Worker dies while dismantling Iron Maiden stage
Investigations are ongoing after a worker fell to his death while dismantling the stage following Iron Maiden’s concerts in Chile.
The rock band performed two nights at the Estadio Nacional (National Stadium) in Santiago on 27-28 November, promoted by DG Medios.
The 30-year-old stagehand, who worked for an external company, suffered a fatal head injury after falling 14m when a metal pillar gave way, according to the Metropolitan Homicide Brigade of the Investigative Police. The incident took place at around 1pm on Friday (29 November).
“Due to circumstances that are being investigated and which are currently in the hands of the relevant agencies, an accident occurred during the dismantling process of one of the stage towers, which resulted in the unfortunate death of one of the people who worked there,” says a statement from DG Medios.
“At this time, as a company, our main concern is to cooperate with the investigation and support the worker’s family”
“At this time, as a company, our main concern is to cooperate with the investigation and support the worker’s family.”
The Clinic reports that preliminary investigations showed the victim, a Chilean national, had complied with the correct safety measures, adding that the cause of the detachment of the metal structure was still being investigated.
Iron Maiden visited the country as part of the Latin American leg of their Future Past World Tour, which continues tonight (2 December) at the Movistar Arena in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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Iron Maiden announce 50th anniversary world tour
Metal legends Iron Maiden have unveiled the first batch of tour dates for their 50th anniversary global trek.
The Run For Your Lives World Tour will start at Budapest Aréna in Hungary on 27 May next year, followed by 27 stadium, festival and arena shows around Europe. Their London Stadium concert on 28 June will mark the biggest UK venue the band have ever headlined outside of their festival appearances.
The tour, which will continue into 2026, marks 50 years since Steve Harris formed the band in late 1975 and will feature a setlist, spanning the nine studio albums from 1980 debut Iron Maiden to 1992’s Fear Of The Dark.
“We have already been hard at work for months putting together an even more spectacular and elaborate new show”
“Fifty years of Maiden and I have seen 46 of them,” says Iron Maiden manager Rod Smallwood of Phantom Music Management. “With well over 100 million albums sold and almost 2,500 shows in 64 countries and counting, to countless millions of fans, we are all still loving every second and consider every tour a new challenge to bring something different and exciting to our fans. And for this very special one we’re pulling out all the stops.
“We have already been hard at work for months putting together an even more spectacular and elaborate new show which will bring the songs to life more than we have ever been able to do before.”
Halestorm will be special guests for the first half of the outing, with Avatar picking up the baton for the second half. The Raven Age will open all UK and Ireland shows.
The full list of tour dates is as follows:
May 2025
27 Budapest, Hungary – Budapest Aréna
31 Prague, Czech Republic – Letnany Airport
June 2025
1 Bratislava, Slovakia – Tipos Arena
5 Trondheim, Norway – Trondheim Rocks (Festival)
7 Stavanger, Norway – SR-Bank Arena
09 Copenhagen, Denmark – Royal Arena
12 Stockholm, Sweden – 3Arena
13 Stockholm, Sweden – 3Arena
16 Helsinki, Finland – Olympic Stadium
21 Birmingham, England – Utilita Arena
22 Manchester, England – Co-op Live
25 Dublin, Ireland – Malahide Castle
28 London, England – London Stadium
30 Glasgow, Scotland – OVO Hydro
July 2025
3 Belfort, France – Eurockéennes Festival
5 Madrid, Spain – Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano
6 Lisbon, Portugal – MEO Arena
9 Zurich, Switzerland – Hallenstadion
11 Gelsenkirchen, Germany – Veltins-Arena
13 Padova, Italy – Stadio Euganeo
15 Bremen, Germany – Bürgerweide
17 Vienna, Austria – Ernst Happel Stadium
19 Paris, France – Paris La Défense Arena
23 Arnhem, Netherlands – GelreDome
25 Frankfurt, Germany – Deutsche Bank Park
26 Stuttgart, Germany – Cannstatter Wasen
29 Berlin, Germany – Waldbühne
August 2025
2 Warsaw – Poland – PGE Narodowy
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‘Noxious fumes’ hit Bruce Dickinson’s Brazil gig
Promoters of Bruce Dickinson’s ongoing Brazilian tour have released a statement after the singer accused fans of vaping and using pepper spray at a recent gig.
