Is Iron Maiden the biggest metal band in the world right now?

WildRanger said:
Judas Priest is obviously more popular than Maiden in America.
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Obviously! On their last tour of the US they played a bunch of mid-size theaters (like 4-8,000 capacity) with openers as big as Mastodon and Saxon because they truly want to give their bigger-than-Maiden fanbase the best possible show. Not like those less popular guys in Maiden playing 20-30,000 capacity arenas and amphitheaters in the US with no name openers!
 
In 2014, Redeemer of Souls sold 32 000 copies during the first week after its release to land on number 6 on the Billboard, while in 2015 The Book of Souls sold 74 000 copies and reached number 4 in the same time span. Just an example.

Clearly, it's better to be a Book of Souls, than a redeemer.
 
WildRanger said:
Judas Priest is obviously more popular than Maiden in America.
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That was the case ages ago. Nowadays Judas Priest struggles to attract half the number of people that go to see Maiden in North America even with heritage/nostalgia support acts. I did post some official boxscores from recent Priest tours not so long ago and the attendances were, in some cases, pretty poor.
 
I found myself lookin at the attendance figures for TFF tour in the US recently and some of those figures were in around 50%. TBOS was better attended but there were still some in around 50%.
Not saying Maiden aren't bigger than Priest but interesting to note that the mighty Maiden sometimes play to half full arenas.
 
Niall Kielt said:
I found myself lookin at the attendance figures for TFF tour in the US recently and some of those figures were in around 50%. TBOS was better attended but there were still some in around 50%.
Not saying Maiden aren't bigger than Priest but interesting to note that the mighty Maiden sometimes play to half full arenas.
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Meanwhile in Europe, around 40000 tickets have already been sold for the Wanda Metropolitano show apparently.
 
You judge the popularity of both bands in America only by concert attendances in the last couple of years?

In the USA Judas Priest during the 80's were much more closer to mainstream than Maiden. I could bet that British Steel and Screaming for Vengeance are much more popular albums than any Maiden album.
 
Yes, no point in historical averages or anything like that.

Niall Kielt said:
I found myself lookin at the attendance figures for TFF tour in the US recently and some of those figures were in around 50%. TBOS was better attended but there were still some in around 50%.
Not saying Maiden aren't bigger than Priest but interesting to note that the mighty Maiden sometimes play to half full arenas.
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"First Niagara Pavilion" show had just above 1/3 of attendance which might sound bad until you see the venue

first-niagara-pavilion-seating-chart.png

first-niagara-pavilion-seats.jpg


It might be that only several sections were used?

Also, new arenas have portable seating sections, several configurations can be used. I've heard someone talking on the radio about the Zagreb Arena show and how they sold out a crowd of 24.000 which isn't true but the person wasn't lying either, they did pack up ZG Arena but in a configuration of 16.000, because 24k is probably with double stands on four sides with a handball-sized pitch in the middle. Maiden will always use a full side for the arena show and there'll be a shadow zone behind the mix desk.
 
Niall Kielt said:
I found myself lookin at the attendance figures for TFF tour in the US recently and some of those figures were in around 50%. TBOS was better attended but there were still some in around 50%.
Not saying Maiden aren't bigger than Priest but interesting to note that the mighty Maiden sometimes play to half full arenas.
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Some of the sheds Maiden play in the States are massive and there is no way they could sell out those venues.

These were the results for the 2017 tour. With the exception of the shows in Oklahoma city (Arena) and St Louis (Shed), the results are outstanding:

