The Official Book of Souls Tour 2016 Thread (Warning: Spoilers within!)

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Chasing Ponce De Leon's Phantoms
http://www.ironmaiden.com/iron-maiden-and-the-book-of-souls-go-jumbo-on-massive-2016-world-tour.html

VOCALIST BRUCE DICKINSON TO CAPTAIN AND PILOT A BOEING 747-400 JUMBO JET TO PLAY IN SIX OF THE SEVEN CONTINENTS TRAVELLING OVER 55,000 MILES (88,500km) AROUND THE GLOBE

“THE BOOK OF SOULS WORLD TOUR” IS EXPECTED TO VISIT AROUND 35 COUNTRIES
INCLUDING FIRST EVER CONCERTS IN CHINA AND EL SALVADOR

NEW STUDIO ALBUM “THE BOOK OF SOULS” IS RELEASED WORLDWIDE ON SEPT 4

IRON MAIDEN, whose new studio album The Book of Souls, their first for 5 years, will be released worldwide next week on Sept 4, are taking touring to a new level using a Boeing 747-400 Jumbo Jet (aka Queen of the Skies) for their World Tour next year. Vocalist Bruce Dickinson is currently in training for his licence to fly the massive four engine jet, which is almost twice the size and over three times the weight of the Boeing 757 used on previous tours in 2008/9/11 (see attached comparison grid). The new Ed Force One will take the band, crew and over 12 tons of equipment more than 55,000 miles (88,500km) around the planet with concerts in six of the seven continents (Australasia, Asia, North and South America, Africa and Europe) with The Book of Souls World Tour 2016 expected to visit around 35 countries.

Details of the precise schedule are currently being finalised and we will commence announcements of specific dates for the different territories in a few weeks’ time. However we can reveal that The Book Of Souls World Tour will open in the U.S.A in late February with Ed Force One flying in for three shows before, in early March, heading into Central America visiting MEXICO, followed by a much anticipated first ever concert in EL SALVADOR and a return to COSTA RICA. Ed Force One then proceeds into South America for concerts in ARGENTINA, CHILE and a number of shows in BRAZIL before flying back to the USA at the end of March for ten more cities covering the USA and, of course, CANADA in the first two weeks of April.

A long awaited return to JAPAN follows later in April, and then the band are delighted to be playing their first ever shows in CHINA before heading to NEW ZEALAND and AUSTRALIA for a comprehensive tour during the first half of May. Shows in SOUTH AFRICA, Maiden’s first visit there with Bruce, will be the last port of call before Ed Force One heads to EUROPE for a very extensive tour starting in late May and finishing in early August. This will the first time Ed Force One has ever been used on any European Tour dates (other than Bruce’s Fan Club trips to shows) and will provide transport there for at least for the first few weeks.

Bruce Dickinson comments,
“When the opportunity arose from my friends at Air Atlanta Icelandic to lease a 747 for The Book of Souls World Tour, of course we jumped at the chance, who wouldn’t? The greatest benefit of travelling in a 747 is that because of its colossal size and freight capacity we can carry our stage production and all our stage equipment and desks in the cargo hold without having to make any of the immense structural modifications needed to do this on the previous 757, the extent of which fans will have noted on the Flight 666 DVD. Although in reality we cannot carry much more gear the savings in complexity, time and cost make using the 747 even more practical. All we will need to do is “paint” it and move a few seats around, with the added advantage that there is much more room for band and crew – our Krew can almost get a row of seats each to catch up on sleep on the flights! Furthermore, it is marginally faster o.85 MACH and the range of around 7000NM (13,000 km) is much greater which means we will not have to make the refuelling stops we needed to with the 757.
“However, even though we have worked out the logistics of taking a plane of that immense size out on tour, I still have to learn to fly it before we can go anywhere! So, I’m currently doing my training to qualify as a pilot and Captain on a Boeing 747. I’m doing this at Cardiff Aviation, my aircraft maintenance facility in Wales, where we recently took possession of a rather splendid 747 simulator which I can’t wait to get practising on!

“We’re all really excited at the thought of bringing our brand new tour to fans who have never seen us play live before, and of course re-visiting all our old friends again too. You can rest assured we are all working hard to put together a spectacular show for our fans.”