The Iron Maiden frontman, who is touring the country in support of his current solo album The Mandrake Project, admonished crowd members during his show at the Opera Hall in Brasília.
“I can’t fucking breathe,” the 65-year-old said in a now-deleted video clip shared on social media. You with the fucking vape over there, yeah, it’s not you, but, you know, please, fucking do that outside, all right? Somebody down here has been using pepper spray… which is why people can’t fucking breathe down there, right?”
The 27 April incident was reportedly caused by an exploded vape, which caused “noxious fumes” to be released.
“An incident occurred towards the end of the show where noxious fumes were released, causing severe issues for the band members on stage and the crew and audience in the auditorium,” a spokesperson for promoter MCA Concerts tells Blabbermouth. “Subsequently many members of the crowd have taken to social media to corroborate the incident that caused them breathing difficulties.
“Tour promoters MCA are still working with authorities to understand the full impact of the incident”
“As video footage shows, Bruce did his best, with limited knowledge of the situation, to explain the effects to the crowd but subsequently found out that several band members, including himself, were affected by the fall out and a member of the crew had to be treated with oxygen by a doctor. The footage also shows Bruce departing the stage to perform part of the encore after being seen visibly struggling to breathe and pitch his vocal.
“Tour promoters MCA are still working with authorities to understand the full impact of the incident and understand how the noxious fumes affected not just the audience and crew but also the band onstage. Fortunately, everyone has been checked out by medical staff and given the all clear.”
Dickinson’s subsequent performance at Arena Hall, Belo Horizonte went ahead as planned. The vocalist will conclude his first Brazilian solo outing in more than two decades with gigs at Quinta Linda Centro de Eventos, Ribeirao Preto (2 May) and Vibra São Paulo (4 May).
He will then embark on a two-month European tour, starting at Glasgow Barrowlands on 18 May and finishing up at KüçükÇiftlik Park in Istanbul, Turkey, on 19 July.
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2024’s blockbuster concert tours: Part II
Last week, IQ looked at ten blockbuster concert tours planned for the next 12 months, including outings by Taylor Swift, Coldplay, P!nk and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
Here, in the second and final part of our 2024 preview, we run through another ten of the biggest treks in what promises to be another huge year for the international live music business…
METALLICA
Fresh from headlining Saudi Arabia first major heavy metal concert at Riyadh’s Soundstorm festival last month, Metallica’s M72 World Tour will see the band playing two nights in every city it visits. Each No Repeat Weekend features two completely different setlists and support lineups. It will also include a new in-the-round stage design that relocates the Metallica Snake Pit to centre stage, as well as the I Disappear full-tour pass and the debut of discounted tickets for fans under 16.
Territories: Europe, North America
Dates: April-September
OLIVIA RODRIGO
Following her 2022 debut jaunt The SOUR Tour, the GUTS World Tour will be the 20-year-old Californian’s first arena tour. It kicks off on 23 February at Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs, CA, with stops across North America and Europe before wrapping up with four shows at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum in August. The 75-date tour will visit iconic venues including New York’s Madison Square Garden, Sportpaleis in Antwerp, Belgium, and The O2 in London, as well as Manchester’s new Co-op Live.
Territories: United States, Europe
Dates: February-August
NOAH KAHAN
The American singer-songwriter follows up his sold-out 2022 and 2023 Stick Season Tour runs by returning to Australia to launch his We’ll All Be Here Forever Tour this week. Produced by Live Nation, the Australia leg kicks off on Wednesday (17 January 17) at Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl, followed by shows at Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane, Hordern Pavilion, Sydney and Red Hill, Perth. The 27-year-old then embarks on sellout arena runs on both sides of the Atlantic, before returning to Europe in August.
