At 47 years in the music industry, Iron Maiden are one of those generational acts that have been passed down from parents to their children, with new fans consistently marveling at the energy and power of Bruce Dickinson and the band and dedication to theatrics often through band mascot “Eddie.” One of those father-son moments happened this week when Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke took his son Henry to see the legendary Iron Maiden at the El Paso stop of the “Legacy of the Beast” tour.
Word of O’Rourke’s attendance at the show started to spread when he was spotted standing in line to enter the venue and the photo was shared on social media. “Politics aside, respect,” offered the person who initially shared the shot.
O’Rourke later acknowledged his attendance at the show, revealing that he shared the experience with his son Henry, and calling it “one of the best concerts I’ve been to.”
The performance at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso had the metal legends playing a 15-song set with two encores, featuring such hits as “Hallowed Be Thy Name,” “The Number of the Beast,” “The Trooper,” “Run to the Hills” and “Aces High” as well as newer material such as “Senjutsu,” “Writing on the Wall” and “Stratego.”
While O’Rourke appeared to just be enjoying a night out seeing Maiden with his son, there were some cool points earned among the voting public. “Well you definitely got my vote now. Up the irons!,” commented one poster on the photo with his son, while another added, “I don’t know if there’s anything more cool than seeing the next governor of Texas waiting in line with his son to see Iron Maiden.” Others, meanwhile just acknowledged the awesomeness of having another metal-loving politician by posting Beavis & Butt-head headbanging and Bill and Ted playing air guitar. See some of the comments below.
O’Rourke’s musical tastes shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. In his youth, he was once part of a band with At the Drive In and The Mars Volta singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala.
Back in 2017, O’Rourke told the Washington Post of his music career past, “I wasn’t very good at it. [My father] won’t say it, but the expectation is: We didn’t take out loans for you to go to Columbia and then [play] in a punk band your whole life.”
O’Rourke started to make his name on the national level when he entered the senate race in Texas, narrowly losing out to another recent presidential candidate Ted Cruz. The politician is currently running for governor of Texas, with The Hill reporting this week that he’s trailing current Texas governor Greg Abbott by five points in a poll released by the Texas Politics Project.
Iron Maiden’s “Legacy of the Beast” run is currently making its way through the U.S. Be sure to get your tickets here.
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