RUN FOR YOUR LIVES WORLD TOUR (2025/2026)

[Kalata]

Interesting question to me is: which album will serve as reference point to the BIG EDDIE?

For me the best option will be FOTD Eddie. It looked great in 1992. They used the first album Eddie (aka Killers Eddie/from the tour poster) during the 2005 tour. And I think they would want it to be different than the walk-on one. NPFTD one is effective, but I think it only fits for a Marshalls set.

TNOTB was never used as a big Eddie, POM won't be that effective, they didn't use the SIT for the current tour, while SSOASS & PS were used in 2012 and 2008 respectively.

Another thing, I'm intrigued but at the same time pessimistic about the "even more spectacular and elaborate new show". What will it be?

The stage will be the same, with or without screens, more theatrics/props (I guess) and they will find a way to make it effective, impressive and fresh. I wouldn't be surprised by some sort of upgrade though - they've never promised spectacular stage design before.

I have always thought that the first leg of the FOTD tour was the worst set list they ever performed. This reminds me of it.

This was a standard ''best of the previous years setlist''. I hope it will be different.

Only 27 shows is too bad. Lots of people won't get to see it. I guess that's the concession to their ages. As recently as the Book of Souls tour they were doing 70+ shows. Oh, well.

The amount of shows was expected. They could add more. The 2026 leg will have more dates.

 

[Kalata]

That's fair. Then again, this kind of tour rotation isn't anything too new. Future Past can be viewed as a "album tour" for Senjutsu and hence another history/hits tour is business as usual. It is cabaret in a way, but nothing unexpected and well in line with what they've done previously. Again, I'd love a more extensive coverage, like including some more modern stuff etc. but to be fair, they between Maiden England & Future Past tours (a twelve year time period) the only "reunion" material outside the songs from the most recent albums (TBOS & Senjutsu) they played was For the Greater Good of God, The Wicker Man & Blood Brothers, so sad as it is, I don't think that even a seemingly discography-spanning setlist for 2025 would've had that many songs outside the 1980-92 scope anyway. Of course there might have been some and frankly, that would've been amazing, but I think the general consensus was that the next tour will most likely be 80's hits heavy in any case and, as you mentioned, the appeal for us diehard fans will be dictated by the deeper cuts - which we still don't know anything about when it comes to 2025-26.

Very well said and unfortunate for the Reunion songs, but at least we had great album tours. We could have had max 2 Reunion songs I guess.
I'm sure the new tour will be a big success given the theme (like LOTB and more than TFP I feel). And because it's more like a History tour, it makes sense to include more early 90's songs so that Janick can have more action than on the current tour or the previous History tours.

Could this sort of usual talk regarding the upcoming tour or sort of rushed thing (name theme etc) all indicate how their initial plans in 2019 and onwards due to corona and other things, were messed up?

I don't think so. Only the current tour. They follow their usual formula since 1999.

 

[Jmaster]

It depends heavily on what do you count as "Deep Cuts", really, but I wouldn't count so much.

You will have Run to the Hills, Iron Maiden, Fear of the Dark and The Trooper. You will very likely have Number of the Beast, 2 Minutes to Midnight and Hallowed be Thy Name. We already have 7/15.

8 songs slots. Add Phantom of the Opera (not a deep cut, but they haven't play it in a decade at this point). 7.
Killers will absolutely be in the set. 6. Adding in Killers, it is very hard for Wrathchild not making a comeback after all of 3 years away. 5. If we are to believe Rime of the Ancient Mariner will appear as the "pinnacle" song in the 9-11 range, 4.

Now it comes a guessing game but, if they're promising to play at least 1 song from each album up to FOTD, No Prayer's representative will be Bring Your Daughter. 3. I would believe Afraid to Shoot Strangers will appear (popular song, commercial, easy on the band as a whole, gives everyone a breather). 2. The final song has a very, very decent chance to be Running Free. 1.

If we are following this route, we would have space for 1 odd song and it could be all over the place. Could be Moonchild or Murders in Rue Morgue as the opener, could be The Evil That Man Do to open the encore, could be Powerslave (after all, this tour is a homage to the history of the band). Would be shocked if it was Flight of the Icarus or Alexander, it feels to me that they played both at LOTB and Future Past once to put it to bed forever. Hell, could very well be Wasted Years, as the usual, traditional and easy representative of SiT.

I wouldn't expect some oddities in this tour. I think it will be very, very safe setlist and the "out of the box, check for mold" songs will be Killers (not played since 2005, I believe) and Bring Your Daughter (since 2003, I believe as well). I'm personally betting the opener will be Murders in Rue Morgue and SiT will not send a representative, so add another, but even if it is Moonchild to open the set, Moonchild wasn't featured in a decade (alongside Afraid to Shoot Strangers and Phantom of the Opera, as a matter of fact). I wouldn't be looking for a "not played since the 80s" cut like Flight of Icarus was for LOTB or Alexander ("not played ever") was for Future Past. The "wow, they're playing it?" song will probably be Killers.

