I first saw this concert in 1987, fresh out of the box, in a friend's house who was/is a die-hard-core I'm fan. I WAS HOOKED.
I have had the opportunity to watch live shows on arenas, theaters, stadiums, videos and bars; and the emotion, the vive, and the adrenaline that I remember from watching this video concert again and again -until I gave it back to my friend, has only been surpassed by one arena concert I have attended.
I've watched other Maiden concert videos (Live in Japan, Maiden England, Rock in Rio) and in those the songs were too fast, too slow, too "play-it-couse-we-know-how-to"... in Live After Death, the minute you understand that only such Churchill speech is the perfect oppener for a British band that gets an adrenaline rush by looking at their flag, you know you're in for a bang. A such bang you get from the first chord blasting out of what appears to be one of the loudest concerts ever heard in the Long Beach Arena.
Oh man... the way Dickinson plays the crowd... yes..! Plays the crowd! As if the 52k+ attendees were his musical instrument! Watching this, listening the way the crowd helped Maiden's charismatic front man tell his doctor in England "Doctor, Los Angeles... destroyed... my hearing!!" is reminiscent of Freddie Mercury's heyday singing "Now I'm Here" in front of a packed stadium, but on steroids!
The songs are played at the only-way-they-should-be-played speed, enough to make your head bang with force but not so as the singer crept through the lyrics to keep up; something that happens a couple of times on the other Maiden video concerts.
Murray's & Smith's playing is clean-flawless (eat your heart out rock guitar player-wannabes!). McBrian's drumming is relentless, and every time he turns to the camera looks at it as of asking "Is this all you've got Los Angeles?" And of course, Dickinson, that guy never got old did he? If you think that he is intense on stage... you're right! That man has not slowed his pace in the 20 years since then!
The image quality is great for a VHS, and the sound it top of the line for its day. It is only too bad that if you want to see it, you'll need to find it under a box full of stuff in your oldest uncle's attic or pay 60+ bucks for it at a collector's trade show, in godd condition enough for you to enjoy it a couple if times, if you're lucky.
I would pay the 60+.
I know no Maiden fan who is not hard-core. Maiden has that, all its fans are hard-core followers. If you're not in the Maiden Army, it's because you have not seen this video... too bad.
Like withfullforce666 said, "This film really should get the re-mastering treatment and released as DVD at some point".
If you're a rock fan, having this concert in your video collection is a must, because it teaches everyone the true meaning of the title:
L I V E . R O C K . C O N C E R T.