage like a hyperactive 12 year old, and, which must have had men in the audience his age reminding themselves to hit the gym. And boy, he can hit the notes better than ever! The Talisman had me wowed, and was an indicator of the amazingness to come. Adrian improvises a bit here, and it sounds damn good. And Steve, Dave and Jan? Well, amazing as aways, I can always expect the best from my favourite band knowing I'm going to get nothing but the best :) and I'm beginning to think Nicko is an alien or something. That must be the only explanation for his being able to drum that inhumanly amazing!I was taken a bit aback when I found out that it was shot on 22 cameras, but have no worry here, the fast edits found on DOTR and RIR are nowhere to be found. Instead, we get split screens, and that manages to make the show feel more intimate as a result. We get to see Dave play a solo! And we get to see different things at once. None of the split screens are distracting and it feels like you can actually see everything for longer than 3 seconds.The video quality? Absolutely superb!!! No grain to be seen at all. Shot with 22 RED cameras, the cinematography looks incredible and you can see every pore on Bruce's face, every detail of the guitars, etc. You feel like you're there At the ery front. And the HD mix? Well, it's like you're at the barrier. Just incredible.The special features are very sparse. There's an 88 minute documentary called Behind The Beast, which I'm saving for the weekend. There's the Satellite 15... The Final Frontier video, there's a making of featurette, and the intro video for the tour.Simply put, this is a MUST for any Maiden fan. Maiden have never been this amazing, and I cannot wait to see them a third time on July 27th! Ive only 3 more words to say:UP THE IRONS!!!!!!

I am not going to spend too much time on the review of this Blu-ray, that has been done professionally and met with positive reaction (Metal Hammer 8/10, Kerrang! 4/5, Allmusic 3.5/5 and Classic Rock was the most critical with 6/10).That being said, personally, I liked the split screens. Every now and then it gets a little too much, but it really helps overall, as picture doesn't change every second or two like previous releases and it flows more naturally. I also enjoyed the sound, I think it's a little better than Flight 666, the base stands out more and gives more depth to the concert. Obviously the quality of the video is superb. Someone said here that it was filmed with RED cameras (which are top of the line cameras that were basically used for every single movie in the past few years). I don't know if that's 100% true, but nevertheless, it is in HD. The only thing about video is that sometimes Bruce's face is a little overexposed, obviously due to spotlights being aimed at him, but it's not too distracting.I saw them on this tour live and I was really looking forward to this release. I have seen their old stuff and although their 80s work is one of the most influential and highly acclaimed in the metal community, I really enjoy their new songs as well. What was very interesting is the documentary. It really gave an in-depth look into how everything is brought together. I probably liked it more than Flight 666 documentary.They are the same band as they were before, because they play for themselves. Going back to Live After Death, Bruce was always jumping like there is no tomorrow and Steve would run across the stage. Nicko was always a funny man out of all of them always making faces. Adrian and Dave, for the most part, were always standing next to each other on the left side of the stage. The only addition was Janick, which, again, didn't change either from their early 90 releases.I think the documentary really shows how they feel about what they do. They didn't fall apart years ago and blew their money off and then started reunion tours to get some quick cash. They've been around since 1975, and they are not going anywhere. They play more countries, bigger stadiums and their albums are hit after hit. Just look at their albums in the past 10 years, it's been steadily moving up in charts with their last release reaching nearly No.1 spot all over the globe.

