The Iron Maidens Come To The OCC Roadhouse

Clearwater, Florida(October 21, 2022)

There are tribute bands then there are tribute bands. The former are fans of the bands they cover, have fun, and enjoy themselves on the local circuit. The later transcend to a whole other level. They become recognized and even admired by the original act. They go on successful tours and build their very own fan base. One band that clearly falls into this category is the Iron Maidens.

By name recognition alone it’s obvious that this is a group of women with a love for one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Formed back in 2001 in southern California, the band went through several iterations before settling on the current line up of Drummer Linda McDonald (“Nikki McBurrain”), singer Kristin Rosenberg (“Bruce Chickinson”), bassist Wanda Ortiz (“Steph Harris”), guitarist Courtney Cox (“Adriana Smith”), and guitarist Nikki Stringfield (“Davina Murray”) in 2012. In that time they have recorded three albums and done countless tours and festivals throughout the world.

With a packed house at the OCC Road House in Clearwater Florida the Iron Maidens reputation for a great time was abundantly clear. Everyone was decked out in Iron Maiden garb and excited for the show to begin. Finally, the band made there way to the stage. As instruments were picked up, the question was what would they start the show off with. As Iron Maiden has an absolutely massive catalog due to a decades long successful career there are no bad choices. When Kristin Rosenberg made her way onto stage wearing leather pants and a poofy shirt ala Bruce Dickinson the band quickly launched into “Rainmaker” off of the 2003 album Dance Of Death. For those that aren’t familiar with the Iron Maidens, seconds into watching them you’d know they were the real deal. These women rock!

As they made their way through Iron Maiden staples such as “Killers”, “22 Acacia Ave”, and “The Trooper” if you closed your eyes you’d almost think you were at an Iron Maiden concert. They were faithful to the original arrangements. Guitarists Nikki Stringfield and Courtney Cox expertly traded off solos just as Adrian Smith and David Murray would do. Wanda Ortiz laid down a galloping bass line that would make Steve Harris proud, while Linda McDonald was as rock solid as Nicko McBrain. During “The Trooper” Kristin Rosenberg even came out waving a Union Jack flag and changing to a United States flag just as Bruce Dickinson would do during the song. They even had Eddie; the infamous mascot of Iron Maiden join them onstage to thoroughly complete the vibe.

For nearly an hour and a half the Iron Maidens put on one hell of a show. With all the songs they played, it could have been a greatest hits album. They played some incredible songs such as “Wasted Years”, “Powerslave”, “Fear Of The Dark”, and one of Iron Maidens biggest hits “Number Of The Beast”. After a quick break to catch their breath, they came back to the stage and finished out the show with brilliantly played versions of “Aces High” and “Iron Maiden”.

If you are a fan of Iron Maiden, the Iron Maidens are definitely worth seeing. There is no denying their talent and stage presence, and clearly they have great chemistry together. Their show is rock solid, highly entertaining and the music is lovingly played to perfection. While Iron Maiden doesn’t tour as much as their followers like, you can certainly catch the Iron Maidens when they come to town and yell “up the irons” with all the other fans.

Iron Maidens:

OCC Road House: