Last time I saw Maiden was in 2016 on their Book of Souls Tour in Bucharest. It was a memorable show but I had not idea that 9 years will pass until I will see them again. So many things have happened in this time, sometimes when I think of that concert it feels like it was in Another Life.
Last year Maiden announced their 50 years anniversary Tour, suggestively titled Run For Your Lives World Tour 2025/2026. The tour was scheduled to start in Budapest on the 27h of May and by the time I wanted to buy a ticket, on the first day of the sale, the show was already sold out. Very soon the band announced a second, consecutive show for Budapest but that was sold out in minutes as well. Even if I was disappointed I started to get used to the idea that I won’t see them this time, on such a great tour in my hometown. Things took a lucky turn for me on the 28th of March when some great production hold tickets were released and I was able to buy one for the second day. With the show approaching fast, I had a strong gut feeling that there might be some more tickets released, so on the 23rd of May I constantly checked the event page and, when I was on the point of giving up, some new standing tickets appeared for sale. I acted super fast and purchased one for myself, making my dream come true.
After this short introduction, let me go back Somewhere in Time, in the early 90s, when I discovered Live After Death, which for me is one of the best live albums ever released. Playing those shitty tapes as a kid, I always wondered how it felt to be there, in Long Beach Arena, and witness the shows 4 nights in a row. That thought was on my mind ever since I saw the 2 dates in Budapest, and now I would be able to experience it in full.
Come the day of the first show, I left home after work and rushed straight to the venue, to make sure I have enough time to check the merch stand and to find a good place as close to the stage as possible. It felt amazing to see so many people sporting Iron Maiden shirts crowding the metro, it was as if some magic thing was about to happen that only WE knew about. The place in front of the venue was full already, a small tower of Babel, with people from all over the world waiting for the same moment: to see Maiden and the extraordinary show the band promised for this tour.
Once inside, Halestorm, the opening band for this tour was already playing and heating up the cool Papp László Budapest Sportaréna. The band was surprisingly good live and their music, a mix of several styles with a modern touch, was more than enjoyable. I knew them for quite a long time but never paid too much attention to their music, but now I admit I enjoyed it quite a lot. Lzzy Hale definitely has a powerful voice and a charismatinc presence and knows how to play this game. Her moves (and even looks) reminded me somehow of a young Blackie Lawless from WASP‘s early years. Halestorm performed most of the songs from their new album which will come out on the 8th of August and ended their set with Everest, a track which I liked quite a lot.
After the mandatory change over during which the stage was completely rearranged, the infamous chords of UFOs Doctor Doctor started to fill the hall, much to the delight of the crowd who completely packed the arena by then. Slowly but surely the huge screen began to show glimpses of the places where Iron Maiden started its journey 50 years ago. During Ides of March, it became clear that the old backdrops were history, only to be replaced with LED screens and video animation. The band appeared on stage and started their show with 4 tracks from the early era, namely Murders in the Rue Morgue, Killers (with a cool Eddie appearing on stage and swinging his axe at the band members), Wrathchild and the epic Phantom of the Opera. I couldn’t help feeling the Clive Burr vibe these songs had, mostly due to the new drummer Simon Dawson. I really think he is the perfect choice for Maiden and this first night definitley felt as if it was his baptism. Bruce felt the moment and introduced him to the audience very early, just after 3rd song, stealing generous applauses from a very enthusiastic crowd who started to scream his name.
The band moved on, playing classics one after the other, like The Number of The Beast, The Clairvoyant, Powerslave and 2 Minutes To Midnight. To my absolute delight and surprise they also did a song I have always wanted to see (remember the Live After Death I talked about earlier?), the epic Rime of The Ancient Mariner. It sounded as good as possible and Bruce‘s vocals really gave me the chills. The spoken part in the middle, with the wood cracklings and the smoke covering the stage, was fantastic and combined with the animated video on the screen it gave the song a surreal feeling.
