"Brighter Than a Thousand Suns" was the third heavy metal anthem that sounded from the stage of the Locomotive Stadium in Sofia on June 4, 2007, and that's exactly how the faces of the 30 thousand fans gathered there looked like - shining from happiness "brighter than a thousand suns" because of the fact that Bulgaria finally, for the first time ever,В witnessed a show by Iron Maiden fronted by Bruce Dickinson onВ native soil!

The start was given at 7:20 p.m.В with "The Axe" - a hit by the localВ metal veterans Ahat. For 20 minutes they warmed up the crowd as best as possible, offering four high-energy tracks.

The next 30 minutes were the time of Lauren Harris Band - the group fronted by Steve Harris' daughter, Lauren. Unfortunately, the quartet's hard rockin' music sounded too boring for most of the fans gathered, as they were waiting for something else...

And here they were! At 9 p.m. sharpВ we entered a "different world". Under the sounds of the opening track off their current album "A Matter of Life and Death" (2006), "Different World", they invaded the stage one by one - band leader and bass master Steve Harris, triple-headed guitar beast Dave Murray, Adrian SmithВ and Janick Gers, inhuman drummer Nicko McBrain, and finally the man himself - Mr. Bruce Dickinson!

One by one NWOBHM-evergreens started to flow from the speakers - from "These Colours Don't Run", "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg", "For the Greater Good of God" and the already mentioned "Different World"В and "Brighter Than a Thousand Suns" off the saxtet's latest studio offering, through "Fear of the Dark" off the 1992 same-titled release, back in time with "Iron Maiden"В and "Wrathchild" from the Paul Di'Anno era, the emblematic "The Trooper"В off "Piece of Mind" (1983), and the promised audio-pearls off the 25-year-old "The Number of the Beast" (1982) - the self-titled cut, "Children of the Damned", "Run to the Hills"... and... Lights out!

Was everything over? Of course not! Iron MaidenВ offered the obligatory encore with three more eternal 80's classics - "2 Minutes to Midnight", "The Evil That Men Do"В and "Hallowed Be Thy Name", and afterwards -В exactly 100В minutes after the start - the inevitable goodbye was said...

Photos from the event, courtesy of Svetoslav Dragiev / SME, can be viewed in our GALLERY.

And here's theВ complete setlistВ from Iron Maiden's show in Sofia on June 4:

01. Different World
02. These Colours Don't Run
03. Brighter Than a Thousand Suns
04. Wrathchild
05. The Trooper
06. Children of the Damned
07. The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg
08. For the Greater Good of God
09. The Number of the Beast
10. Fear of the Dark
11. Run to the Hills
12. Iron Maiden

Encore:

13. 2 Minutes to Midnight
14. The Evil That Men Do
15. Hallowed Be Thy Name

Words: Nicki Vassilev.