Territories: Australia, Europe, North America
Dates: January-September
DOJA CAT
Doja Cat’s first-ever VR concert was announced earlier this month, but the US rapper will appear in-person for her debut European headline tour this summer. Having performed her inaugural arena headline tour in the US and Canada from October-December 2023, she comes to Glasgow’s OVO Hydro on 11 June 2024, kicking off a European arena jaunt which also includes dates at festivals such as Rock in Rio Lisboa in Portugal, I-Days Festival in Italy, Poland’s Open’er, STHLM Fields in Sweden, Slottsfjell in Norway and Les Ardentes in Belgium.
Territories: Europe
Dates: June-July
BLINK-182
Reunited for the first time in a decade, Blink-182’s biggest-ever tour resumes Down Under next month at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia on 8 February. The ANZ leg is followed by a Latin American stint in March, with dates in Peru, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Colombia, Brazil and Mexico, ahead of a US and Canada arena run over the summer months. The band will then land in the UK for a mix of arena, outdoor and festival slots, including headlining Reading & Leeds.
Territories: Australia/New Zealand, Latin America, North America, Europe
Dates: February-August
IRON MAIDEN
The enduring metal legends are still breaking records – selling out all 42,000 tickets for their first concert in Bogota, Colombia since 2011 this November in just 21 minutes. Maiden played to more than 750,000 fans across Europe and North America last summer and will hit the road again in Australia and New Zealand in September. The Future Past Tour will then move on to Japan for shows in Aichi, Osaka, Tokyo and Kanagawa, prior to a slew of North American gigs. It will conclude in South America in December, with two nights each at Chile’s National Stadium in Santiago and Allianz Parque in São Paulo, Brazil.
Territories: Australia/New Zealand, Asia, North America, Latin America
Dates: September-December
THE 1975
The British group’s 2023 was shrouded in controversy as a result of their infamous headline set that led to the cancellation of Malaysia’s Good Vibes Festival. But their touring business continues on the up and up, with a slate of European arena shows booked for Q1 2024, including three nights at The O2 in London.
Territories: Europe
Dates: February-March
NICKI MINAJ
Nicki Minaj Presents: Pink Friday 2 World, the Trinidadian rapper’s biggest tour to date, launches in Oakland, California, on 1 March. The North American leg runs until 12 May, visiting venues including Madison Square Garden in New York, Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle and Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. The European stint will commence on 23 May at Amsterdam’s Ziggo Dome, also visiting Manchester, Birmingham, London, Paris, Cologne and Berlin.
Territories: North America, Europe
Dates: March-June
MADONNA
The rearranged North American stretch of Madonna’s Celebration Tour continues over the next three months. The Queen of Pop began the anniversary tour in London last October, having been forced to postpone the 40-plus date run in the US, Canada and Mexico after being hospitalised last year. The outing will climax in the spring with five shows at Palacio De Los Deportes, Mexico City from 20-26 April.
Territories: North America
Dates: January-April
JONAS BROTHERS
On the heels of touring their native North America in 2023, Jonas Brothers are taking Five Albums. One Night. The World Tour around the world in 2024. The show, which sees the group perform their five studio albums every night, picks back up in the Philippines at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay on 22 February, followed two days later by a gig in Tangerang, Indonesia. The trio then move on to arenas in New Zealand and Australia, with their first Latin America concerts in 10 years – comprising nights in Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Chile and Argentina – scheduled for April, along with three shows in Mexico. The trek will then hit European arenas from May-June.
