Somewhere Back in Time World Tour

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Somewhere Back in Time World Tour
Tour by Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden 47f b.jpg
Iron Maiden performing in Irvine on 31 May 2008
Location
  • Americas
  • Europe
  • Asia
  • Oceania
Associated albums
Start date1 February 2008
End date2 April 2009
Legs4
No. of shows90 in total (91 scheduled)
Iron Maiden concert chronology

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", [1] and prompted the release of a new greatest hits compilation, Somewhere Back in Time . [2]

Contents

The tour was advertised as a way of bringing back the 1980s stage show and forgotten "classics" for an audience of younger fans, not having been born in time to witness the original. Many of the band's songs had not been played in a long time, as much as 21 years in one case, and two of them ("Moonchild" and "Rime of the Ancient Mariner") never having been played by the current line-up. The stage set was based around that of the widely celebrated World Slavery Tour of 1984–85, featuring similar pyrotechnics and the return of the giant mummified Eddie, but also included a lighting rig and cyborg walk-on Eddie based on that of Somewhere on Tour 1986. [1]

The tour would also see the first use of Ed Force One, Iron Maiden's customised Boeing 757, designed to carry band, crew and equipment across continents, which is piloted by the band's lead singer Bruce Dickinson, who also received the qualifications to flight the Boeing 757. [1] The ground breaking nature of the tour led to the documentary entitled Iron Maiden: Flight 666 , released in select cinemas in April 2009, [3] followed by a Blu-ray, DVD and CD release in May and June, [4] which would top the music DVD charts in 25 countries. [5]

The 2008 tour was the second highest grossing of the year for a British artist, [6] with the band reportedly playing to well over than 2 million people worldwide over both years. [5]

Tour synopsis

The first leg of Iron Maiden's Somewhere Back in Time World Tour opened in Mumbai, India on 1 February, and continued through Australia, Japan, Los Angeles and Mexico, followed by concerts in Costa Rica, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Puerto Rico and New Jersey, before finishing in Toronto, on 16 March. Over the 45-day period the band played 23 concerts to over 500,000 fans in 11 countries, flying close to 50,000 miles in the specially refitted plane: Boeing 757, dubbed "Ed Force One" after a competition to name the plane. On this leg of the tour, the Iron Maiden: Flight 666 film was shot.

Concerning concerts in Scandinavia, EMA Telstar announced that the Iron Maiden tour will be the biggest rock tour that any band has ever undertaken in these Nordic regions. Tour promoter Thomas Johansson of EMA Telstar commented:

Adrian Smith, Dave Murray and Janick Gers performing in Irvine. Iron Maiden @ Verizon Wireless Irvine MAy 31 2008.jpg
Adrian Smith, Dave Murray and Janick Gers performing in Irvine.
Bruce Dickinson performing "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" in Paris. Dickinson 4.jpg
Bruce Dickinson performing "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" in Paris.

"We are all very proud to be making history by giving our rock fans the biggest Nordic Rock Tour there has ever been and certainly one of the most spectacular. Maiden is so hugely popular with the Nordic peoples that we wanted to ensure that as many fans as possible got the opportunity to see this very special show next year as we expect demand for tickets to be enormous.", [7]

Maiden had also announced that they would be returning to cities that they hadn't returned to for years. Western Canada is included, as their five city run through Western Canada had sold out the very day they went on sale. Calgary and Regina had sold out in just under an hour. Edmonton sold out completely in a few hours. Winnipeg and Vancouver sold out within two hours. Calgary also had the highest pre-sale ever for the band, in which they sold out half the tickets. Edmonton and Regina were not far behind. Says Dickinson about the results: "We are truly overwhelmed by this response, especially as some of these cities we haven't played in 20 years!! Being Brits we are always very comfortable with Canadians and it will be a great pleasure to get back on the prairies again. It was always a LOUD response there! We look forward to this immensely and hope to give you all a show to remember." [8] Most recently they played at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Tickets to this show were sold out. During the performance of "Powerslave" the band's instruments lost power for a brief period of time and they passed time by playing football on the stage. Once the equipment was fixed they returned and asked the audience if they should play the last verse of the song or do the next one. The band opted to play the next song which was "Heaven Can Wait". Due to storm damage to the PA and lights at the Metalway Festival in Zaragoza, Spain, Iron Maiden had to cancel their 12 July date. The Metalway Festival in Zaragoza could be rescheduled, but it seems unlikely that Iron Maiden can appear for their fans in Zaragoza. [9] The 15 March presentation, in São Paulo's Race Course, had Iron Maiden's all-time biggest attendance for them as sole performers (not a festival). Bruce Dickinson announced to the crowd that "100.000 fans" were at the venue.

Support acts

The opening bands on the tour were:

Setlist

2008 Setlist

Transylvania/Churchill's Speech
Intro song to all shows on this leg of the tour.

  1. "Aces High" (from Powerslave , 1984)
  2. "2 Minutes to Midnight" (from Powerslave, 1984)
  3. "Revelations" (from Piece of Mind , 1983)
  4. "The Trooper" (from Piece of Mind, 1983)
  5. "Wasted Years" (from Somewhere in Time , 1986)
  6. "The Number of the Beast" (from The Number of the Beast , 1982)
  7. "Can I Play with Madness" (from Seventh Son of a Seventh Son , 1988)
  8. "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (from Powerslave, 1984)
  9. "Powerslave" (from Powerslave, 1984)
  10. "Heaven Can Wait" (from Somewhere in Time, 1986)
  11. "Run to the Hills" (from The Number of the Beast, 1982)
  12. "Fear of the Dark" (from Fear of the Dark , 1992)
  13. "Iron Maiden" (from Iron Maiden , 1980)

Encore

  1. "Moonchild" (from Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, 1988)
  2. "The Clairvoyant" (from Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, 1988)
  3. "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (from The Number of the Beast, 1982)
2009 Setlist

Transylvania/Churchill's Speech
Intro song to all shows on this leg of the tour.

  1. "Aces High" (from Powerslave , 1984)
  2. "Wrathchild" (from Killers , 1981)
  3. "2 Minutes to Midnight" (from Powerslave, 1984)
  4. "Children of the Damned" (from The Number of the Beast , 1982)
  5. "Phantom of the Opera" (from Iron Maiden , 1980)
  6. "The Trooper" (from Piece of Mind , 1983)
  7. "Wasted Years" (from Somewhere in Time , 1986)
  8. "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (from Powerslave, 1984)
  9. "Powerslave" (from Powerslave, 1984)
  10. "Run to the Hills" (from The Number of the Beast, 1982)
  11. "Fear of the Dark" (from Fear of the Dark , 1992)
  12. "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (from The Number of the Beast, 1982)
  13. "Iron Maiden" (from Iron Maiden, 1980)

Encore

  1. "The Number of The Beast" (from The Number of the Beast, 1982)
  2. "The Evil That Men Do" (from Seventh Son of a Seventh Son , 1988)
  3. "Sanctuary" (from Iron Maiden, 1980)

Note:

  • In Belgrade, the opening date of the 2009 tour, "2 Minutes to Midnight" and "Wrathchild" were played the other way round. In addition, The drum intro to "The Trooper" was mistakenly played before "Phantom of the Opera", and the intro to "Wasted Years" was also played before "The Trooper". Only the first mistake affected the concert's setlist. [12]

Personnel

(Credits taken from the official tour programme.) [13]

