RUN FOR YOUR LIVES 2026

At the end of the day, it is just someone's opinion, which is not more valid than yours or mine. :)
All opinions are valid, as long as they praise Virtual XI. Everyone who disagrees shall have Blaze whisper "don't you think I could save you?" in their ears whenever they are trying to fall asleep, for all eternity. Amen. :D
 
Very true, but I am surprised opinions can differ so much. Aces High better than those songs?

But these swedish reviews are always odd in my opinion. I often get the feeling they didn’t attend the show, but still review it. Stockholm 2018 is another one. The reviewer gave Sign of the Cross 5/5, and that’s the version where Nicko's bass drum pedal fell apart midways.


9. Sign of the cross

Quite sad as a studio version, in my opinion, but a real treat as a live song. One of the highlights of the evening, for sure. Steve Harris and Nicko McBrain's phenomenal rhythm work leaves me almost speechless, which is an achievement in itself.
Honestly, she must have been out of the zone, and perhaps is rather musically ignorant and just don't notice stuff - my wife for instance cannot tell if something is off key, at all. I've no doubt the reviewer went, as she's been doing metal live reviews for years and years, and thus seems to very much be a rock and metal fan.
 
Last night was fun! Bruce was very tuned in and locked in! The rain had them all not moving around much at all on stage.

Shout out to that lovely couple from Markaryd
 
Definitely. Most likely with more Reunion songs.

I like to think so too.

Bruce is joking with Janick a few times already during the tour. :)

The main ''different feel' things are no Nicko (we can't deny this, it feels, although Simon brought more power) and playing the songs slower on purpose. Otherwise they still sound great, if they play faster like with Nicko pre-2022 it will be like Maiden from 2008. It's not the setlist (the big hits plus some surprises after an album tour with more rare songs, expected), playing faster live is always better. Our standards for Maiden live are extremely high, but their energy is great for their age.

Also (I guess the rumors about Dave have their indirect influence), this time we're not 100% sure if they'll follow up the current tour with a new album (as they usually do) or with more rare songs. Add a few Reunion songs to the current tour and it would be a great final setlist.

I feel like some other songs were also played faster like Fear and maybe 2 Minutes?

I don't feel so, stage and setlist, although Nicko is the best.

I don't think they have many ideas (the current tour shows that) to bring something different (they always want to do this), which is why a new album is the easiest solution.

For new music it's odd for Maiden, but they still have the fire to play live. Let's see, Nicko's retirement has its impact on them.

Nostalgia zone after 50 years is probably to be expected, but I'm sure they will think of something interesting for the next tour. RFYL Part 2 would be such thing.

Lack of potential? Being a vibrant and creative force, we just need a new album for that. New music makes you relevant.

When I say lack of potential it's something we all have to face as we get older. The fact is Maiden doesn't have years of adventures and new stories ahead.

I always found it so exciting thinking about what's next but there's just not much more left to see.

Again, that's all perfectly natural and it's not a criticism. It's just the reality of where we are and may explain why so many feel a bit mixed about this current tour. It just feels like we've crossed a threshold and we need to get used to it.
 
While I loved TFP as a tour concept, you could feel the tension because of Nicko's health issues, how they had to deal with changes and Bruce's timing issues as well. If I had to compare the three most recent Maiden shows I saw, it'd be:

RFYL 2025 >>> LOTB 2022 > TFP 2023

This isn't based on which show I preferred or the setlists, but purely on how the band came across. They really felt fired up last year and Dave in particular was clearly having the time of his life. The others were enjoying themselves as well. A much different vibe to the previous shows.
Can't speak on RFYL until I see it in person, but, setlist aside, I think the performance was actually better on The Future Past compared to Legacy of the Beast 2022. The first show I saw in 2022 Bruce's timing was there, but the Chicago show he was definitely off on Senjutsu and Run to the Hills.

The tempos seemed improved in 2024 considering Nicko could focus more on playing the songs straight than doing fills all around the kit. Yes, I know Nicko's stroke hadn't occurred in 2022, but the drumming was definitely a bit more slowed down compared to the Legacy shows before the pandemic.

