Iron Maiden: Flight 666
Encyclopedia
Iron Maiden: Flight 666 is a concert
documentary film
featuring the British heavy metal
band Iron Maiden
. The film follows the band on the first leg of their Somewhere Back in Time World Tour
between February and March 2008.
Flight 666 is co-produced by Toronto
-based Banger Films, Inc
, known for their documentaries Metal: A Headbanger's Journey
, Global Metal
and Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage
. The film was shot in high-definition video
with accompanying 5.1 surround sound
produced by Kevin Shirley
(who has worked with the band since their 2000 album Brave New World). It was distributed by EMI
(except in the U.S., where it was distributed by Universal Music Group
) in select digital theatres on 21 April 2009.
and Blu-Ray in the UK on Monday 25 May (Tuesday June 9 in Canada
and in the USA).
The soundtrack went on sale Friday 22 May digitally from their official online store.
"Taking you on a visual global tour from Mumbai to Sydney, Tokyo to L.A., Mexico City to Costa Rica, Bogota to São Paulo, Buenos Aires, Santiago, Puerto Rico, New Jersey and Toronto and places in-between, you travel with the band and crew on the plane, to and from shows, in the bar and during leisure time, while experiencing the exhaustion and fan pandemonium that comes with such as mission.
FLIGHT 666 (named after the official airways flight call) reveals how the idea for this unique tour actually came about and how complex planning turned it into a reality. The documentary also contains some of the most spectacular live footage yet seen of the band, filmed in all of those locations and beyond. If you have ever wanted to see the inside story of a truly unique and worldwide tour, taking you to places you never imagined, Maiden fan or not, this is your opportunity."
and Metal Hammer
each gave the movie full marks, with Kerrang!
referring to it as a "unique peek behind the Iron Curtain" that was "not to be missed" and Metal Hammer
calling it a "continent-jumping, fire-breathing monster of a film". Outside the music media The Sun
gave it 4.5 out of 5, calling it an "outstanding Access All Areas documentary" and going onto say that "if you're not a fan, you will be after this". Empire
gave it 4 stars and felt that the behind the scenes antics were interesting, despite lacking in drama when compared to Metallica
's rockumentary "Some Kind of Monster
". Empire
went on to comment on the "magnificent" concert footage. Sky News
also referred to it as "a music documentary that really delivers where so many others disappoint". Flight 666 also won the "24 Beats Per Second" award for best music documentary at the SXSW Film Festival
in Austin, Texas.
with
Concert film
A concert movie, or concert film, is a type of documentary film, the subject of which is an extended live performance or concert by a musician ....
documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
featuring the British heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
. The film follows the band on the first leg of their Somewhere Back in Time World Tour
Somewhere Back In Time World Tour
Somewhere Back in Time World Tour was a concert tour by Iron Maiden in 2008 and 2009, focussed on the band's 80s material, in particular songs from Powerslave, Somewhere In Time and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son...
between February and March 2008.
Flight 666 is co-produced by Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
-based Banger Films, Inc
Banger Films, Inc
Banger Films, Inc is a privately owned music documentary production company in Toronto, Canada. It is owned by Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn. The company has 10 employees which produce full length documentaries focusing on the culture of heavy metal.-Filmography:...
, known for their documentaries Metal: A Headbanger's Journey
Metal: A Headbanger's Journey
Metal: A Headbanger's Journey is a 2005 documentary directed by Sam Dunn with Scot McFadyen and Jessica Wise. The film follows 31-year-old Dunn, a Canadian anthropologist, who has been a heavy metal fan since the age of 12...
, Global Metal
Global Metal
Global Metal is a 2008 documentary film directed by Scot McFadyen and Canadian anthropologist Sam Dunn. It is a followup to their successful 2005 documentary, Metal: A Headbanger's Journey. The film's international premiere took place at the Bergen International Film Festival on October 17th 2007...
and Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage
Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage
Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage is a 2010 documentary film directed by Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn. The film offers an in-depth look at the Canadian progressive rock band Rush, chronicling the band's musical evolution from their progressive rock sound of the 1970s to their current heavy rock style...
. The film was shot in high-definition video
High-definition video
High-definition video or HD video refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition video, and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1,280×720 pixels or 1,920×1,080 pixels...
with accompanying 5.1 surround sound
Surround sound
Surround sound encompasses a range of techniques such as for enriching the sound reproduction quality of an audio source with audio channels reproduced via additional, discrete speakers. Surround sound is characterized by a listener location or sweet spot where the audio effects work best, and...
produced by Kevin Shirley
Kevin Shirley
Kevin Shirley is a music producer and mixer for many artists, such as the bands Journey, Iron Maiden, Rush, Led Zeppelin, Joe Bonamassa, Marya Roxx, Dream Theater, Tyler Bryant, Mr. Big, and Europe.-Biography:...
(who has worked with the band since their 2000 album Brave New World). It was distributed by EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
(except in the U.S., where it was distributed by Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
) in select digital theatres on 21 April 2009.
Release
It was released on DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and Blu-Ray in the UK on Monday 25 May (Tuesday June 9 in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and in the USA).
The soundtrack went on sale Friday 22 May digitally from their official online store.