The 747 is the world’s most recognisable airliner on account of its distinctive hump. With its impressive dimensions of 70.7m (232ft) length, 19.4m (63.6ft) height and a jaw-dropping wing span of 64.4m (211ft) this double-decker aircraft has a range of 13,450km (7,262nm).

Final dates, venues and ticket on sale times, along with full details of what Maiden fans can expect from The Book Of Souls World Tour, will be announced by territory starting in a few weeks’ time. As usual, where feasible, IRON MAIDEN Fan Club members will have exclusive access to purchase tickets before they go on general sale. Also, wherever possible, the Fan Club will again be running the First To The Barrier draw for privileged, early access to the venue to secure the best standing positions by or close to the barrier.

The Book Of Souls is Maiden’s 16th, and first ever, double studio album and is released 4 September through Parlophone Records (BMG in the US). You can pre-order the album here.
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We cannot wait to get back out on tour. When we start in the USA in late February it will be 19 months since our last show at Sonisphere in the UK so we are raring to go. Maiden thrive on touring and getting out to our fans, it’s what we do best, so it will be a great feeling to board our new Jumbo Ed Force One with the crew and the gear and head round the globe and get back on stage for you guys. We haven’t played in Australia and New Zealand for a number of years so it will be a pleasure to play for our Antipodean cousins again, irrespective of who wins the dates with destiny at Twickenham in a few weeks’ time!!

“Of course we haven't decided on the set list as yet and won’t until we start rehearsing but we really look forward to playing a number of new songs live, especially as the recording was so much live. However, as it’s been a while since we saw you all, I am sure we will include plenty of older fan favourites too. I think the fans will be delighted by what we have in mind. We are also in the middle of creating the new show and rest assured we are working hard to bring you all something spectacular, something with a lot of heart !!! You certainly deserve it for your patience.“


The support band on The Book Of Souls World Tour will be The Raven Age


Tickets for all shows go on sale at noon local time Thursday September 24.

As usual, there will be an exclusive pre-sale for IRON MAIDEN Fan Club members, starting Thursday September 17, details of which can be found here. Fan Club members will also be eligible in the draw to be ’First To The Barrier’.


Tickets for the Christchurch show will be via the authorised seller Ticketek New Zealand – www.ticketek.co.nz
Tickets for the Auckland show will be via the authorised seller Ticketmaster New Zealand – www.ticketmaster.co.nz
Tickers for all the Australian shows will be via the authorised seller Ticketek – www.ticketek.com.au

Both Iron Maiden Management and the Promoters Dainty Group urge the Public to only buy tickets from the authorised Agency’s listed above.

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THE BOOK OF SOULS TOUR DATES CONFIRMED:

2016
FEB 24 - Ft Lauderdale, FLA - BB&T Center
FEB 26 - Tulsa, OK - BOK Center
FEB 28 - Las Vegas, NV - Mandalay Bay Events Center

MAR 01
- MEXICO, Monterrey - Teatro Banamex
MAR 03 - MEXICO, Mexico City - Palacio de los Deportes
MAR 04 - MEXICO, Mexico City - Palacio de los Deportes
MAR 06 - EL SALVADOR, San Salvador - Estadio Jorge Magico Gonzalez
MAR 08 - COSTA RICA, San Jose - Estadio Ricardo Saprissa
MAR 11 - CHILE, Santiago - Estadio Nacional
MAR 13 - ARGENTINA, Cordoba - Estadio Mario Kempes
MAR 15 - ARGENTINA, Buenos Aires - Estadio Velez Sarsfield
MAR 17 - BRAZIL, Rio De Janeiro - HSBC Arena
MAR 19 - BRAZIL, Belo Horizonte - Esplanada Do Mineirao
MAR 22 - BRAZIL, Brasilia - Nilson Nelson Arena
MAR 24 - BRAZIL, Fortaleza - Arena Castelão Stadium
MAR 26 - BRAZIL, Sao Paulo - Allianz Parque
MAR 30 - New York - Madison Square Garden

