A few weeks ago, my dad celebrated his birthday in our usual family style. On the nearest Sunday, we celebrated with his favorite dinner and cake, with a few family members coming over to celebrate.

This year, my brother and I bought him tickets to see Iron Maiden at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The concert was about a week after his actual birthday, so in his card I forced several Iron Maiden song titles to make sure he understood. He was beside himself, and the next week, we went to South Philly after work to catch the show.

Thanks to heavy traffic and a closed Girard Avenue exit, it took us a while to reach the venue. We didn’t get down to the Wells Fargo Center until about 7:30 p.m., which was just fine with us. We weren’t too interested in catching the opening act, Raven Age. After parking, we hung out with the group in our parking area and chatted for about 25 minutes before heading inside.

Once inside, we got a few drinks and something to eat. We arrived at our seats right before Raven Age finished up and settled in for the show.

Although I grew up listening to Iron Maiden by way of my dad, I have never actually gone to one of their shows. My dad has seen them several times, but the last time was in the late 1980s.

The show was awesome, and while the band is definitely getting up there in age, they were awesome. Even at 61, Bruce Dickinson sword-fought a massive eight-foot-tall Eddie during “The Trooper” with vigor. It might come across as silly, but it was a lot of fun.

In the end, it was awesome to be able to give my dad such a meaningful gift with my brother.

— Erich Martin, assistant editor