DVD Disc 1
- The Film: 112 minutes
"Taking you on a visual global tour from Mumbai to Sydney, Tokyo to L.A., Mexico City to Costa Rica, Bogota to São Paulo, Buenos Aires, Santiago, Puerto Rico, New Jersey and Toronto and places in-between, you travel with the band and crew on the plane, to and from shows, in the bar and during leisure time, while experiencing the exhaustion and fan pandemonium that comes with such as mission.
FLIGHT 666 (named after the official airways flight call) reveals how the idea for this unique tour actually came about and how complex planning turned it into a reality. The documentary also contains some of the most spectacular live footage yet seen of the band, filmed in all of those locations and beyond. If you have ever wanted to see the inside story of a truly unique and worldwide tour, taking you to places you never imagined, Maiden fan or not, this is your opportunity."
DVD Disc 2 & Soundtrack (Tour Setlist 2008)
For more information on the soundtrack, go to Flight 666 – The Original Soundtrack- The Concert: 104 minutes
Reception
Flight 666 was welcomed by overwhelmingly positive reviews from the music press and general media. Rock and metal magazines Kerrang!Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
and Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer is a monthly heavy metal music magazine published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and in several other countries by different publishers. Metal Hammer articles feature both mainstream bands and more unusual acts from the whole spectrum of heavy metal music...
each gave the movie full marks, with Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
referring to it as a "unique peek behind the Iron Curtain" that was "not to be missed" and Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer is a monthly heavy metal music magazine published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and in several other countries by different publishers. Metal Hammer articles feature both mainstream bands and more unusual acts from the whole spectrum of heavy metal music...
calling it a "continent-jumping, fire-breathing monster of a film". Outside the music media The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
gave it 4.5 out of 5, calling it an "outstanding Access All Areas documentary" and going onto say that "if you're not a fan, you will be after this". Empire
Empire (magazine)
Empire is a British film magazine published monthly by Bauer Consumer Media. From the first issue in July 1989, the magazine was edited by Barry McIlheney and published by Emap. Bauer purchased Emap Consumer Media in early 2008...
gave it 4 stars and felt that the behind the scenes antics were interesting, despite lacking in drama when compared to Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
's rockumentary "Some Kind of Monster
Some Kind of Monster (film)
Some Kind of Monster is a 2004 documentary film featuring the American heavy metal band Metallica. It shares its name with the song "Some Kind of Monster" from Metallica's 2003 album St. Anger....
". Empire
Empire (magazine)
Empire is a British film magazine published monthly by Bauer Consumer Media. From the first issue in July 1989, the magazine was edited by Barry McIlheney and published by Emap. Bauer purchased Emap Consumer Media in early 2008...
went on to comment on the "magnificent" concert footage. Sky News
Sky News
Sky News is a 24-hour British and international satellite television news broadcaster with an emphasis on UK and international news stories.The service places emphasis on rolling news, including the latest breaking news. Sky News also hosts localised versions of the channel in Australia and in New...
also referred to it as "a music documentary that really delivers where so many others disappoint". Flight 666 also won the "24 Beats Per Second" award for best music documentary at the SXSW Film Festival
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
in Austin, Texas.
Charts
| Charts (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Finnish Music DVD Chart IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... |
1 |
| German Music DVD Top-20 Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
7 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification(s) (sales thresholds) |
|---|---|
| Finland Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland ry, or Musiikkituottajat for short, is the umbrella organization of recording producers active in Finland, with 23 record labels as its members.-Activity:... |
Gold |
| Germany Bundesverband Musikindustrie The Bundesverband Musikindustrie or simply BVMI represents the music industry in Germany. The association represents the interests of nearly 350 labels and music industry related enterprises.... |
Platinum |
Personnel
- Bruce DickinsonBruce DickinsonPaul Bruce Dickinson is an English singer, songwriter, airline pilot, fencer, broadcaster, author, screenwriter, actor and marketing director, best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden....
- lead vocals - Dave MurrayDave Murray (musician)David Michael Murray is an English guitarist and songwriter best known as one of the earliest members of the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden.-Biography:...
- guitars - Adrian SmithAdrian SmithAdrian Frederick "H" Smith is an English musician and one of three guitarists in the heavy metal band, Iron Maiden. He is also one of the band's regular songwriters and, along with bassist Steve Harris, performs backing vocals on some songs.-Biography:While at school, Smith purchased his first...
- guitars, backing vocals - Janick GersJanick GersJanick Robert Gers is an English musician, best known for being one of the three current guitarists in Iron Maiden, along with Dave Murray and Adrian Smith, as well as his earlier work with Gillan and White Spirit.-Career and Personal Life:...
- guitars - Steve HarrisSteve Harris (musician)Stephen Percy "Steve" Harris is an English musician and songwriter, known as the bassist, occasional keyboardist, backing vocalist and primary songwriter of the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, which he founded in 1975...
- bass, backing vocals - Nicko McBrainNicko McBrainMichael Henry "Nicko" McBrain is an English musician, best known as the drummer for Iron Maiden, which he joined in 1982, prior to which he had played for Streetwalkers, Pat Travers, and the French political band, Trust.-Biography:...
- drums
with
- Michael Kenney - keyboards