There are concert bills that feel like somebody raided the heavy metal history books and decided to turn the whole thing up to 11. Iron Maiden bringing Megadeth to Jiffy Lube Live on Sept. 11 was very much one such bill.
By the time the first notes rang out across the Bristow amphitheater, the crowd had already settled into that familiar concert-night rhythm: black T-shirts everywhere, plus denim, patches, and leather.
With old friends catching up and younger fans discovering songs written before they were born, this wasn’t simply another Friday night at Jiffy Lube Live. It felt like a heavy metal storm.
Megadeth had the unenviable job of getting things moving before one of metal’s most recognizable names took the stage, but Dave Mustaine and company didn’t treat the opening slot like a warm-up.
Megadeth opened with “Tipping Point,” immediately setting a sharp, aggressive tone. The band sounded tight, loud, and completely comfortable in the role of sonic wrecking crew.
Then came “Hangar 18,” one of those songs that can make a guitarist’s fingers hurt just by listening to it. “Sweating Bullets” followed, bringing out a massive response from the crowd before “Mechanix” pushed the pace even harder.
The set took another interesting turn with a cover of Metallica’s “Ride the Lightning,” followed by “Tornado of Souls.” The latter remains one of those Megadeth songs that seems almost designed to make guitar players question their career choices.
From there, the familiar heavy artillery kept coming. “Symphony of Destruction” turned Jiffy Lube Live into a giant singalong, while “Peace Sells” gave the audience another chance to shout along with one of metal’s most recognizable hooks.
Watch the official music video for “Symphony of Destruction” by Megadeth on YouTube:
Megadeth closed its set with “Holy Wars… The Punishment Due.” It was a fitting final punch from a band that has spent decades proving technical precision and sheer aggression can coexist quite nicely. It was fast, complicated, aggressive, and slightly unhinged in all the right places.
Then it was time for Maiden. The scale of the evening changed as Bruce Dickinson, Steve Harris, and the rest of the band walked onstage.
“Murders in the Rue Morgue” opened the performance, followed by “Wrathchild” and “Killers.” Right away, the set leaned heavily into the band’s early years, when Maiden’s sound was rawer and more direct. These are songs with history baked into them, but they didn’t feel like museum pieces.
“Phantom of the Opera” was an early highlight. It’s one of those songs that reminds you just how ambitious Maiden was from the beginning. The riffs move, stop, twist, and accelerate without ever losing the melody.
Then came “The Number of the Beast,” and that’s when the crowd really had something to sink its teeth into.
That opening riff remains one of those moments that needs no introduction. The audience knew exactly what was coming, and the reaction rolled across the lawn and seating bowl almost before the song had fully begun.
Watch the official music video for “The Number of the Beast” by Iron Maiden on YouTube:
From there, Maiden moved into “Infinite Dreams” and “Powerslave,” shifting between melody, atmosphere, and brute force without losing the thread.
And that’s one of the things that makes photographing a band like Iron Maiden such a challenge. There is always something happening. Lights sweep across the stage, costumes change, guitars rise into the air, and Bruce Dickinson owns every square foot of the stage. Meanwhile, Steve Harris is doing Steve Harris things with that bass.
Of course, no Iron Maiden production would be complete without Eddie.
The band’s longtime mascot has never been content to stand quietly as a backdrop. Eddie is part of the show, and his appearances give the performance a theatrical edge that separates Maiden from most of its peers.
Eddie prowled the stage, threatening the band members with a bloody ax, before Bruce got the best of him with a cheap-shot crotch grab, and the crowd went crazy.
The visual side of the concert matters, but it never overwhelms the music. That’s important. Iron Maiden has always understood that the spectacle works because the songs are strong enough to carry it.
The set continued with “2 Minutes to Midnight,” “Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” “Run to the Hills,” and “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son.” Each song brought another wave of cheering from the crowd.
Then came “The Trooper.”
There are moments at a Maiden show when the audience stops being an audience and becomes part of the production. This was one of them.
The final stretch was built for maximum impact: “Hallowed Be Thy Name,” followed by “Iron Maiden.”
“Hallowed Be Thy Name” remains one of the band’s great live pieces, moving from quiet tension into something much larger. “Iron Maiden,” meanwhile, brought the main set to a thunderous close.
Watch Iron Maiden perform “Hallowed Be Thy Name” live on YouTube:
Naturally, that wasn’t the end.
The encore began with “Aces High,” which is pretty much musical jet fuel, followed by “Fear of the Dark” and “Wasted Years.” Three songs, three different pieces of the band’s history, and a crowd that wasn’t remotely interested in calling it a night.
Megadeth and Iron Maiden represent different branches of heavy metal, but both have survived because their music still works when the amps are loud, the lights are down, and thousands of people are singing every word.
That was the real story of the night at Jiffy Lube Live. The songs may have been written decades ago, but standing in that sold-out crowd on Sept. 11, they didn’t feel old. They felt alive.
Iron Maiden Setlist
1. Murders in the Rue Morgue
2. Wrathchild
3. Killers
4. Phantom of the Opera
5. The Number of the Beast
6. Infinite Dreams
7. Powerslave
8. 2 Minutes to Midnight
9. Rime of the Ancient Mariner
10. Run to the Hills
11. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
12. The Trooper
13. Hallowed Be Thy Name
14. Iron Maiden
15. Aces High
16. Fear of the Dark
17. Wasted Years
Megadeth Setlist
1. Tipping Point
2. Hangar 18
3. Sweating Bullets
4. Mechanix
5. Ride the Lightning
6. Tornado of Souls
7. Symphony of Destruction
8. Peace Sells
9. Holy Wars… The Punishment Due
Here are some photos of Iron Maiden performing live at Jiffy Lube Live on Sept. 11, 2026. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Michael Sprouse/ Odd Rocker Photography.
Here are some photos of Megadeth performing live at Jiffy Lube Live on Sept. 11, 2026. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Michael Sprouse/ Odd Rocker Photography.
