The Boeing 747 jumbo jet, dubbed Ed Force One, will be piloted by Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson
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Iron Maiden kick off their spectacular new world tour with sold-out arena shows in Estonia, Finland, Sweden and Norway
By Jamie Raybould on 05 Jun 2018
Iron Maiden (and Spitfire) in Helsinki
image © John McMurtrie
Last week saw Iron Maiden launch their new Legacy of the Beast tour in Estonia on 26 May to a rapturous reception. The band has since played shows in Finland, Sweden and Norway, to similar praise.
Performing new and older songs, along with some that have not been heard live in a long time, the shows have been hailed as the bands most visually appealing tour yet. With an iconic Spitfire fighter hanging above the stage, the show garnered a crowd of over 40,000 at the Tele2 arena in Stockholm, and all the Nordic dates have sold out, with over 130,000 fans having seen the show
Iron Maiden manager Rod Smallwood comments: “Even though we’re only five new shows into the tour, the reaction from the fans has been simply overwhelming. Just watching everyone’s collective jaw drop as the elaborate stage set gradually reveals itself is amazing.
“Even though we’re only five new shows into the tour, the reaction from the fans has been simply overwhelming”
“We pulled out all the stops to try and make this the most spectacular live production ever, and hope the fans agree. We may have done just that. It’s very gratifying to see the crowd’s reaction as the setlist weaves its way through the various interlocking worlds and themes we’d been teasing people with right from the very first look at the stained-glass windows last year.
“We were inspired by the game,” he continues, talking about the synergy between the band and the recent release of the mobile game, Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast, “and its interlocking worlds for this tour, and we hope our fans, after the shows, will appreciate the cohesion when they return to the mobile game…”
The European leg of the tour started in Tallinn, Estonia, on the 26th of May, and will finish with two nights at the O2 in London on 10 and 11 August. Full tour details are available on the Iron Maiden website.
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