Setlist pacing was also much better on The Future Past. The original Legacy set was perfectly paced, but the 2022 setlist kind of got bogged down after Stratego where you don't have a properly fast song until Icarus.
 
Seeing how great the performances so far have been of Infinite Dreams it really makes me wonder why this song has been out of the set list since the Seventh Son Tour. It crams so much amazing into 6 minutes it's crazy. In another universe this would have been on a steady every-so-often-setlist-staple rotation with something like Revelations.

I don't get a chance to see this tour until September, but ID is easily the song I'm looking forward to the most and I am so happy that it has returned.
 
Can't speak on RFYL until I see it in person, but, setlist aside, I think the performance was actually better on The Future Past compared to Legacy of the Beast 2022. The first show I saw in 2022 Bruce's timing was there, but the Chicago show he was definitely off on Senjutsu and Run to the Hills.

The tempos seemed improved in 2024 considering Nicko could focus more on playing the songs straight than doing fills all around the kit. Yes, I know Nicko's stroke hadn't occurred in 2022, but the drumming was definitely a bit more slowed down compared to the Legacy shows before the pandemic.

Setlist pacing was also much better on The Future Past. The original Legacy set was perfectly paced, but the 2022 setlist kind of got bogged down after Stratego where you don't have a properly fast song until Icarus.
Yeah, I much preferred both my TFP concerts than my LOTB 2022.
 
Seeing how great the performances so far have been of Infinite Dreams it really makes me wonder why this song has been out of the set list since the Seventh Son Tour. It crams so much amazing into 6 minutes it's crazy. In another universe this would have been on a steady every-so-often-setlist-staple rotation with something like Revelations.

I don't get a chance to see this tour until September, but ID is easily the song I'm looking forward to the most and I am so happy that it has returned.
I saw two previous shows on the last legs and this tune on this leg definitely lends a greater energy than the prior did
 
Can't speak on RFYL until I see it in person, but, setlist aside, I think the performance was actually better on The Future Past compared to Legacy of the Beast 2022. The first show I saw in 2022 Bruce's timing was there, but the Chicago show he was definitely off on Senjutsu and Run to the Hills.

The tempos seemed improved in 2024 considering Nicko could focus more on playing the songs straight than doing fills all around the kit. Yes, I know Nicko's stroke hadn't occurred in 2022, but the drumming was definitely a bit more slowed down compared to the Legacy shows before the pandemic.

Setlist pacing was also much better on The Future Past. The original Legacy set was perfectly paced, but the 2022 setlist kind of got bogged down after Stratego where you don't have a properly fast song until Icarus.
Yeah, I can see that. Maybe I focused too much on Nicko and Adrian when I wrote the previous comment. The band clearly had to shake off some rust when they started LOTB 2022. Steve was a bit muted, while Bruce was probably the most notable. His timing issues on RTTH are no secret, but even beyond that I remember there being discussion about him being unusually reserved. Barely any talking or banter, little movement on stage compared to precious tours.

I guess both LOTB 2022 and TFP had different strengths and weaknesses. I had a great time on both shows though, despite the kinks here and there.
 
Can't speak on RFYL until I see it in person, but, setlist aside, I think the performance was actually better on The Future Past compared to Legacy of the Beast 2022. The first show I saw in 2022 Bruce's timing was there, but the Chicago show he was definitely off on Senjutsu and Run to the Hills.

The tempos seemed improved in 2024 considering Nicko could focus more on playing the songs straight than doing fills all around the kit. Yes, I know Nicko's stroke hadn't occurred in 2022, but the drumming was definitely a bit more slowed down compared to the Legacy shows before the pandemic.

Setlist pacing was also much better on The Future Past. The original Legacy set was perfectly paced, but the 2022 setlist kind of got bogged down after Stratego where you don't have a properly fast song until Icarus.
The last great drums play in IM were on 2022 before Nickos stroke.
 
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