This seems realistic - and a bit sobering.

I think Heaven Can Wait could be given a go, though. It's not too hard, has the feelgood-factor, sing-along for the stadium crowds, and will also tick the "deep cut" box.

 

[Terry1958]

I think I found out what's been bothering me all the time:
A big anniversary tour has to be all-encompassing, and that's exactly what this theme doesn't convey.
Or it should have been clearly called “Part 1, to be continued”.

The tour name and poster somehow don't get across that it's this special big Stadium tour.

 

[JudasMyGuide]

That's fair. Then again, this kind of tour rotation isn't anything too new. Future Past can be viewed as a "album tour" for Senjutsu and hence another history/hits tour is business as usual. It is cabaret in a way, but nothing unexpected and well in line with what they've done previously. Again, I'd love a more extensive coverage, like including some more modern stuff etc. but to be fair, they between Maiden England & Future Past tours (a twelve year time period) the only "reunion" material outside the songs from the most recent albums (TBOS & Senjutsu) they played was For the Greater Good of God, The Wicker Man & Blood Brothers, so sad as it is, I don't think that even a seemingly discography-spanning setlist for 2025 would've had that many songs outside the 1980-92 scope anyway.

Now, I'm stepping back a bit and despite my own personal current disappointment (it was the first tour in a while I was thinking I could attend, I don't know if I will; then again, the tickets here are usually dirt-cheap, as compared with other countries, so who knows), I'm gonna give some justice to the Irons.

Even my own disappointment is mostly based on their age - i. e. how many tours they are reasonably able to make from now on - and I hate two more years spent on the Hamburg Era; ten years ago, hey, whatever.

With that said, I admit and give them this - Maiden are a band that keeps releasing high-quality stuff, keeps expanding their repertoire, and despite me grumbling and despite certain incomprehensible decisions (Judas not played live etc) they do keep a lot of various (and sometimes obscure) stuff in rotation while also trying to please the radio-listening US crowds. I mean, even if this tour was really another Eddie Rips Up, then still you get members here who genuinely love the early years, baffling as I might find that sentiment, and those are probably excited for the possibility to hear Phantom or... dunno, Prowler.

Name one other mainstream band that does stuff like this (okay, Dream Theater back when they had rotating setlist; to a limited degree even afterwards, but then again, they're prog and they're nerds).

Just imagine Opeth doing a "Early years" tour, with the setlist being primarily based on Orchid, Morningrise and MAYH - sure, I'd grumble, but the fans would completely lost their shit.

 

[srfc]

Could this sort of usual talk regarding the upcoming tour or sort of rushed thing (name theme etc) all indicate how their initial plans in 2019 and onwards due to corona and other things, were messed up?
As marketing wise and so, I think LOTB and FPT were different kind of beasts, now it feels that there should be some more harder punchline.
Of course Im digging the stuff and going to see them as usual..but somehow this all got me thinking.

Not sure where you're getting rushed from.

They're aiming at bigger than usual gigs, so they've tailored the show towards lapsed and casual fans.

 

[srfc]

I think I found out what's been bothering me all the time:
A big anniversary tour has to be all-encompassing, and that's exactly what this theme doesn't convey.
Or it should have been clearly called “Part 1, to be continued”.

The tour name and poster somehow don't get across that it's this special big Stadium tour.

As I said above it absolutely does get across it's a bigger stadium tour, the whole thing screams "hey, look we aren't playing the obscure stuff that nerds want, we're only doing the albums from our heyday and we're even calling it after the lyric everyone knows"

 

[Terry1958]

I don't agree. How does it get across: "The best" of Iron Maiden, the classics?
Could be the forgotten songs from this period.
I just tested my friend, who knows Run to the hills als classic Maiden song. He didn't know "run for your lives" is another line from the lyrics.
But that is just a test with one person, of course.

 

[Deadeye21]

Not a big fan of the tour artwork, especially when compared to the Future Past (2023 and 2024) ones which I thought were outstanding. But I'm glad folks will have a chance to see Maiden again on a new tour again next year. I'm sure the 2026 portion of the tour will consist of North America which will be great.

USA and AUS for 2026. It’s a world tour, and seems to be following a similar pattern to TFP at a glance, so, we can hope!

 

[Iron Lurker]

I do like the name of the tour "Run for Your Lives", 50th anniversary tour is too predictable and perhaps a bit boring.

By advertising what era of songs they will be playing, the classic era, they hope to pull in the biggest crowds.
I can't tell you how often outside of these boards I see stuff like " all they play now is new, boring shit and stuff no one cares about."

