Setlist retirement poll

Should Maiden retire any of these from live shows?

  • Iron Maiden

    Votes: 20 23.3%
  • The Number of the Beast

    Votes: 13 15.1%
  • Hallowed Be Thy Name

    Votes: 6 7.0%
  • The Trooper

    Votes: 13 15.1%
  • Run to the Hills

    Votes: 12 14.0%
  • 2 Minutes to Midnight

    Votes: 18 20.9%
  • Sanctuary

    Votes: 38 44.2%
  • Wrathchild

    Votes: 40 46.5%
  • Fear of the Dark

    Votes: 23 26.7%
  • Running Free

    Votes: 30 34.9%
  • No — I wouldn’t want them to retire any of those

    Votes: 14 16.3%

  • Total voters
    86

Saphrax

Nomad
I believe artists should be free to pick any setlist they want.

That said, here are the 10 songs Iron Maiden have played the most live (over 1000 times each).

If you had a say, would Maiden retire any of the above from live shows?

I’ve listed them from most played to least played.
 
I have mixed feelings about it. On one hand, a lot of those songs sound really tired live and I don’t enjoy listening to recent performances for that reason. But I also recognize that lots of people go to the shows just to hear those songs. Luckily, the last couple tours were pretty ideally balanced in that regard.
 
As someone who has never seen Maiden Live, i'd be behind retiring Iron Maiden and 2MTM; Although I feel like the Trooper should be given a temporary break.
 
I don't really care TBH, on a live release I think TNOTB and stuff have gotten enough time in the spotlight, but I'd love to see them live in person.
 
It doesnt matter whan Maiden plays live IMO. They are all important songs.


If you put a gun to my head and I have to pick one, I’d say Sanctuary, purely cause it’s my least favorite out of these songs
 
I went with Sanctuary, never liked it. 2MTM would be a close second, but even though I don't like it much it's hard not to enjoy it live.
 
I voted to remove Running Free.

I mean, c'mon...the lyrics?

Just sixteen, a pickup truck, out of money, out of luck.
I've got nowhere to call my own, hit the gas, and here I go.

Sure, it's a concert sing along song, but I've always felt Maiden to be thinking man's metal.

This song is just sooo dumbed down. Ugh

I will give credit where it's due, though.

The theme of this cut accounts for probably 75% of the subject matter that the Hair Metal genre sang about.;)
 
Sanctuary and Running Free. These are both overplayed given how middling of a song each is. Heaven Can Wait is another that can be retired.

Replace these with Remember Tomorrow, Prowler, Transylvania, Purgatory, KILLERS(!), Murders in the Rue Morgue, etc.

The others, while "overplayed," are classics for a reason.

I would be in support of a "rotating" classics spot or two in the set.
 
Wrathchild, Running Free, Sanctuary.

Wrathchild because it's Wrathchild. Running Free and Sanctuary because Wasted Years or Run to the Hills is a better song to close the show with.

Anyone voting FOTD and Hallowed clearly has not been to an Iron Maiden show.
 
I'd be more than happy to attend a Maiden gig that didn't include, Iron Maiden or Number of the Beast, which are the two from that list to have been played at every gig of the bands I have attended.

Of the rest, I enjoy them during the gig when they happened, but if it was up to me to pick the set list then none of them would be included, particularly, The Trooper, Hallowed and FOTD, heard those songs more than enough times already, both at gigs, in clubs and on the radio.
 
Anyone voting FOTD and Hallowed clearly has not been to an Iron Maiden show.

I've been and would have no problem with seeing FOTD retired.

With LOTB I've now seen Fear three times and it was the only moment I felt disinterest in that show. I've also now seen Beast the same amount of times but still loved it.

That was also the first time I've seen Hallowed and yeah, it was nothing short of incredible.
 
I've been and would have no problem with seeing FOTD retired.

With LOTB I've now seen Fear three times and it was the only moment I felt disinterest in that show. I've also now seen Beast the same amount of times but still loved it.

That was also the first time I've seen Hallowed and yeah, it was nothing short of incredible.
Every time I see them FOTD ends up being the highlight of the night.
 
Wrathchild, Running Free, Sanctuary.

Wrathchild because it's Wrathchild. Running Free and Sanctuary because Wasted Years or Run to the Hills is a better song to close the show with.

Anyone voting FOTD and Hallowed clearly has not been to an Iron Maiden show.
This is pretty much my thoughts exactly. Running Free and Sanctuary are both just okay songs, and they've got so many others to pick from that wasting a spot on a 16 song setlist on either one of those is just sad. Wrathchild doesn't sound good anymore, and hasn't for a while. Time to retire it. It's not that great of a tune anyway.
 
Does the list rule applies here? If so:

1. Retiring Iron Maiden is blasphemous.
2. Number of the Beast works marvelous later in the set or in encore. Exhibit A: LotB tour.
3. For majority of people seeing Maiden for the first time, Hallowed Be Thy Name is a must.
4. I don't like Trooper live, every time that intro riffs starts some dude around me goes apeshit.
5. Run to the Hills -- See point 2.
6. Why would anybody want to retire this 2 Minutes to Midnight? I had no idea it was played so much throughout their career, still I never heard anybody complained: "Shit, 2 minutes again?!"
7. I had to look back when was the last time I head Sanctuary and realised they played it on those wierd 4th legs of the tour in 2009 and 2014. Still wouldn't mind if they bring it back, all 9 songs on this list have been played more in last 10 years.
8. Wratchchild, this song wouldn't have bad reputation if it hasn't been safe net for so many cases.
9. Fear of the Dark -- See point 3.
10. I kind of grew tired of this one, especially on last tour when they kept dragging it. Band introduction and crowd interaction was OK but anything over 5-6 minutes is too much.


[/SPOILER=LOTB]
 
Retiring songs forever? Bad idea, and for most of the songs in that list, it would be sacrilege!

That being said, any one show or tour only needs a few of those. Hallowed must be included, then add three-four of the others.

If I were forced to choose any of those songs to be gone forever from Iron Maiden setlists, I'd say we can do without Sanctuary and Running Free. And maybe Wrathchild (if only to avoid them using it to replace a less played but better song because it makes the show "flow better" :innocent:)
 
I don't like Trooper live, every time that intro riffs starts some dude around me goes apeshit.

I like it but I get this, I had some Northen bloke bellowing the lyrics in my ear. I'm sure that's why my ear keeps ringing...
 
I voted for The Trooper and Sanctuary. The former is one of those that keep getting worse each time live, while I don't see any reasons to play the latter instead of RTTH. Running Free is another nice substitute if you want to her smth from the debupt album.

Anyway it's not going to happen, let's be honest.
 
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