Speaking of Bruce‘s vocals, I really don’t know what he is doing, but the older he gets, the better his vocals become. Despite some minor flaws at the end (on Aces High), he performed in a brilliant way showing us why he is the best vocalist in heavy metal.
The last part of the show was basically hit after hit, with Run to the Hills, the epic Seventh Son, The Trooper (with another Eddie fighting its way on stage), Hallowed Be Thy Name and of course Iron Maiden, after which the band left the stage and everything went dark. The crowd did not want it to end so they cheered the band’s name until the sound of war planes, dogfights and explosions filled the venue. At first I thought they’ll play Tailgunner, but then Churchill’s Speech made it clear it’ll be Aces High, followed by the crowd pleaser Fear Of The Dark and Wasted Years, the song written by Adrian Smith whose guitar solo gives me goosbumps everytime I hear it.
That was the end of the first show, sweaty, crowded and intense, which I very much enjoyed and absorbed every minute of it. The following night I witnessed (and enjoyed) the second show from the seating position, closer to the scene, with a better view over its details and the musicians. That didn’t stop me to headbang and scream like crazy, the result being my broken voice and pain in the neck. But who the fuck cares when you have Maiden less than 30 meters from you?
Now, let me address a bit the elephant in the room, as it seems that many people have expressed their opinions online after these 2 shows. I understand that many hoped for a set list containing songs the band hasn’t played in years. I myself was hoping to hear tracks like Prowler, 22 Accacia, Children of the Damned, Remember Tomorrow, or even something from No Prayer For the Dying, an album that I actually like very much. While I understand someone’s disappointment, I also think that the set list Maiden has chosen is very good and believe me, live, the songs fit perfectly in the whole picture. I mean it has that Live After Death feeling, as 11 songs are featured on that release as well.
The first half of the set is quite intense, with many old songs (some of which they haven’t played in years), while the second one is hit after hit, perfect to make you scream and jump like crazy. You cannot pretend to be Iron Maiden and NOT play The Trooper, Hallowed be Thy Name, Iron Maiden or Fear of the Dark. You just cannot. I am pretty sure that if they would have left some of these tracks out, many would have complained about it. And if you think you are tired of them, just think of the band members, they must be even more fed up playing them, yet they do it with hapiness and enthusiasm, as if they were new tracks.
Many people were also disappointed (or even confused) because of the change in visuals. Gone are the backdrops and the inflatable Eddie and in are the LED screen and the video animation. Again, I understand the disappointment up until one point. The band wants to keep up with technology and put on the best show available. And I truly think they succeeded. They got to the point where they have all the means at their disposal to create the ultimate Maiden show. The video animations are beautiful, immersive and go very well with the thematics of the songs. The one for SSOTSS, for example, is just superb, mirroring the album’s cover and inner sleeve, with its icy landscape. Or the visual trick they played during Hallowed Be Thy Name, it got me fooled initially. See it for yourself live and only then judge it.
Simon Dawson: great addition to the band, he is different than Nicko on all the levels and thank god he doesn’t want to be Nicko, who is unique in his own way. Simon had huge shoes to fill and he did it very well. I am sure he’ll become better and better as the tour progresses, now he was just warming up. Many people were criticising his style and his drum kit as if it mattered how big or small it was. He did a very good job, considering this was his official debut in the band. It was not in the studio, where he could have manipulated the drums any way he wanted, but in a live setting, thrown to the wolves 2 nights in a row. He came out sweaty, exhausted but unscathed and the crowd saw that and showed it to him. His smile at the end of the shows spoke louder than a million words and he proved he was the best choice to replace Nicko. I personally did not want a Nicko nr 2 and luckily Simon is not.
Conclusion: Go watch this tour with an open heart, you’ll get Iron Maiden at its best, both musically and visually. They play for fun, they play with passion and they are the best fucking heavy metal band in the universe, no question about it. This might be the last chance to see them on such a tour so don’t miss it. UP THE IRONS!!!
“So, understand, don’t waste your time
Always searching for those wasted years
Face up, make your stand
And realize you’re living in the golden years”
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