Review and Photos by Fred Kuhlman
Promoter: Lucky Man (https://www.luckymanonline.com/ )
Venue: Marquee Theater, Tempe, AZ (https://www.marqueetheatreaz.com/ )
Date: Sunday December 7th, 2025
Almost like clockwork, The Iron Maidens come to Tempe each year. I always try to make it to their show. These ladies do an amazing job of recreating Iron Maiden’s music. The thing I really love about them is that each time I see them they have a different setlist and it includes a number of deep cuts that you rarely every hear. Check out the their setlist below to see what I am talking about.
The current line-up consists of frontperson Kirsten Rosenberg, guitarist Nikki Stringfield, drummer Linda McDoald and bassist Wanda Ortiz. With the departure of CCShred, they needed to add a new guitarist. They have had a number of different guitarists filling in, but for tonight’s show, Steph Goyer had the honour.
It is always great to see Kirsten come on stage wearing a Red Coat and waving the Union Jack while singing “The Trooper”. Kirsten sings her heart out every time I have seen her.
I also like that Nikki and Steph traded off lead guitarist roles just like Dave and Adrian.
While not having as big of kit as Nicko’s, Linda is a monster on the drums.
Last but not least is the bass player, Wanda. For me she has one of the hardest roles of trying to mimic Steve Harris, one of the greatest metal bass players. I give Wanda a lot of credit, she does it exceedingly well.
If you love Iron Maiden music then I can recommend seeing The Iron Maidens. They are one of the best tribute bands around. I will see then again and again whenever they return to the valley. The ladies are amazing and their performance it top notch. Check out their website to see if they are coming to a city near you.
We had 4 Arizona bands perform prior to the Iron Maidens. The first 3 bands, Atomik Warfare, Doubleblind and Cosatomic each got a 30 minutes set. The fourth band, The Jack got 1 hour set.
To start the evening, was the Thrash/Black Metal band Atomik Warfare. It is a 3-piece band fronted by guitarist and lead singer Joel Rodriguez. Their style is a very fast dark form of metal. This is the second time I have seen them and, in that year, they have come a long way. They are much tighter and seem to be even more heavy and dark in their songs. I am not a real big fan of Black or Death metal, but Atomik Warfare put on a very good performance. It was also interesting to see Joel’s brother David (Show N’ Tell) join them on stage and play guitar allowing Joel to take the mic off the stand and move around the stage.
Next up is one of my favorite Arizona bands, Doubleblind. They are rock band from Cottonwood AZ. They consist of front-person and lead singer Trecia Taylor, guitarists Roy Sandoval and Alex Zimmer, Noah Pfeffer on bass and drummer John Westcott. Their last album, Snake Charmer was outstanding. But tonight, they performed all new songs from their upcoming album. If you love good old rock & roll from the 70s then you will love Doubleblind. You can catch them around the state at a number of different venues. Check out their Facebook page for upcoming event.
Next was a strange group called Cosatomic. This was my first time to see them and my friend John told me to expect some strange stuff on stage. Well, John was not wrong. Cosatomic music is a mixture of Punk and Metal and consists of Kent Johnson (Vocals/Synth), Jesse Montalvo (Guitar/Vocals (wearing the pink)), Jeff Ryan (Guitar/Vocals (wearing the yellow)), Leaf Schemelia (Bass) and Jake Victor (Drums). The first thing that happened was Jeff Ryan did a number of stage jumps during the first song, “Providence”. This is not strange for bands to do, but then it got stranger. The bass player Leaf Schemelia took off his shirt. Then a little later Leaf stripped down to only underwear. I haven’t seen something like this since Red Hot Chili Peppers. Not to be outdone, Kent took off his shirt and pants also. So not only did we get an interesting stage show, but they really did some great music. I would definitely go see them again. You can check out the stage production is the photos below.
Last of the Arizona bands was The Jack – An AC/DC Tribute Band from Tucson. It seems that the Iron Maidens and The Jack have a special bond because the last few times The Iron Maidens have had them performed at their shows here in Tempe. I have seen The Jack perform a few times before and they always provide an outstanding show. With so many great AC/DC songs to pick from, The Jack seem to always mix in a few new cuts each time I have seen them. They perform some of the best of including “Hells Bell”, “The Jack”, “Highway to Hell”, “Dirty Deeds” and my personal favorite “Back In Black”. Every time I have seen them, they were amazing and tonight was no different. Gonzalo Molano, plays Angus Young, and ran all around on the stage just like Angus. He was even dressed like Angus. Brian Bon Scott Johnson does a fantastic job of belting out the lyrics just like Brian Johnson does. If you get a chance to see The Jack I would highly recommend it.
Iron Maidens Social Media sites:
Website: https://theironmaidens.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theironmaidensofficial/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theironmaidensofficial/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ironmaiden
Photos © Fred Kuhlman 2025, All Rights Reserved
Atomik Warfare Social Media sites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Officalscythe/mentions/?_rdr
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atomik_warfare/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@atomikwarfare3862
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@joelrod1234
Photos © Fred Kuhlman 2025, All Rights Reserved
Doubleblind Social Media sites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jeromeoriginalrock/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doubleblind23
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DoubleblindbandAZ
Photos © Fred Kuhlman 2025, All Rights Reserved
Cosatomic Social Media sites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cosatomicband/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cosatomicband
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CosatomicBand
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cosatomicband
Photos © Fred Kuhlman 2025, All Rights Reserved
The Jack Social Media sites:
Website: https://www.thejack.band/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ACDCtrib
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thejack1068
Photos © Fred Kuhlman 2025, All Rights Reserved
Iron Maidens Setlist:
Wicker Man
Revelations
Still Life
Genghis Khan
Trooper
Heaven Can Wait
Number of the Beast
Can I Play With Madness
The Duelists
Running Free
Evil That Men Do
Caught Somewhere In Time
Hallowed Be Thy Name
Atomik Warfare Setlist:
Future Shock
Lust & Sleazed
Warriors of Evil
I Got The Rock
Overkill
Doubleblind Setlist:
Minds Eye
Swifty Road
Picture Day
Sleeping With Gypsies
Nosferatu
Faces
Cosatomic Setlist:
Providence (unreleased)
Prophet of War
Flaming Metal System
Breakfast in Space (unreleased)
Cold Fusion Heart (unreleased)
