En Vivo! (Spanish for "live") is a live album and video by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. Filmed by Banger Films during The Final Frontier World Tour at Estadio Nacional, Santiago, Chile on 10 April 2011 and directed by Andy Matthews, it was released worldwide on 26 March 2012,[1] 23 March in Australia,[2] 27 March in the United States and Canada[3] and 28 March in Japan.[4]
The intention to release a live document from The Final Frontier World Tour was first announced in the press release for the From Fear to Eternity compilation on 15 March 2011, in which the band's manager, Rod Smallwood, reported that the concerts in Santiago, Chile and Buenos Aires, Argentina were being filmed for a DVD release.[5] On 7 April, Banger Films, the same production company behind the 2009 documentary, Iron Maiden: Flight 666, announced that they would be filming both concerts,[6][7] and reportedly used 22 HD cameras and an octocam (a flying camera which captures aerial crowd scenes).[8] On top of this, the band transported a gigantic stage prop of their mascot, Eddie, to South America specially for the recording, which, according to bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris, "wasn’t due to make his appearance until our European leg of the tour later in 2011."[9]
A gigantic Eddie stage prop was shipped to South America to appear in the video.
The release date, title and artwork were disclosed on 17 January 2012 as well as the news that it would also be available on Blu-ray, CD and LP (as well as the aforementioned DVD format, released in standard and special "steel book" editions).[8] In addition, the band confirmed that they had chosen their performance in Chile as the main basis for the release, with Harris commenting, "After much consideration, we chose the Santiago show as we felt it was one of our best performances of the entire tour and to play at the prestigious Estadio Nacional was a landmark moment for us."[8] Furthermore, the press release reported that the video will include the use of split screens, with director Andy Matthews later commenting that "Split screens are a way of showing several pieces of action at the same time. With Maiden, you have a dramatic wide shot of the stage, as well as six bandmembers, Eddie and an amazing crowd! We used this technique as so much is going on."[10]
Accompanying the concert footage, the Blu-ray and DVD releases include an 88-minute "behind the scenes" documentary, entitled "Behind The Beast", featuring interviews with members of the band and crew, documenting the entire Ed Force One leg of The Final Frontier World Tour.[11] Speaking about the documentary, Matthews explained that "I wanted to give a first-hand idea of exactly what goes on behind the scenes to put on an Iron Maiden show. I had 24-hour access to all that happens, as it happened, and it was a great pleasure to convey all the hard work and fun that goes into it. There are so many fascinating logistics involved."[10] The special features section also includes the promo music video to "Satellite 15... The Final Frontier", with an accompanying "making of" film, and the tour's intro video in its entirety.[8]
En Vivo! was met with generally positive reviews and received an 8 out of 10 rating from Metal Hammer, who stated that "the sound is a vividly punchy affair, while the visuals have clearly been captured by a small army of cameramen," although also commenting that the use of split screen "occasionally borders on overload."[18]Kerrang! gave it 4 out of 5, deeming it "a classic Maiden set," whilst describing the band as "metal's greatest, most rewarding live band."[17]About.com scored it 4.5/5, describing it as "flawlessly shot," "skillfully edited" and that "the audio is also pristine."[13] Both AllMusic and Consequence of Sound graded it 3.5/5 and commented on how "material both new and old... [integrate]... seamlessly into each other,"[14] while Consequence of Sound concluded that "En Vivo! is proof positive that six men in their 50s can still rock with the best of them."[16]
Classic Rock were more mixed towards the release, awarding it just 6 out of 10 and, although stating that "The 50,000 strong audience is, as expected, very loud and excitable. And the band's performance is, as usual, quite brilliant," argued that "Maiden's first live album, the epochal Live After Death, could never be topped."[15]
The "Behind the Beast" documentary was also praised, with Metal Hammer remarking, "Amusing, educating and endearing by turns, it adds a fascinating angle to the actual show and highlights some of the unsung heroes of the rock world,"[18] while About.com deemed it "a fascinating look in how a tour of this magnitude is executed."[13]Kerrang! were more critical, however, stating that "the awesomeness... depends on how much of a Maiden nut you are, and how interesting you find footage of blokes plugging cables into sockets."[17]