I just turned off the TV and I'm currently listening to this Blu-ray with HD Audio 5.1, and ALL IS GOOD once again. Gotta love Maiden. New stuff, classics, its all the same formulaic stuff. But as I've preached many times, when it comes to Iron Maiden, you either GET IT or you don't. I developed my guitar chops on early Maiden tunes, so I've been a fan since day one. I buy every new release, unheard and unseen, and pretty much hope for the best.Unfortunately, as I stated in the title, I can't watch this Blu-ray! Way too frantic and UNEDITED. Split screen galore, and not the good kind, where it holds and you can watch several camera angles, your choice. No, when it split screens you get the split image (2, 3 or 4 different frames) for about half a second. Then its off to the next screen. Do we really need to see every angle, every moment? The job of a GOOD EDITOR is to DECIDE what to show and for how long. Direct our focus and then KEEP it THERE for a few breaths at least. During guitar solos, just one camera on the guitar player please. -is this not simple common sense for a rock/metal oriented recording?I realize this is an issue with many concert Blu-rays. This is not the first BD with frantic and hyper-speed, music video type editing. But it may just be the WORST I've ever seen. So Beware!So my tip, turn off the TV, crank up the volume. With Maiden, its about the music anyway which deserves 5 stars, the watch-ability factor get 1-star. Overall 3 stars.(Final Note: any Iron Maiden fans who have never heard Bruce Dickinson's Chemical Wedding album, should buy it immediately. It's what an Iron Maiden effort COULD SOUND like with a little musical/metal evolution, and hands-down RIVALS any Iron Maiden album in the last decade. Give it a spin.)

I purchased this hesitantly as id read the sound was good but "front heavy" for 5.1. I can confirm this is utter nonsense and the reviewers probably need to check their set up .The picture and sound is awesome and my only wish is earlier releases were this quality. A sign of getting old indeed but to see the band bouncing around and obviously enjoying themselves as much as they did in the early 80's gives us all hope lol 😆Its just a fantastic concert and quality documentary, recommended for old and newcomers alike.Ive dropped 1 star for overuse of splitscreen but thats just a personal gripe.

I must admit that as a life long Maiden fan I was unaware of this DVD's existence until I purchased Maiden England. I always knew the South American fans are amongst the most passionate of all Maiden's following and that they rarely get the chance to see their idols in the flesh and so when the Iron's billed a show everyone knew it was going to be huge!The concert itself is based on the hugely successful fifteenth studio, "The Final Frontier" and many of the key tracks are performed live together with an exciting romp through the back catalogue including the forgotten gem " Running Free". The band are on the top of their form and you can almost see the energy being fed back and forth with the crowd. The sound quality is excellent and each note played is crystal clear. The picture quality is sharp and crisp with the rich colours from the set and lighting coming through perfectly. The edits are frenetic and fast-paced consonant with the energy of the band, but are too distracting from the overall visual experience.The extras are entertaining too especially about the newly reconfigured Ed Force One that has re-defined global concert touring. It was moving when the band arrived in Japan at the time of the tsunami. Unfortunately, the fury of nature robbed the Japanese fans of an awesome concert but the band promised to make it up to them. My gripe with the documentary was that is was a little too similar to 1999's "Flight 666" but spending anytime with the Iron's is a privilege and a pleasure!En Vivo! Is a powerhouse of a concert and highlights the band on at their best and by the end of the gig, the crowd were exhausted but extremely satisfied. What a spectacle it must have been!!

I bought this primarily for the live set after watching them live at manchester where they were amazing.The picture and sound quality is fantastic especialy in Dolby 5.1 and that is worth the cost of the blu ray alonebut it includes so much quality for the price and is ultimately a bargin.The main thing i was suprised about was the quality of the documentary. I own Flight 666 and thought it wasbrilliantly done so i didnt expect too much from this.How wrong i was, it is fantastic and it goes into so much depth and is extremely interesting and if anything ithink its better although the two are very different and are a must watch for Maiden fans or just anyone who appreciatesgood music and the work that goes on behind the scenes.The only flaw i would say the Blu Ray has is the menu options are in a small font making it a little hard to read. I have a 40"screen and it still appeared small. just a heads upOverall i am extremely happy with this and would highly recommend it

It's fair to say that we've had quite a few live videos from metal's finest over the years, from 85's classic Live After Death to 09's excellent live/ documentary film Flight 666, but I have to say that En Vivo! is a cut above. To put it briefly, this is a tremendous performance in a massive venue before a fanatical audience, coupled with spot-on editing and production to make a truly tremendous package.The concert opens with a heart pounding build up through the first half of Satellite 15... The Final Frontier, showing the band and crew prepare for the show while ecstatic fans fill Santiago's Estadio Nacional, before Maiden take to the stage and launch into "The Final Frontier". As the excitement continues through "El Dorado" and "2 Minutes to Midnight", it's made perfectly clear that this is a band on fire- an immense performance which puts groups half their age to shame. Each member is on top form, with Dickinson in particular giving an overwhelming show, turning challenging numbers such as "The Talisman" into astonishing spectacles.The setlist itself is a masterpiece of ebb and flow, with the smooth intros of "Dance of Death" and "When the Wild Wind Blows" erupting through to high paced numbers like "The Trooper" and "The Evil That Men Do". Being The Final Frontier World Tour, there is a large amount of newer material here, but that is absolutely no excuse for complaint- recent tracks fit comfortably between old favourites remarkably well, a true testimony to the band's consistent song writing prowess. In any case, if you really can't give the new stuff the chance you know it deserves, then you really should have bought Flight 666 instead.The editing present is wonderful. In the past, Maiden videos were subject to almost dizzying cuts by Steve Harris, but those days are long gone. Andy Matthews, who also cues the video screens in all the band's live shows, adds a fresh perspective to the live footage, showcasing the concert with split screens which, while not being at all intrusive as first feared, gives the viewer all the action without cutting every millisecond to another shot. On top of this, the soundtrack is possibly Kevin Shirley's best live mix to date.As usual with Maiden videos, it is accompanied by a massive supply of extras, the highlight of which is the "Behind the Beast" documentary. For years I've been praying for a proper behind the scenes doc, showing just how each concert is really put together, from post-production to every show night, and am happy to say that this hour and a half long film goes beyond my expectations. Where Flight 666 spent all of its time on the band and their fans, this film instead shows the crew in action, a massively important part of the tour completely overlooked in the past. Another first for a Maiden doc is footage of the band in rehearsals and the stage set being built from concept to production rehearsals. If this isn't enough, there's another fascinating documentary going behind "The Final Frontier" promo video.To sum up, this is probably the best concert video I have ever purchased. Each minute is thrilling and is the closest to actually being at the concert as it is possible for a film to be (and I should know having seen the band live dozens of times).

Very good performance by the band. Nicko and Steve are solid and dependable as always, as is Adrian. Janick I thought did very well on most of his solos, which hasnt always been the case in the past. Bruce puts in an almost outstanding performance for me. During songs such as The Talisman and Coming Home the effort he puts into the song is seen all over his face, especially during Talisman. He definately still has the gift for me. I would love to know where he gets his energy from, not just during gigs but his life in general. I wonder if there is a biography on him?The only slight let down for me is Dave Murray, a hero of mine (the let down was only slight and probably due to the fact that I hold him, and still do, in such high regard). IT doesnt look quite right him playing a Les Paul and some of his solos are a bit suspect. Not quite sure why he is wearing all that clothing either?I played the dvd via my TV on PCM audio and thought the sound was fine. However, some are complaining about the sound quality on the Black Country Communion DVD, also produced by Kevin Shirley. Coincidence?I thought the editing was good - not the quick fire editing we saw in previous live dvds, which is good, and you get to see most of the solos! The split screen is a good idea and not overused.Overall, very good performance. One slight snag is the set list. I understand that they have to play the old favourites on each tour as many of the fans havent heard these live so it is inevitable that the dvd will include these so I am not complainig about that. But I dont think the Wicker Man fits well when it is not an opener as it was in Rio. It doesnt quite fit for me in the set list. There is already a song from Brave New World so I would have liked to see something from the X Factor or A Matter of Life and Death.Why only 16 songs? (Satellite 15 does not count). They used to play around 20 I think. Perhaps because the songs are getting longer....?Anyway, 4 stars. Good job.PS hope they release Live At Donnington on DVD. The editing and sound was not great on the VHS but the event was great for me.