I feel they will come of with a set that will please most everyone. hopefully those here too who are disappointed. And if they deliver on the promise of their most spectacular show ever, one even better than LOTB, then it would blow me away.

I have a feeling they may not be done after this. As someone here pointed out there's no way their last shows would be held outside of Europe. It's only fitting for Maiden to have their very last shows in England. But it will hinge on Nicko. He wants to be part of the 50th anniversary celebration and perhaps he will let that be his swan song. Damn that stroke.

 

[Deadeye21]

I know Nicko said a while back they were loving AtG and wanted it to be a staple, so, I kinda hope they keep that as the SiT tune. Other than that, I can see Phantom and Run to the Hills being obvious. The one I’m starting to speculate as a small possibility is Burning Ambition. It’s short and while it is an ultra deep cut, it’s the song that really put the band together to start with. The only thing I absolutely do not want is Aces High opening again. They did it. It’s been done. It’s been dine on 3 different tours since Bruce and Adrian rejoined. Gimme something else please!

 

[GhostofCain]

I think I found out what's been bothering me all the time:
A big anniversary tour has to be all-encompassing, and that's exactly what this theme doesn't convey.
Or it should have been clearly called “Part 1, to be continued”.

The tour name and poster somehow don't get across that it's this special big Stadium tour.

I guess it was too much to expect them to do something like what Rush did on their R40 Live Tour.

 

[Trevoire]

The one I’m starting to speculate as a small possibility is Burning Ambition.

Absolutely zero percent chance of that happening.

 

[Diplomat]

I honestly think they'll announce at least 10 more shows, 37 was in 2023 and 44 in 2024 plus this is a celebration tour... come ooon... They gotta go to the Balkans 2 countries at least...

Agree. I think they will book few Balkan concerts in august. Split, Sofia, Athens, Belgrade and Bucharest. I hope for Ljubljana concert in may, before Budapest.

 

[TheMercenary]

Is this promoter a reliable source? The tour planning completed in early 2024? That seems implausible to me.

The programmer is the boss of one of the biggest festivals in France that has been created in 1989. So, yeah, he's a reliable source. So is the Iron Maiden promoter that is also planning Gojira tours.

 

[matic22]

Agree. I think they will book few Balkan concerts in august. Split, Sofia, Athens, Belgrade and Bucharest. I hope for Ljubljana concert in may, before Budapest.

Budapest is the first gig. Written on the website. However, there is room for one more show between Budapest and Prague.

 

[Kalata]

But I think 1 or 2 deep cuts not played in a long time will be played.

That's certain IMO.

"All you’d have to do is play the real live dead one album loudly in your car for the same experience"

The setlist could be great if it's like RLT plus more deep cuts.

It's by Akirant, and he did very well with The Future Past. I don’t like this one though, but the idea is good.

Is it by Akirant? The artwork looks very nice, not sure how it could have been better given the theme.

Well...isn't the tour they are doing right now heavy on their most recent material?

Well, I wouldn't say so, despite the 5 new songs.

I think I found out what's been bothering me all the time:
A big anniversary tour has to be all-encompassing, and that's exactly what this theme doesn't convey.
Or it should have been clearly called “Part 1, to be continued”.

I agree, and I love and will miss the Reunion era a lot, but I think they won't do a ''Part 2'' of this tour with the next one.

I don't agree. How does it get across: "The best" of Iron Maiden, the classics?

Um, the 80's?

Could be the forgotten songs from this period.

That's exactly what they should do. Although they can't miss most of the classic, but 3-4 are enough imo. IM, Trooper, Number, Fear and maybe one more like Hallowed. The classics will always be a priority.

I do like the name of the tour "Run for Your Lives", 50th anniversary tour is too predictable and perhaps a bit boring.

I guess you're right. At least it's part of a song's lyrics.

I feel they will come of with a set that will please most everyone. hopefully those here too who are disappointed. And if they deliver on the promise of their most spectacular show ever, one even better than LOTB, then it would blow me away.

This. I feel they will.

 

[Spaldy]

I think the tour name is already a big success.

I only have anecdotal evidence but I've had comments from Facebook friends who don't usually go to Maiden tours now say that they want to go and even one friend who hasn't seen them since 1988!

A lot of casual fans are seeing this as a possible farewell tour (maybe it will be) and perhaps the last chance to see them perform the "classics" (maybe it is).

To paraphrase Paul McCartney, I've got a feeling this tour will outsell F/P.

P.S. if Nicko is involved then this will be his last tour. Calling it now.

 

[Murder of Rue Morgue]

Probably already discussed, BUT



Those six bastards must not even try to play this game. They already did, and it was no fun the first time either.

 

[Deadeye21]

I reckon there’s no chance for Infinite Dreams. If they skipped it once with the ME setlist, I simply don’t see them going back for something they already skipped.