APR 01
- CANADA, Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
APR 03 - CANADA, Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre
APR 05 - Detroit, MI - Palace Of Auburn Hills
APR 06 - Chicago, IL - United Center
APR 08 - Edmonton, AB - Rexall Place
APR 10 - Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena
APR 11 - Tacoma, WA - Tacoma Dome
APR 13 - Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
APR 15 - Los Angeles, CA - The Forum
APR 16 - Los Angeles, CA - The Forum
APR 20 - JAPAN - Tokyo - Ryogoku Kokugikan
APR 21 - JAPAN - Tokyo - Ryogoku Kokugikan
APR 24 - CHINA - Beijing - LeSports Center
APR 26 - CHINA - Shanghai - Mercedes-Benz Arena
APR Fri 29 Christchurch, NEW ZEALAND Horncastle Arena

MAY Sun 1
Auckland, NEW ZEALAND Vector Arena
MAY Wed 4 Brisbane, AUSTRALIA Brisbane Entertainment Centre
MAY Fri 6 Sydney, AUSTRALIA Allphones Arena
MAY Mon 9 Melbourne, AUSTRALIA Rod Laver Arena
MAY Thu 12 Adelaide, AUSTRALIAAdelaide Entertainment Centre
MAY Sat 14 Perth, AUSTRALIA Perth Arena
MAY Wed 18 Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA Grand Arena
MAY Sat 21 Johannesburg, SOUTH AFRICA Carnival City Festival Lawns
MAY 26-28 GERMANY, Munich, Rockavaria Festival
MAY 27 GERMANY, Gelsenkirchen, Rock im Revier
MAY 31 GERMANY, Berlin, The Waldbuehne

JUNE 3 SWITZERLAND, Lucerne, Sonisphere Allmend Rockt
JUNE 5 AUSTRIA, Vienna, Rock In Vienna Festival
JUNE 8 THE NETHERLANDS, Arnhem - Gelredome
JUNE 10 FRANCE, Paris, Download Festival France, Longchamps Racecourse
JUNE 12 UK, Leicestershire, Download Festival, Donington Park
JUNE 15 NORWAY, Oslo, Telenor Arena
JUNE 17 SWEDEN, Gothenburg - Ullevi Stadium
JUNE 19 BELGIUM, Dessel - Graspop
JUNE 21 DENMARK, Hernin, Jyske Bank Boxen
JUNE 23, LITHUANIA, Kaunas - Zalgirio Arena
JUNE 25, RUSSIA, Moscow - Olimpiyskiy
JUNE 29, FINLAND, Hameenlinna - Kantolan Tapahtumapuisto

JULY 1, HUNGARY, Sopron, Volt Festival
JULY 3 POLAND, Wroclaw Stadium
JULY 5, CZECH REPUBLIC, Prague - Eden Arena
JULY 6, SLOVAKIA, Zilina Airport
JULY 9,
SPAIN, Viveiro, Resurrection Festival
JULY 11, PORTUGAL, Lisbon, MEO Arena
JULY 13, SPAIN, Madrid, Barclay Card Center
JULY 14, SPAIN, Seville, Olimpic Stadium
JULY 16, SPAIN Barcelona, Rock Fest
JULY 22, ITALY, Milan, Mediolanum Forum
JULY 24, ITALY, Rome, Rock In Rome Sonisphere
JULY 26, ITALY, Trieste, Piazza dell’Unita D’Italia
JULY 27, CROATIA, Split, Spaladium Arena

AUGUST 2,LUXEMBOURG, Esch-sur-Alzette - Rockhal
AUGUST 4 GERMANY, Wacken - Wacken Open Air
 
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I was already wondering if they'd ever hit China.
 
Well they have done it again and completely floored me with excitement. Cannot wait until April for those Canadian shows! They keep outdoing themselves, good for them! This is sure to be a tour worthy of the term "epic"
 
No specifics, anyway. But we're getting them from late May to August.
 
If anybody spoils anything concerning this tour, heads will roll. I don't want to know!
 
If anybody spoils anything concerning this tour, heads will roll. I don't want to know!
Final dates, venues and ticket on sale times, along with full details of what Maiden fans can expect from The Book Of Souls World Tour, will be announced by territory starting in a few weeks’ time.
:eek: Let's hope they won't mentions songs from the upcoming setlist again!
 
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Yeehooo! As an Irish guy living in Hong Kong, I'm aiming for that China show. Wherever in China it will be is another matter :okok:
 
Can't wait, I'm guessing the UK component of this tour is going to consist of Download/Sonisphere plus maybe a couple of O2 dates like last time, but nevertheless I would be happy if they did a more extensive UK tour like on TFF.
 
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