RUN FOR YOUR LIVES 2026

Azas said:
So, do we actually know whether this is their last tour or not? Or could it be their last one and we simply don’t know it yet? Which of those possibilities seems more likely? What’s the general consensus here?
Click to expand...
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.
 
CA Bryers said:
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.
Click to expand...
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.
 
CA Bryers said:
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?
Click to expand...

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.
 
Hendrike said:
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.
Click to expand...
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.
 
CA Bryers said:
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."
Click to expand...
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?
 
matic22 said:
Adrian, Bruce and Steve want to tour with Maiden. I'm 99% sure of that.
Click to expand...
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?)
 
Dave is the main question mark. If Janick wants to retire, they could just continue without him. Without Dave, it won't be the same. Still, I don't think Janick wants to retire at all and Dave seems to have a good time.
 
Melony said:
How about the theory that they’re more influenced by Rod’s or management’s opinions these days than they used to be when it comes to what would make for a good live show?
Sure, Bruce could have refused to sing a song, but with Bruce, you could also imagine that he wanted to take it on as a challenge.
Last year he struggled with “Aces High,” so this year he’s showing that he can do it after all - at least that was the plan.
Click to expand...

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? :ahhh:
 
Terry1958 said:
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?)
Click to expand...
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.
 
Prowler said:
Dave is the main question mark. If Janick wants to retire, they could just continue without him. Without Dave, it won't be the same. Still, I don't think Janick wants to retire at all and Dave seems to have a good time.
Click to expand...
Nicko just called. Apparently, he wants a word with you…
 
Azas said:
Nicko just called. Apparently, he wants a word with you…
Click to expand...
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.
 
Dave seems to really enjoy being on stage.
But the discussion is funny because there are fewer and fewer plausible candidates who could have “outvoted” Steve.
Did Steve really fib about that?
 
Prowler said:
Dave is literally irreplaceable. He's the soul of this band. So, if he decides to quit, I think, it is the end, but who says he doesn't want to tour anymore?
Click to expand...

Nah, they said the same bs before nicko's stroke. And here they are. The band will retire only if steve/bruce retire too.
 
MaryPelon said:
Dave seems to really enjoy being on stage.
But the discussion is funny because there are fewer and fewer plausible candidates who could have “outvoted” Steve.
Did Steve really fib about that?
Click to expand...
The only two plausible candidates for wanting 2027 off are Dave and Bruce...and you could make an argument for Adrian, I suppose. Dave, only because of the longstanding rumors and Nicko's kinda-sorta confirmation of it. But I agree, it's not like Dave is showing any signs of road-weariness at this point. I still remember seeing Marco Hietala on Nightwish's Decades tour. Just seeing him up there, you couldn't miss the vibe he was sending out that he wanted to be anywhere but there. Far from it with Dave.

The second and more likely candidate is Bruce, because he wanted room to release and tour his new album. Yes, he only has late 2027 announced for touring at this stage, but the year will undoubtedly fill out with more dates, especially if he plans on releasing the album in early 2027. And no, I don't think Maiden at this stage is a majority-vote type democracy situation. I think Bruce alone would have the pull to ask for a year off and get it, just like Steve alone seems to be the lynchpin in keeping Maiden out of the studio for Album 18 currently.
 
Poto said:
Doubtful given it was announced from day one as 2025-2026.
Click to expand...
Maybe, but I think the layout of RFYL was clear from day one. Having 2027 off could be a compromise, so some members signed the plans off.

The clearest thing in the whole situation is that there were no plans for 2027 at that point and there still might be none. But I think they will have a discussion soon what are they doing next year (touring is not an option, however IMO a new album or something like a run of O2 shows are...)
 
Anyways, here is Janick playing the new signature 50th anniversary strat in Bratislava on Powerslave. I was wrong, it isn't reliced (during Powerslave, I pay more attention to the other 2 guitarists...).

It seems to be completely stock, except they changed the middle pickup with black Hot Rails, to resemble the current state of Blackie more. Knobs and other plastic parts remained white (Blackie now has black plastic parts, except for the pickguard). First new guitar that Janick has brought to the stage since 2016's Epiphone LP custom for drop D.

1000006095.jpg
 
Frank Bello with Steve's basses.

www.instagram.com

Frank Bello on Instagram: "I got the chance to hang out backstage with my friends in the @ironmaiden crew- BIG thanks to Steve’s tech Brent for giving me the full updated gear tour which always brings out the 14 year old me. I’m still amazed that I a

6,923 likes, 232 comments - thefrankbello on May 30, 2026: "I got the chance to hang out backstage with my friends in the @ironmaiden crew- BIG thanks to Steve’s tech Brent for giving me the full updated gear tour which always brings out the 14 year old me. I’m still amazed that I am holding one...
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top