JUNE
Sat 3 BRISTOW, VA, US - JIFFY LUBE LIVE (17.610 / 22.600)Gross: $1,022,485 On sale: January 27th. Up against: 12.466 (2010) Expected turnout: 16.500
Sun 4 PHILADELPHIA, PA, US - WELLS FARGO CENTER (13.895 / 13.895) Gross: $1,193,673 SOLD OUT Jun 4th. On sale: January 27th. Up against:10.688* (20) Expected turnout: 13.500 (Sold out)
Wed 7 NEWARK, NJ, US - PRUDENTIAL CENTER (11.450 / 11.450) Gross: $964,148 SOLD OUT Jun 7th. On sale: January 27th. Up against: 9.929 (2012) Expected turnout: 12.300
Fri 9 CHARLOTTE, NC, US - PNC MUSIC PAVILION (15.548 / 18.331) Gross: $721,422 On sale: January 27th. Up against: 12.501 (2012) Expected turnout: 13.500
Sun 11 TAMPA, FL, US - AMALIE ARENA (12.781 / 12.781) Gross: $988,221 SOLD OUT On sale: January 27th. Up against: 11.169 (2011) Expected turnout: 12.600
Tue 13 NASHVILLE, TN, US - BRIDGESTONE ARENA (10,909 / 13,992) Gross: $763,209 On sale: January 27th. Up against: 10.440 (2013) Expected turnout: 10.000
Thu 15 CHICAGO, IL, US - HOLLYWOOD CASINO AMPHITHEATER (14,015 / 27,853) Gross: $706,186 On sale: January 27th. Up against: Ca 10.000 (2012) Expected turnout: 12.800
Fri 16 MINNEAPOLIS, MN, US - XCEL ENERGY CENTER (14,494 / 14,494) Gross: $1,148,500 SOLD OUT Feb 3rd On sale: January 27th. Up against: Expected turnout: 13.500
Mon 19 OKLAHOMA CITY, OK, US - CHESAPEAKE ARENA (5,307 / 12,862) Gross: $357,567 On sale: January 27th. Up against: - Expected turnout: 6.500
Wed 21 HOUSTON, TX, US - TOYOTA CENTER (9,939 / 11,433) Gross: $825,670 On sale: January 27th. Up against: 9.450*(2012) Expected turnout: 11.000
Fri 23 DALLAS, TX, US - AMERICAN AIRLINES CENTER (11,685 / 12,406) Gross: $871,044 On sale: January 27th. Up against: 9.060* (2012) Expected turnout: 12.000
Sat 24 SAN ANTONIO, TX, US - AT&T CENTER (13,419 / 13,742) Gross: $904,778 SOLD OUT June 24th On sale: January 27th. Up against: ca 9000 (2012) Expected turnout: 12.000
Tue 27 ALBUQUERQUE, NM, US - ISLETA AMPHITHEATER (13,862 / 15,387) Gross: $538,261 On sale: January 27th. Up against: 10.949 (2010) Expected turnout: 9.800
Wed 28 PHOENIX, AZ, US - TALKING STICK RESORT ARENA (10,475 / 11,500) Gross: $838,216 On sale: January 27th. Up against: 10.395* (2010) Expected turnout: 10.800

