The grandaddies of British heavy metal IRON MAIDEN are dragging Eddie out of retirement for their “Run For Your Lives” world tour. Kicking off May 27th in Budapest, they’ll then storm through 31 more shows across Europe. A million tickets? Already snapped up faster than a mosh pit forms. But don’t panic – more tickets might magically appear “closer to showtime.” Sure, Jan.
This tour celebrates 50 years since bassist Steve Harris started this chaos in his mom’s garage back in 1975. The setlist? A nostalgia trip through their first nine albums, from “Iron Maiden” to “Fear Of The Dark” – basically, all the bangers you’ve air-drummed to since cassette tapes were cool. Fun fact: Eddie’s face has graced more album covers than your ex has graced Tinder profiles.
Now, here’s the kicker: MAIDEN wants you to actually watch the show instead of filming it like a shaky Blair Witch sequel. Manager Rod Smallwood put it bluntly: “Put. The. Phone. Down. Pretend it’s 1985 and your Nokia brick hasn’t been invented yet.” Translation: Blinkers on, zoomers – Eddie’s not here for your TikTok clout.
But wait, there’s more! The band’s throwing fan meet-ups in 20 cities featuring Eddie’s Official Dive Bar – serving Trooper beer (which, let’s be real, tastes like liquid nostalgia) and Darkest Red wine (for those who like their Merlot with a side of satanic vibes). Pro tip: Don’t stalk the band here. They’ll be busy napping or whatever rock stars do between shredding.
Coming soon: A blockbuster documentary via Universal Pictures and a Thames & Hudson coffee-table book so heavy, it’ll double as a dumbbell. Details? “Soon™.”
Oh, and meet Simon Dawson, the new guy on drums. He’s replacing Nicko McBrain, who retired after his final gig in São Paulo last year. Shoutout to Nicko – at 72, he’s earned a break from Bruce Dickinson’s operatic screeching. Rumor has it he’s now brewing his own line of Trooper espresso. (Not really, but a metalhead can dream.)
