RUN FOR YOUR LIVES 2026

Eduardo Cabeza said:
So far, it seems like Simon can truly check all those boxes in one tour; maybe even in one show?

Again, I really hope he improves. But right now he ain't adding anything besides getting the band through the setlist like they are rolling through hills —not running to them.

On the other hand, the one cool thing about the Simon Case is that it confirms how Steve is only in it for the music and the live experience. He'd rather play with a friend than recruit a megapro that can copy Nicko to the letter —would that be possible?—. Although I think Maiden have never sounded this deflated, I like that about Steve. Guess I should head to the pub?
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I have to heavily disagree with "he's adding nothing". I saw them in 2022 prior to Nicko's stroke. Then in 2023 after his stroke and then in 2025 with Simon.

The band was incredibly rejuvenated by his addition and firing from all cylinders. Dave is on fire, Steve and Janick back to their old selves, and Adrian is taking the time to interact with fans and even goofs around at points. Who knows, maybe all this would've still happened with a different drummer and has more to do with the change itself, rather than Simon. But right now it's evident, the band is having tons of fun and they sound much better than they did during TFP (imo of course). Before Nicko left I thought they were at the brink of retirement. Once Simon entered the picture it feels like he bought them literal years and the ability to continue for quite a bit.

The band explicitly did not want to have a Nicko copycat. Steve could've gone with Joe Lazarus, who is Steve's nephew and imitates Nicko's playing 1:1, but he didn't. Because that's not what they wanted. And I can imagine this is something they talked about with Nicko and decided against. It's one thing to change drummers after four decades and going for someone who does their own thing, and it is a different thing to replace someone who can't do the job due to health reasons with a younger copy.

MindRuler said:
Afraid To Shoot Strangers sounded pretty good to me.
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Yup, the live version they released with him is the definitive version of the song for me!
 
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cyanopsis said:
Apart from hearing about the performances, it's going to be interesting to get reports on the festival infrastructure, especially when it's hot like this. Things like water, shading, sanitation, waste, security, medic facilities etc are all factors that cannot be overstated. Sonisphere is the organizer and they obviously have lots of experience but they haven't done anything in 10 years.

Also, this is Eddfest, not Sonisphere 2026. Any mishaps that can be blamed on the organizers will be put on the band. At least in the public eye. They have their reputation on the line so I hope the actual organizers have their shit together.
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From what ai remember from Sonisphere 2010 and 2014, there was not much shade in the Knebworth festival area. I hope they have something in place for the audience. With that weather forecast there will definitely be roast gammon…

On a related note, will Maiden start early so they can watch the England football game? Will the fans leave early so they can watch the football game or will they be taping the game and watching it later?
 
naranja said:
An I crazy or was there a period, maybe a few years before Nicko's stroke where on a maiden tour the boys were playing the aforementioned Fear of the Dar really quite slow (for them)? It was a bit of a shock after being so used to it being blasted through at full speed from its inception, through the Blaze era, and the majority of the reunion era..it was the first reminder to me they were getting old.

The one I really noticed was slow though was run to the hills. This was, again, pre Nicko stroke.
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LOTB '18 definitely had a lot of songs with a slower pace than we were used to at the time. I believe this was intentional to keep the tempos from racing too much for Bruce to sing and also for Nicko's own sake on songs like The Wicker Man. 2MTM I think felt downright sluggish at some shows even though it was likely still a bit faster than album pace.
 
i`m off the Knebworth for my 7th gig since Covid which i actually feared at the time might be the end of the band , illness, age ,the world in general. I expect to and i hope everyone else there will have the time of their lives for what for all i know is the last time i`ll see them, who knows.

To still be here doing this , seeing them live at this fantastic level they are at is more than i could have ever imagined back in 1983.

I guess i`m just too sensitive to the endless negativity of this place, 43 years a fan of a band that has been with me through highs and lows, listening on the Friday Rock Show ,on a Walkman, a cd in the car, now Spotify and Youtube doesn`t seem to be the general fit here and tends to make more arguments for me than fun.

I wish you all the best and enjoy Maiden while you can, they will be a long time retired and nobody will ever get close to replacing them .

Up The Irons .
 
GhostofCain said:
From what ai remember from Sonisphere 2010 and 2014, there was not much shade in the Knebworth festival area. I hope they have something in place for the audience. With that weather forecast there will definitely be roast gammon…

On a related note, will Maiden start early so they can watch the England football game? Will the fans leave early so they can watch the football game or will they be taping the game and watching it later?
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Very hot weather at a festival is a killer for sure, but this is one area where the (presumably) lower sales might be an advantage for the attendees, as water points, toilets, bars etc. will have shorter queues.

I survived Drownload 2016 and honestly found the clearly oversold and blazing hot Download 2023 to be a more exhausting experience as everybody was overheated and getting anywhere took forever with how dense the crowds were.
 
Regarding the claim that "there's too much negativity on this forum," I respectfully disagree. I'd call it measured negativity.

We don't say Simon is a shitty drummer. We call him a very competent pub drummer.

We don't mock Steve for his reluctance to record new music. Most of us understand that he's just a little out of his mind and simply needs another tour to come to his senses. Then Album No. 18 will surely be recorded. At least this decade. I'm confident of that.

Some of us are a bit grumpy that they still won't tune down to make life easier for Bruce. But on the other hand, we're grateful they still haven't started playing heavy metal with synthesizers. That's a definite win.

There's still a small faction of secret Janick haters, but the rest of us say: hold on a minute—he's a very competent dancer. We should definitely keep him.

There's also a strong undercurrent that Maiden have lost their ear when it comes to album production. But thank God they haven't lost their eyesight—or any other vital body parts—and are still able to deliver the goods at this stage of their career. That's positivity if you choose to see it.

Fans from certain countries may not be thrilled with Bruce's vocabulary when addressing them, but if they're creative, they can use it as an educational opportunity and teach their children which behaviors might earn them those very specific words. As one wise man once said: "There are certain wrongdoings one should avoid if one doesn't want to be shat on by the albatross."

So, all in all, we're not completely fucked—just a little. Like all big families are. Cheers!
 
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