Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most of the band's history has consisted of Harris, lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson, drummer Nicko McBrain, and guitarists Dave Murray, Adrian Smith and Janick Gers. As pioneers of the new wave of British heavy metal movement, Iron Maiden released a series of UK and US Platinum and Gold albums, including 1980's debut album, 1981's Killers, and 1982's The Number of the Beast – its first album with Dickinson, who in 1981 replaced Paul Di'Anno as lead singer. The addition of Dickinson was a turning point in their career, establishing them as one of heavy metal's most important bands. The Number of the Beast is among the most popular heavy metal albums of all time, having sold almost 20 million copies worldwide.
Stephen Percy Harris is an English musician and songwriter, best known as the bassist, keyboardist, backing vocalist, primary songwriter, founder, and leader of heavy metal band Iron Maiden. He is the band's only constant member since their inception in 1975 and, along with guitarist Dave Murray, the only member to appear on every album.
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son is the seventh studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released on 11 April 1988 in the United Kingdom by EMI Records and in the United States by Capitol Records. Like The Number of the Beast (1982) and later Fear of the Dark (1992), The Final Frontier (2010), and The Book of Souls (2015), the album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart. The lead single "Can I Play with Madness" was also a commercial success, peaking at No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart.
Eddie is the mascot for the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. He is a perennial fixture of the group's artwork, appearing in all of their album covers and in their merchandise, which includes T-shirts, posters and action figures. On top of this, Eddie features in all of the band's concerts, as well as in the first-person shooter video game, Ed Hunter, the mobile game, Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast and a pinball game with the same name in 2018.
Somewhere Back in Time World Tour was a concert tour by the heavy metal band Iron Maiden in 2008 and 2009, focused on the band's 1980s material, in particular songs from Powerslave, Somewhere in Time and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. The tour tied in with the second part of the DVD series, entitled "The History of Iron Maiden", and prompted the release of a new greatest hits compilation, Somewhere Back in Time.
A Matter of Life and Death and A Matter of the Beast were two concert tours by Iron Maiden from 2006 to 2007. The first tour was unique, as the set list primarily consisted of the band's most recent release, A Matter of Life and Death, in its entirety, although this got a mixed response from audiences. Unusually, the first leg did not include "The Number of the Beast", a song which Iron Maiden had previously played on every tour since its inception. The second part of the tour, in celebration of The Number of the Beast's 25th anniversary, saw the band playing four songs from said album as well as five from A Matter of Life and Death.
The Dance of Death World Tour was a concert tour by heavy metal band Iron Maiden in support of their thirteenth studio album, Dance of Death. The group's eighth live record, Death on the Road, was recorded in Dortmund.
Seventh Tour of a Seventh Tour was a concert tour by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden in 1988, in support of their seventh studio album, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. It was their last tour to feature the World Piece Tour-era lineup until 2000's Brave New World Tour with guitarist Adrian Smith leaving the band in January 1990 and their first to include Michael Kenney on keyboards.
The World Slavery Tour was a concert tour by the heavy metal band Iron Maiden in support of their fifth album, Powerslave, beginning in Warsaw, Poland on 9 August 1984 and ending in Irvine, California on 5 July 1985.
The Virtual XI Tour was a concert tour by the heavy metal band Iron Maiden from 22 April 1998 to 12 December 1998. As with their previous tour, several of the band's U.S. shows had to be cancelled after vocalist Blaze Bayley had issues with his voice, this time reportedly from an allergic reaction to pollen and dust while the group were in Nevada and Arizona. The band later made up the Los Angeles and San Diego dates. This would be Iron Maiden's last tour with Bayley as then former vocalist Bruce Dickinson would return to the group the following year.
The Real Live Tour was a concert tour by the heavy metal band Iron Maiden from 25 March 1993 to 28 August 1993.
Somewhere on Tour was a concert tour by heavy metal band Iron Maiden, from 10 September 1986 to 21 May 1987, supporting their album Somewhere in Time. The band performed across the globe, in countries including Poland, Italy, the United States and England. The tour lasted 253 days, during which the band performed 151 shows. The tour commenced in Belgrade, Serbia.
The Killer World Tour was a concert tour by the heavy metal band Iron Maiden from 17 February 1981 to 15 November 1981. This was the band's first world tour, including their debut shows in North America and Japan where they recorded the live release, Maiden Japan. On top of this, the band moved into larger venues in the United Kingdom, including the Hammersmith Odeon, London.
The Brave New World Tour by Iron Maiden began on 2 June 2000 and ended on 19 January 2001. It supported their 2000 album Brave New World that marked the return of vocalist Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith. In Europe, the tour was called Metal 2000. The initial batch of dates included just one in Iron Maiden's homeland. "Everybody in the band would like to do a thirty-date tour of 1,500-2,000-seaters," maintained Bruce Dickinson, "but we've got a tour booked in Europe this summer and we will be playing to over two million people in two months. Newbridge Memorial Hall will have to wait for a while!"
Eddfest was a one-off rock/metal festival headlined by British heavy metal band Iron Maiden which took place at the Bangalore Palace Grounds in Bangalore, India on 17 March 2007. The concert was part of the band's A Matter Of Life And Death Tour. The name Eddfest is taken from the band's mascot Eddie. The concert was and still remains the largest paid rock concert ever to take place in India with an estimated 38,000 people in attendance. It marked the first visit of Iron Maiden to the Indian subcontinent, and the first major heavy metal concert to take place in the country. Other bands which played at the concert included Lauren Harris, Indian Rock veterans Parikrama and Ftn.
The Final Frontier World Tour was a concert tour by Iron Maiden in support of the band's 15th album, The Final Frontier, which began on 9 June 2010 in Dallas and ended in London, England on 6 August 2011. The tour was announced on the band's official website on 5 March 2010 under the following statement:
"Iron Maiden are pleased to announce that their forthcoming new studio album will be called 'The Final Frontier', and is expected be released late summer of this year.
The announcement comes with news of a North American Tour with Very Special Guests Dream Theater to open in Dallas, Texas, on 9th June and finish in Washington, D.C., on 20th July, making it Maiden's most extensive North American tour in many years.
Following these shows in USA and Canada The Final Frontier World Tour will travel back to Europe for a few selected major festival and stadium shows with the band planning to continue to many other countries in 2011."
The Maiden England World Tour was a concert tour by Iron Maiden, which began on 21 June 2012 in Charlotte, North Carolina and ended on 5 July 2014 with a performance at the Sonisphere Festival at Knebworth, UK. The tour's setlist was largely based on the original 1989 concert video of the same name, shot during the Seventh Tour of a Seventh Tour in 1988, which was re-released in 2013. Because of this, the tour's setlist consisted almost entirely of the band's 1980s material, with a particular focus on their 1988 album, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. The stage show was also based on the original tour and featured numerous pyrotechnic effects in addition to multiple appearances by the band's mascot, Eddie. Following 2005's Eddie Rips Up the World Tour and 2008–2009's Somewhere Back in Time World Tour, this was the group's third tour inspired by a particular period of their history.
The Legacy of the Beast World Tour was a concert tour by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, named after the comic and mobile game released by the band in 2017. Described as a "history/hits tour", Iron Maiden manager Rod Smallwood has revealed that the concerts and stage design will feature "a number of different but interlocking ‘worlds’ with a setlist covering a large selection of 80s material with a handful of surprises from later albums." The tour started in Tallinn, Estonia in May 2018 and concluded in October 2022 in Tampa, Florida.
