Surely not a complete tour schedule for 2028, but, for example, an agreement to play (only) a limited number of the most important markets plus 1-2 small Eastern European countries to kick off the tour - I don’t see why something like that couldn’t have been discussed already.
RUN FOR YOUR LIVES 2026
- Thread starter Ledges Bitten In Dust
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Surely not a complete tour schedule for 2028, but, for example, an agreement to play (only) a limited number of the most important markets plus 1-2 small Eastern European countries to kick off the tour - I don’t see why something like that couldn’t have been discussed already.
Aggelos
Ancient Mariner
tours of this magnitude are planned more than a year in advance. especially considering certain markets do not have a lot of available venues of that capacity and multiple bands might want to play them. There might not be agreements signed yet, but plans and talks have most definitely happened.
CA Bryers
Ancient Mariner
My educated guess is that there will be activity in 2028, mainly due to Steve's admission that 2027 was a year off, and that he had to agree to it since "he's only one out of six." It's the nitty-gritty of it that we don't know. Does Dave actually want to retire? Will he make that choice after lounging in Hawaii for a year straight? Or is it just a year off because Bruce and Adrian want to do solo work?
That said, yeah, it does seem like nothing's really nailed down after these hazy tour-opening remarks from Bruce that put a big question mark on everything. The meeting Steve was talking about probably did take place, but if we're taking all this at face value, nothing's been decided.
matic22
Ancient Mariner
Knowing how they operate, I think they might make a decision during the course of this tour. That's the timeframe when TFP and RFYL were envisioned (2022 and 2024, both mid previous tour).
However, this time they might just determine a meeting date or studio time next year. Or maybe a deadline when the activities for 2028 need to be decided. Now, if Steve gets his way, I think we might get something like a O2 residency next year, but a proper tour is not happening.
I really hope that's not true. At least Steve knows that British Lion is about him enjoying smaller live shows,
but if Adrian really took his uninteresting, generic '70s hard rock so seriously that he wanted to put Iron Maiden on hold for a year because of it, I couldn't stop shaking my head.
matic22
Ancient Mariner
Adrian, Bruce and Steve want to tour with Maiden. I'm 99% sure of that. If that's not possible, they will tour with their side projects.
The problem is what do the other two guys want. And nobody, except the inner circle knows that. I'm sure that the 2027 touring hiatus was some kind of compromise to prevent any more lineup changes.
I'd say activity in 2028 is certain. It has been confirmed multiple times that they plan to keep touring, and why else would Steve be worried that a (potential) hiatus in 2027 would cause them all to get rusty?
In that case though, Steve lied in his interview. He cannot have been ootvoted then as he claimed.
3 to 2, or maybe even 4 to 2. (Simon will surely want the job and the income, why not?)
Shavasku
Ancient Mariner
I agree. Amazing performance.
It indeed crossed my mind a few times lately that Rod seems to play a bigger role in these kinds of decisions than he used to.
Maybe he was of the opinion that fans would be disappointed if a classic like Aces High wasn not included on the live DVD, and that it would be a flop otherwise?
matic22
Ancient Mariner
I think that it's not a democratic vote if somebody vetoes a tour. I think the original plan for 2026 was to be shorter, but in exchange for adding 2nd Euro leg, they agreed to take 2027 off.
Also, they might have some kind of internal deal of how many shows per year they would do.
Azas
The Holy Fact-Checker
Nicko just called. Apparently, he wants a word with you…
Poto
Ancient Mariner
Doubtful given it was announced from day one as 2025-2026.
I don't intend to disrespect Nicko in any way, but he was replaceable.
That being said, I really doubt that Steve would accept replacing/losing ANOTHER musician in such a short period of time. It'd go against the band's image. And also against Maiden's modus operandi. In contrary to other legacy acts from their era, Maiden always seemed to be a few guys who like each other and actually like working together. The reunion lineup was very stable for decades. Years ago (I think during the AMOLAD era), Steve even said that the band wouldn't continue without any of the musicians. We all know how it went, but parting ways with another musician of the current lineup just wouldn't look good.
I can't really imagine Maiden without Dave. He's been here from the beginning (the 1st record, of course - no one gives a damn about what was happening before that), the band's always been his priority. Hell, he's the one who starts playing Iron Maiden at the concert.
Also, would it be worth it? With only 1, perhaps 2 tours more? They don't have anything left to prove. Sure, in theory they still can continue playing good shows and releasing music, but we're talking about very few years of what may be. Nicko left before RFYL. This tour had to happen, it was almost mandatory. 50 years of artistic activity is a huge achievement, very few metal bands can say that they've been making and playing music for such a long time. It is a milestone that surely deserves an appropriate celebration. But after that? I don't see any big thing that could top it.
Of course, I wish all the best to the band and its fans. I hope we won't see anyone leaving the band. Just sharing my thoughts here.