Airborne: Bruce Dickinson from Iron Maiden jumps in the air during the performance. Antara/Andika Wahyu.

Iron Maiden played their first ever show in Indonesia last Thursday night.

It was an event marked by an overjoyed crowd of devoted fans basking in the glory of an evening spent with heavy metal gods.

Several hours beforehand, devotees were already congregating near Ancol’s Carnival Beach.

Seemingly sedate — but actually conserving their energy — hundreds of eager concertgoers clad in Iron Maiden gear milled about waiting to enter the venue.

But, Heavy Metal Parking Lot this was not.

If one isn’t acquainted with the documentary about tailgating at a 1986 Judas Priest concert in Maryland, the cult classic memorably featured the overconsumption of alcohol amidst youthful indiscretions in the hours before a metal show and what appears now – with the benefit of hindsight – to be some outlandish fashion.

Jakarta’s Iron Maiden fans were definitely experts in a more restrained heavy metal look, as male attendees’ hair flowed long, shaggy and free and tattoos ran rampant. Of course there was the requisite smattering of fashion risk-taking that added color to the sea of black: a reggae-inspired look, pink faux snakeskin pants straight from a Los Angeles hair metal outfit or the absence of a shirt entirely.

But the music was what brought people to Jakarta’s somewhat breezy shoreline on Thursday evening, where concerns about rain were happily proven false.

Standing in a sea of excited fans, the wait for Iron Maiden to begin proved a long one, marked by sweaty, over-heated bodies before the band even strummed a chord.

After waiting ever so patiently, the Jakarta audience was first treated to an opening set by Rise to Remain. They were a solid group and the ideal warm-up.

The temperature in the middle of the masses rose during that set and it was apparent the lead singer, Austin Dickinson, was battling the heat as well, jokingly asking for some air-conditioning. Funny.

Rise to Remain soon departed. The heat intensified.

And then Iron Maiden appeared and the calm of the last few hours erupted into celebration.

Bruce Dickinson, the band’s lead singer, showed off his powerful and distinctive voice throughout the evening, singing the band’s hits like "The Number of the Beast", "Run to the Hills" and "Can I Play with Madness" while owning the large stage.

Clad in a torn black t-shirt featuring the words “Psych Ward”, Dickinson’s superb vocals pulsed through a crowd that enthusiastically sang along fists held high.

And while Iron Maiden entertained the jubilant hordes, a glance toward a building under construction adjacent to the show revealed another angle from which to view the performance, as silhouetted against the night sky were the figures of even more observers, likely workers helping to construct the building.

This singular Jakarta evening was being experienced not only by paying fans but others congregated on the upper floors of that skeleton of a structure. They, perhaps, had the best vantage point for the scene below.

If wanting to be enveloped by metal greatness, the best spot was definitely near the stage, where Iron Maiden’s music was loud and clear.

For those who couldn’t handle the heat amid the sticky masses, the drink tent offered respite and a good spot to pass the time. But those ice-filled chests were not the only place to enjoy a cold beverage while Iron Maiden entertained. This being Jakarta, where the spirit of independent initiative is rife, a wise vendor could be spotted pushing his way gently through the heaving crowd with bottles of chilled water, Pocari Sweat and tea. Brilliant.

The man seemed to be doing a brisk business amid a crowd chanting in unison about beasts, hills and madness.

As for the band, another highlight was Iron Maiden’s guitarist, Janick Gers, who struck classic poses the entire evening. Watching his virtuosity one could almost be transported to another decade, except for the rampant Facebook updating and glowing camera screens.

The only distraction from the band’s solidly crafted metal songs was the odd stage decor, which harkened to some sort of post-apocalyptic military/industrial warehouse.

Metal heads: Iron Maiden performs at Ancol’s Carnival Beach last Thursday. Antara/Nyoman BudhianaBut that aside, Iron Maiden’s Jakarta show was a vigorous and compelling experience. It would not have been Iron Maiden in Jakarta without the torrid and sultry atmosphere created through a combination of the weather and the passion of the people — much like the city itself.

And so euphoric masses of black clad music lovers were able to enjoy many hours of classic heavy metal music on Jakarta’s shores, enhanced by an enthusiastic crowd, that shrewd drink vendor and the silent observers from above.

Beyond the masses a practically full moon shone brightly over the Java Sea, and after Iron Maiden’s final chords were strummed, the band’s fans, spent, wandered off into that all-too-rare heavy metal parking lot, the predictable traffic and the night. A child was seen being carried away, asleep, in his father’s arms, reminding one of the break between songs when Dickinson spoke of home and how Iron Maiden’s was Jakarta, at least for a few days.

So the satiated concertgoers returned peacefully to their own, to dream of future heavy metal shows as gratifying and memorable as this one.