Heavy Metal anecdotes from half a year in Europe
As of this week, we’ve officially been living in Europe for six months, and yes, it’s been everything we’d hoped it would be. Amazing, life-changing, easily one of the best decision we’ve ever made.
And, as a heavy metal fan, I’ve been pleased to learn that metal (and metal fans) are everywhere. Whether it’s random graffiti on the walls:
Maiden graffiti around the corner from our apartment in Split. No, I was not the artist.
…street art decorating the metal gates that protect bars and shops:
Random bar that never seemed to open in Valencia, Spain.
…hard rock bins in local record stores:
La Gramola Discos record store in Madrid, Spain
…or just seeing random metal shirts in crowds of people, it’s clear that heavy metal is alive and well represented on the continent. For example:
1. On my first trip to Italy, the first thing any Italian person ever said to me was when we stepped off the plane onto the tarmac at Leonardo da Vinci International Airport in Rome. As we descended the stairs, the baggage handler at the bottom looked at my Iron Maiden World Piece Tour ’83 t-shirt and said (in English): “I Like your t-shirt. Welcome to Rome!”
At the Colosseum in Rome. All of Italy loved this Maiden shirt.
Later, when we arrived at our hotel, there were two men and one woman working at the front desk. Both men expressed admiration for my Maiden shirt. The woman asked, “Are they still a band?”, to which the men, looking at her as if she had three heads, responded, “Yes! Of course!”
We had arrived a little earlier than check-in time, so our room wasn’t quite ready yet. The woman said they would happily store our luggage while we waited, and pointed out the restrooms where we could change clothes after our long flight and maybe go out and explore a little while the staff finished making up our room. One of the men looked at me and said, “You? Don’t change.” The other man agreed, saying, “Yes, keep that shirt on.” I laughed and promised it would stay on, and we left to go grab some food.
A few blocks from the hotel, we were passing by a cafe with some outdoor seating, and the maitre’d gave us menus and asked us if we’d like to sit. We did, and a waiter came and took our order. When he returned with our drinks, he looked at my shirt and a big smile spread across his face. “I love Iron Maiden!” he said. “Last time they came to Rome, it was amazing! But I don’t remember much of the concert. I ended up in the hospital because I had sixteen beers!! What a night!” He laughed and went to fetch our food.
We left him a giant tip.
2. We spent the first part of October in Florence, Italy. Walking on one of the many crowded side streets headed towards the Piazza del Duomo, we noticed a woman standing outside a gelato shop leaning against the wall taking a cigarette break. She was an older woman, perhaps in her late 60’s with dyed blonde hair done up in a matronly bun wearing a brightly colored dress in the style of a 50’s Italian housewife covered by an apron from the shop. As we approached, swept along by the flow of pedestrian traffic, she pointed to my Judas Priest Sin After Sin t-shirt.
Judas Priest with a side of balsamic vinegar in Florence, Italy
Then she extended her index and pinky fingers, making the “horns” gesture, universally recognized as the symbol of heavy metal fandom.
“My favorite,” she said, pointing and smiling at my Priest shirt. “YES!” I responded, and threw my own set of horns right back at her delightedly, too dumbfounded to think of a more profound response. We both laughed as I continued walking and she put out her cigarette and went back inside the shop. Didn’t have time to take a photo, but meeting the gelato lady confirmed for me that my fellow metal-heads were everywhere, and their presence wasn’t always obvious. Just because they’re not wearing a black t-shirt or leather and spikes doesn’t mean they’re not part of the tribe.
3. In the Old Town section of Valencia, Spain, we were strolling around one afternoon looking for a place to grab a bite. We noticed a balding, scruffy looking older man coming towards us sipping from a beer bottle. He was dressed in faded black shorts and a black t-shirt, and he was saying something to me, but I couldn’t quite make out what it was. We had been approached a few times by street people, so I assumed he was asking us for some spare change. As he got closer, I realized he was speaking German, pointing at my t-shirt and enthusiastically declaring “Ist gut! Ist gut! (Is good! Is good!)” through a gapped-tooth smile. I was wearing my Mercyful Fate Melissa t-shirt.
Pasta, wine, and Mercyful Fate = an excellent combo
I looked down at his shirt and saw that it was a Slayer Reign In Blood shirt, and, by the looks of it, possibly an original from ’86, like this one:
My German is terrible, so I laughed and pointed at his shirt saying, “Ya, ist gut too!” Then we both threw the horns and high-fived each other as he took a swig from his bottle and continued on his way.
4. We haven’t seen much in the way of live music so far (though we’re hoping to attend at least one European metal festival while we’re here, we’ll see what happens). But we did manage to see one show in our current location of Split, Croatia. Locals have explained to us that not a lot of bands stop in Croatia when they tour Europe, and if they do, it’s usually for a show in the capital city of Zagreb. So the smaller city of Split gets a lot of tribute bands instead. One of the most popular hometown tribute bands is Made In Iron, a group that pays homage to (obviously) Iron Maiden. We caught their show at Split’s Klub Kocka in November, and it was an absolute blast from start to finish.
The entrance to Klub Kocka in Split, Croatia. Nothin’ fancy, but the perfect venue for a metal show
We’ve been fortunate enough to see the real Maiden in concert, which of course was thrilling, but the energy that this little tribute band brought to this club full of (maybe?) 500 kids was really something special. You could tell that the fans were just starving for this kind of music, and they soaked up every note as if their lives depended on it. The band played for over 2 hours, and the crowd sang every word to every song, including newer tracks, deep cuts, rarities, you name it. They knew it all, and even moshed to some of the faster numbers like “Be Quick Or Be Dead” (moshing is generally something one does not see at Maiden shows).
The crowd at Klub Kocka singing along to Made In Iron’s version of ”Flight Of Icarus”
We haven’t had that much fun watching live music in quite some time, and the Croatian fans were the reason why. Their energy was off the charts, and their unbridled, infectious enthusiasm was truly a joy to behold. We weren’t expecting much from a tribute band, but we left that night with big smiles on our faces, exhausted but eager to see what else Split’s metal community has to offer.
5. And finally, visiting Croatia’s capital city of Zagreb over Christmas, we were walking around the big advent display in the busy city center when we heard guitar music coming from nearby. We spied a lone street musician on the corner with an electric guitar hooked up to a small portable amplifier. As we got closer, the music became clearer, and we realized he was playing “Fear Of The Dark” by Iron Maiden. Guess which shirt I was wearing:
Me and my new friend in Zagreb sharing our love for Maiden.
I speak very little Croatian, but he spoke a little English, and though I didn’t catch his name, we were able to ascertain that we both had seen Maiden in concert, that they ruled, and that they were an amazing live band. We snapped a quick photo, shook hands, wished each other a happy holiday, and continued on our separate ways. Iron Maiden truly is the European unifier.
This is just a small sample of the many metal moments we’ve experienced so far as we reach the halfway point of our year abroad. With another six months to go and several more cities to explore (including, hopefully, some metal strongholds in Scandinavia), we’ve no doubt that Europe’s headbangers still have many more surprises in store for us. Bring it on, Europe.
Up The Irons!