JULY
Sat 1 SAN BERNARDINO, CA, US - SAN MANUEL AMPHITHEATER (23,363 / 40,000) Gross: $1,366,78 On sale: January 27th. Up against: 27.276 (2013) Expected turnout: 19.000
Mon 3 LAS VEGAS, NV, US - T-MOBILE ARENA (9,033 / 10,500) Gross: $759,014 On sale: January 27th. Up against: 9.000*(2016) Expected turnout: 11.000
Wed 5 OAKLAND, CA, US - ORACLE ARENA (13,413 / 13,413) Gross: $1,057,284 SOLD OUT June 25th On sale: January 27th. Up against: 11.552* (2012) Expected turnout: 13.000
Fri 7 SALT LAKE CITY, UT, US - USANA AMPHITHEATER (14,618 / 19,000) Gross: $728,716 On sale: January 27th. Up against: 12.456 (2012) Expected turnout: 12.000
Sun 9 LINCOLN, NE, US - PINNACLE BANK ARENA (7,856 / 10,000) Gross: $622,402 On sale: January 27th. Up against: - Expected turnout: 8.000
Tue 11 KANSAS CITY, MO, US - SPRINT CENTER (7,012 / 8,915) Gross: $528,810 On sale: January 27th. Up against: 9.549 (2013) Expected turnout: 9.000
Wed 12 ST LOUIS, MO, US - HOLLYWOOD CASINO AMPHITHEATER (ca 7.000 / 20.000) On sale: January 27th. Up against: 9.193(2013) Expected turnout: 8.000
Sat 15 TORONTO, CANADA - BUDWEISER STAGE (15,671 / 15,671) $789,569 Gross: SOLD OUT March 10th. On sale: January 27th. Up against: 14.597 (2012) Expected turnout: 15.800 (sold out)
Sun 16 QUEBEC CITY, CANADA - VIDEOTRON CENTER (13,680 / 13,680) Gross: $856,985 SOLD OUT Jan 27th. On sale: January 27th. Up against: 8.032*(2012) Expected turnout: 13.000 (sold out)
Wed 19 MANSFIELD, MA, US - XFINITY CENTER (19,038 / 19,038) Gross: $873,512 SOLD OUT July 19th. On sale: January 27th. Up against: 12.945 (2012) Expected turnout: 17.000
Fri 21 + 22 BROOKLYN, NY, US, BARCLAYS CENTER (23,438 / 23,438) Gross: $2,030,058 SOLD OUT Feb 17th. On sale: January 27th. Up against: 13.212*(2016)
 
And here are some relatively recent boxscores from Judas Priest:

Artist: Judas Priest & Steel Panther
Venue: West Valley City, UT – Maverik Center
Date: Nov. 18th, 2014
Gross Sales: $138,148
Attendance/Capacity: 2,667 / 4,807
Ticket Prices: $61.50, $41.50

Artist: Judas Priest & Saxon
Venue: Cincinnati, OH – Horseshow Casino
Date: May 17th, 2015
Gross Sales: $117,450
Attendance/Capacity: 2,940 / 4,056
Ticket Prices: $40

Artist: Judas Priest & Saxon
Venue: Council Bluffs, IA – Harrah’s Stir Concert Cove
Date: May 20th, 2015
Gross Sales: $106,100
Attendance/Capacity: 2,461 / 4,000
Ticket Prices: $40

Artist: Judas Priest & Mastodon
Venue: Fresno, CA – William Saroyan Theatre
Date: Oct. 23rd, 2015
Gross Sales: $113,740
Attendance/Capacity: 1,478 / 2,339
Ticket Prices: $129.50, $39.50

Artist: Judas Priest & Mastodon
Venue: Huntington, NY – The Paramount
Date: Nov. 05th-06th, 2015
Gross Sales: $299,689
Attendance/Capacity: 3,160 / 3,160
Ticket Prices: $95
 
Zare said:
Yes, no point in historical averages or anything like that.



"First Niagara Pavilion" show had just above 1/3 of attendance which might sound bad until you see the venue

first-niagara-pavilion-seating-chart.png

first-niagara-pavilion-seats.jpg


It might be that only several sections were used?

Also, new arenas have portable seating sections, several configurations can be used. I've heard someone talking on the radio about the Zagreb Arena show and how they sold out a crowd of 24.000 which isn't true but the person wasn't lying either, they did pack up ZG Arena but in a configuration of 16.000, because 24k is probably with double stands on four sides with a handball-sized pitch in the middle. Maiden will always use a full side for the arena show and there'll be a shadow zone behind the mix desk.
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What exactly is Arena's capacity. On Friday, Parni Valjak had a sold out show with 19.500 in attendance.
 
I have no clue on particular configurations. The seating is very flexible. I guess you could even fit in 25k if you have a smallish circular stage right in the center. The Wall is also listed as 17k. Consider I've never been there, my first will be the 2018 show.
 
WildRanger said:
You judge the popularity of both bands in America only by concert attendances in the last couple of years?