Territories: Asia, Australia/New Zealand, Latin America, Europe
Dates: February-June
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Iron Maiden smash Colombia ticket sales record
Tickets for Iron Maiden‘s first concert in Colombia for 13 years were snapped up at a record rate for an international act, according to promoter Move Concerts.
All 42,000 tickets sold out in 21 minutes for the metal greats’ return to Bogota on 24 November next year. With more than 11 months to go until the scheduled performance at El Campin Stadium, it also became the first gig in Colombia to sell out so far in advance.
The band last graced the Colombian capital with a show at Parque Simón Bolívar in March 2011. The timespan clocked for tickets sold for the 2024 show broke the sales velocity records of all previous global icons who have performed in Colombia in the past, including the Rolling Stones, Coldplay, Madonna, Ed Sheeran and The Weeknd.
“Never in our wildest dreams did we think it would blow out in 21 minutes and smash sales records”
“We all expected strong sales given the long wait since they last performed here, which was on 20 March 2011, but never in our wildest dreams did we think it would blow out in 21 minutes and smash sales records,” says Alfredo Villaveces, MD of Move Concerts Colombia. “And if we factor in the fact we went up so far ahead of the show date – something no other artist had done here – it is truly amazing.”
The sellout pace was exceeded only by Colombian superstar Karol G, who played two sellout stadium shows in her hometown of Medellin from 1-2 December.
The Latin American stretch of Iron Maiden’s 2024 The Future Past Tour has also got off to a strong start in Chile, with more than 95,000 tickets already sold for the group’s two dates in Santiago at the Estadio Nacional on 27-28 November. The Santiago shows mark the first time the band will play two stadium concerts in Chile on the same tour.
The only international act to have played more than two dates at the 60,000-cap stadium is Coldplay, who performed four concerts at the venue in September 2022.
Miami-headquartered Move Concerts is the biggest independent concert promoter in Latin America, boasting offices in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru and Puerto Rico.
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Iron Maiden announce 2024 The Future Past Tour
Iron Maiden have announced a slew of North and South American tour dates for 2024 after playing to more than 750,000 fans around the world this summer.
The Future Past Tour includes songs from the metal band’s most recent studio album Senjutsu, as well as 1986’s Somewhere In Time, alongside other fan favourites.
Maiden played over 30 sold-out shows across Europe over the summer, and also performed in Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver alongside their appearance at California’s Power Trip Festival in October.
“The energy has been incredible and we can’t wait to continue bringing this amazing and innovative show to fans around the world”
“The Future Past Tour is one of the most exciting tours we’ve ever done and to be performing both brand new material and songs that haven’t been played for many years with a mix of fan favourites has been a great experience for both the fans and the band,” says manager Rod Smallwood. “The energy has been incredible and we can’t wait to continue bringing this amazing and innovative show to fans around the world next year.”
The North American tour leg, produced by Live Nation, will launch in San Diego, California on 4 October 2024 and is due to conclude in San Antonio, Texas on 17 November. It will then head to South America for a show at Chile’s National Stadium in Santiago on 27 November.
The full list of shows is as follows:
OCTOBER 2024
Fri 4th: North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre, SAN DIEGO, CA
Sat 5th: Michelob ULTRA Arena, LAS VEGAS, NV
Tues 8th: Kia Forum, LOS ANGELES, CA
Sat 12th: Aftershock Festival, SACRAMENTO, CA
Mon 14th: MODA Center, PORTLAND, OR
Weds 16th: Tacoma Dome, TACOMA, WA
Fri 18th: Delta Center, SALT LAKE CITY, UT
Sat 19th: Ball Arena, DENVER, CO
Tues 22nd: Xcel Energy Center, ST PAUL, MN
Thurs 24th: Allstate Arena, ROSEMONT, IL
Sat 26th: Scotiabank Arena, TORONTO, ON
Sun 27th: Videotron Centre, QUEBEC, QC
Weds 30th: Centre Bell, MONTREAL, QC
NOVEMBER 2024
Fri 1st: Wells Fargo Center, PHILADELPHIA, PA
Sat 2nd: Barclays Center, BROOKLYN, NY
Weds 6th: DCU Center, WORCESTER, MA
Fri 8th: PPG Paints Arena, PITTSBURGH, PA
Sat 9th: Prudential Center, NEWARK, NJ
Tues 12th: CFG Bank Arena, BALTIMORE, MD
Weds 13th: Spectrum Center, CHARLOTTE, NC
Sat 16th: Dickies Arena, FORT WORTH, TX
Sun 17th: Frost Bank Center, SAN ANTONIO, TX
Weds 27th: Estadio Nacional, Santiago, CHILE
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Iron Maiden top 120k ticket sales for Brazil shows
Iron Maiden drew more than 120,000 fans across three sold-out stadium dates in Brazil as part of their Legacy of the Beast World Tour in August and September.
