The Good
Iron Maiden were on fire the night they played the Rock In Rio festival. This is one great performance by the band. They breath new life into some songs that I didn’t care too much for from the Brave New World album. Blood Brothers sounds particularly good here with the Brazilian crowd singing their hearts out. Another thing is that Bruce owns the Blaze-era songs included here (Sign of the Cross and The Clansman). His performance on these songs just helps show what a mistake Blaze was, but lets not dwell on that here…

Brazil must be a great place to see a metal show. The crowd on this is awesome. They are singing all the time and really give Bruce a run for his money in some parts. A good audience sing along really makes a live album stand out and Rock In Rio really proves that.

The Bad
“Cut and paste”. Anyone familiar with a computer is knows the term. On Rock In Rio, however it takes on a whole new meaning. Many people who have heard the original concert have pointed out that the album version contained some obvious overdubs. Bassist/co-producer Steve Harris has addressed the issue by stating that some vocal lines were cut and pasted to fill in where the crowd singing was not strong enough. That in itself wouldn’t be too bad, except it is painfully obvious in some of the parts. When Bruce yells for the crowd to sing and then sings the line himself, you know his lines were dubbed in. Now I’m not stupid enough to think that there is such a thing as a totally overdub-free live album, but the changes here are too noticeable and stand out like a sore thumb in some places.

The Packaging
The booklet has some nice pictures from the concert and includes all of the song lyrics. There isn’t much other included, but some other tour info or pictures would have been nice.

Bottom Line
To me, a “cut and paste” is the same as an overdub. The problem with Rock In Rio is that I can tell where many of these take place and quite honestly, this takes away some of the enjoyment of the cd. I would really rate this higher if it wasn't for this. On the other hand, the performance is fantastic and the crowd sound is probably as good or better than any live album I own.

March 28, 2002

DISC 1:
1. Intro
2. The Wicker Man
3. Ghost of the Navigator
4. Brave New World
5. Wrathchild
6. 2 Minutes to Midnight
7. Blood Brothers
8. Sign of the Cross
9. The Mercenary
10. The Trooper

DISC 2:
1. Dream of Mirrors
2. The Clansman
3. The Evil That Men Do
4. Fear of the Dark
5. Iron Maiden
6. The Number of the Beast
7. Hallowed Be Thy Name
8. Sanctuary
9. Run to the Hills