In the USA Judas Priest during the 80's were much more closer to mainstream than Maiden. I could bet that British Steel and Screaming for Vengeance are much more popular albums than any Maiden album.
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FWIW, there is a classic rock station in Atlanta, Ga. that plays a few Priest songs (as well Dio, Sabbath, Ozzy, Def Leppard, AC/DC, Zepp, Crue, Ratt even - and a shit ton of Metallica) but no Maiden songs...ever :mad:. They will play Master of Fucking Puppets, but apparently Run to the Hills is too heavy.....umm, :wtf:
 
Coming a day after the fair - the answer to the OP's question is "no". And I really love Maiden, I grew up with them, they have always been among my favourite bands and they are quite popular nowadays (just as they have been in the 80's), but they are not "the biggest" in any way, shape or form. (Personal digression - they might be just a wee bit too formulaic in that regard - I mean, sure, the reunion era shuffled things up a bit with 'Arry remembering he always used to like those 70's prog bands, so they started doing more epics and acoustic noodlings and Empire had piano ... but in general, TBOS does indeed sit quite comfortably next to POM, if you allow yourself to be somewhat harsh - I love them, but they kinda keep doing the same stuff all over again, which usually limits your acceptance by the general public, unless you are Grand Funk, ZZ Top or AC/DC, but I digress).

The way I see it, the "biggest" might be defined by either sales or general popularity, taking into consideration their "crossover" abilities as well - that is, how do they resonate with the general public, outside specific metal community. In both regards I'd say that Metallica would probably be your best bet. Not only they have their sales and sold out concerts, but they actually brought thrash out of the underground, they experimented a lot with their style and still haven't really lost their popularity and they are still the first band a non-metalhead would probably name. Their drummer and their lead guitarist both sound like they're fighting palsy most of the time, they put out St. Anger AND Lulu within a decade, they were branded as "sell-outs" almost quarter a century ago, yet their newest releases are and will be talked about for quite some time, by the general public and the metalheads alike.

I am not really that big a fan of them, but I'd say that Mastodon are pretty huge today, if we want to look at the "artistic credibility" of the bands at hand. Otherwise, A 7x seem to be pretty popular as well, but I honestly don't know whether it's real or whether it's just a huge bubble that's about to get burst (how did The Stage succeed in general anyway?) And if we were talking influences only, I'd put forth the controversial opinion that Meshuggah might be one of the biggest metal bands on the scene today, considering the ridiculous number of copycats/influenced bands.

I am ignoring G'n'R - first of all: with all due respect to Hick, I'd say their classification as "metal" might be disputed (see Soundgarden for a better example of a band deeply rooted in 70's hard rock yet more conforming to the whole metal paradigm), but even then, their long periods of inactivity, their limited output and the fact their popularity and sales vary wildly over time do not make them eligible to be in this discussion, IMHO.

Just for the record, I'd say that while in the 60's the biggest band were undoubtedly the Beatles, already in the 70's it was hard to specify, possibly even impossible to do so, with notable possible contenders being probably Wings, ELO, Elton John, Led Zep, Eagles, Funkadelic and Chicago. Whatever that might mean.
 
However limited a band's output, the best criteria are album sales and concert success. But in order to decide on a band's popularity, over which period should these numbers be measured? That's a tough question. E.g. if Priest has not done that well in the last years, do we throw their huge success from the eighties in the trash?
Saapanael said:
The question does include "right now", though.
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Old albums still sell nowadays.

And: it can be seen as: "if we now look at bands", which is the most popular. It does not per se imply how to measure it: E.g. as if you have to look at 2017 success only. What if a band was inactive in the last year.. do they suddenly not count anymore?

The question has to be made more smart.
 
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Forostar said:
The question has to be made more smart.
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The question has, from the beginning, suffered from vague definitions and unclear premises. Plus, I personally find it to be irrelevant.
 
Personally I don’t care how big Maiden are. As long as they are big enough to still make enough money to continue writing albums and tour then that’ll do for me.
 
Album Number of the Beast is considered the biggest Maiden classic and according to RIAA that album is certified only one Platinum in the USA, but a certification date is October 2, 1986(3 decades ago). And I personally believe that NOTB has sold at least 2.5 million copies in the USA to this day.
 
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