Crew

Tour dates

DateCityCountryVenue
Asia/Australia (Leg #1)
1 February 2008 Mumbai India Bandra-Kurla complex
4 February 2008 Perth Australia Burswood Dome
6 February 2008 Melbourne Rod Laver Arena
7 February 2008
9 February 2008 Sydney Acer Arena
10 February 2008
12 February 2008 Brisbane Brisbane Entertainment Centre
15 February 2008 Yokohama Japan Yokohama Pacifico
16 February 2008 Chiba Makuhari Messe
North America/South America (Leg #1)
19 February 2008 Inglewood United States The Forum
21 February 2008 Zapopan Mexico Auditorio Telmex
22 February 2008 Monterrey Monterrey Arena
24 February 2008 Mexico City Foro Sol
26 February 2008 San José Costa Rica Estadio Ricardo Saprissa
28 February 2008 Bogotá Colombia Simón Bolívar Park
2 March 2008 São Paulo Brazil Estádio Palestra Itália
4 March 2008 Curitiba Pedreira Paulo Leminski
5 March 2008 Porto Alegre Gigantinho
7 March 2008 Buenos Aires Argentina Estadio Ricardo Etcheverry
9 March 2008 Santiago Chile Pista Atletica
12 March 2008 San Juan Puerto Rico Coliseo de Puerto Rico, José Miguel Agrelot
14 March 2008 East Rutherford United States Izod Center
16 March 2008 Toronto Canada Air Canada Centre
North America (Leg #2)
21 May 2008 Selma United States Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
22 May 2008 The Woodlands Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
25 May 2008 Albuquerque Journal Pavilion
26 May 2008 Phoenix Cricket Wireless Pavilion
28 May 2008 Concord Sleep Train Pavilion
30 May 2008 Irvine Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
31 May 2008
2 June 2008 Auburn White River Amphitheatre
3 June 2008 Vancouver Canada Pacific Coliseum
5 June 2008 Calgary Saddledome
6 June 2008 Edmonton Rexall Place
8 June 2008 Regina Brandt Centre
9 June 2008 Winnipeg MTS Centre
11 June 2008 Rosemont United States Allstate Arena
12 June 2008 Cuyahoga Falls Blossom Music Center
14 June 2008 Holmdel PNC Bank Arts Center
15 June 2008 New York City Madison Square Garden
17 June 2008 Camden Susquehanna Bank Center
18 June 2008 Columbia Merriweather Post Pavilion
20 June 2008 Mansfield Comcast Center
21 June 2008 Montreal Canada Parc Jean-Drapeau
Europe (Leg #2)
27 June 2008 Bologna Italy Gods of Metal
29 June 2008 Dessel Belgium Graspop Metal Meeting
1 July 2008 Paris France Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy
2 July 2008
5 July 2008 London England Twickenham Stadium
9 July 2008 Lisbon Portugal Super Bock Super Rock
11 July 2008 Mérida Spain Via de la Plata Festival
12 July 2008 Zaragoza Metalway Festival
16 July 2008 Stockholm Sweden Stockholm Olympic Stadium
18 July 2008 Helsinki Finland Helsinki Olympic Stadium
19 July 2008 Tampere Ratina Stadion
22 July 2008 Trondheim Norway Lerkendal Stadion
24 July 2008 Oslo Valle Hovin
26 July 2008 Gothenburg Sweden Ullevi Stadium
27 July 2008 Horsens Denmark Godsbanepladsen
31 July 2008 Wacken Germany Wacken Open Air
2 August 2008 Athens Greece Terra Vibe Park
4 August 2008 Bucharest Romania Cotroceni Stadium
7 August 2008 Warsaw Poland Gwardia Stadium
8 August 2008 Prague Czech Republic Synot Tip Arena
10 August 2008 Split Croatia Stadion Poljud
12 August 2008 Budapest Hungary Sziget Festival
14 August 2008 Basel Switzerland St. Jakobshalle
16 August 2008 Assen Netherlands TT Circuit Assen
19 August 2008 Moscow Russia Olimpiyskiy Arena
Serbia/Asia/New Zealand (Leg #3)
10 February 2009 Belgrade Serbia Belgrade Arena
13 February 2009 Dubai United Arab Emirates Media City Amphitheatre
15 February 2009 Bangalore IndiaPalace Grounds
20 February 2009 Auckland New Zealand Mount Smart Stadium
22 February 2009 Christchurch Westpac Arena
North America/South America (Leg #3)
25 February 2009MonterreyMexico Estadio Universitario
26 February 2009 Guadalajara Arena VFG
28 February 2009Mexico CityForo Sol
3 March 2009 Alajuela Costa Rica Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto
5 March 2009 Caracas Venezuela Poliedro de Caracas
7 March 2009BogotaColombiaSimon Bolivar Park
10 March 2009 Quito Ecuador Estadio Aucas
12 March 2009 Manaus Brazil Sambodromo
14 March 2009 Rio de Janeiro Praça da Apoteose
15 March 2009São Paulo Autodromo de Interlagos
18 March 2009 Belo Horizonte Mineirinho
20 March 2009 Brasília Estádio Mané Garrincha
22 March 2009SantiagoChile Club Hipico Santiago
26 March 2009 Lima Peru Estadio Nacional
28 March 2009Buenos AiresArgentina José Amalfitani Stadium
31 March 2009 Recife BrazilPernambuco Jockey Club
2 April 2009 Sunrise, Florida United States BankAtlantic Center
Iron Maiden in Paris, 1 July 2008. Iron Maiden in Bercy 2.jpg
Iron Maiden in Paris, 1 July 2008.

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