Move Concerts promoted the band’s 25,000-cap shows at Pedreira Paulo Leminski, Curitiba and Ribeirão Preto’s Eurobike Arena in August, followed by a 60,000-cap gig at São Paulo’s Morumbi Stadium on 4 September.
The metal legends also performed a standalone 100,000-cap headline show on the first weekend of Rock in Rio’s 2022 edition on 2 September.
“Iron Maiden is a phenomenon in Brazil”
“Iron Maiden is a phenomenon in Brazil,” says Phil Rodriguez, CEO of Move Concerts. “They are one of the elite few artists that have maintained stadium level business for over 37 years.”
The region’s biggest independent promoter, Move is headquartered in Miami, Florida, and has offices in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru and Puerto Rico. The company appointed Tiago Maia as managing director of its Brazil team in May and also bolstered its marketing and finance departments team.
“Brazil is the one country in the region with the strongest economic indicators and projected stability,” Rodriguez told IQ last month.
Iron Maiden’s Brazilian tour was sponsored by Porto Seguro Bank. The sponsors of the band’s sets in Ribeirão Preto and São Paulo were Black Princess and TNT Energy Drink. Bodebrown as a Craft beer sponsor for Curitiba. The city’s Hospital Sancta Maggiore was the official supplier for the São Paulo date, along with support from NewOn.
The Legacy of the Beast World Tour, which began in 2018, continued at Mexico City’s Foro Sol on 7 September before kicking off its climactic US and Canada leg with a night at Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas last night.
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Wacken Open Air 2023 sells out in record six hours
The 2023 edition of German metal institution Wacken Open Air sold out in a record six hours, organisers have revealed.
The 80,000-cap festival, which is expanding to four days from 2-5 August next year, has announced a line-up headed by Iron Maiden, alongside the likes of Megadeth, Dropkick Murphys, Wardruna, Beartooth, Ensiferum, Pentagram, Jinjer, Nervosa, Deicide, Burning Witches and Two Steps From Hell.
“A sold out festival in that amount of time – unbelievable,” says promoter Thomas Jensen. “And especially in these times the backing of the community is enormously important. We are still knocking off the dust of this year’s Open Air and now, thanks to the trust of our fans, we can continue to fully concentrate on the program in 2023 under the motto ‘Vikings’, which will have one or two highlights in the bag in addition to the great Iron Maiden.”
“This is enormous proof of confidence from our fans and we appreciate it very much”
Organisers have set up a waiting list for fans who missed out, with tickets from cancelled orders to be raffled among those on the list.
“This is an enormous proof of confidence from our fans and we appreciate it very much,” adds promoter Holger Hübner. “This allows us to push Wacken Open Air forward and develop various projects and themes alongside the billing, which we will announce during the year.”
The event returned over the weekend (4-6 August), topped by acts including Slipknot, Judas Priest and Powerwolf, after its Covid-enforced three-year absence.
Revisit IQ’s 2019 feature on WOA here.
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Download festival 2021 cancelled
There will be no Download festival in the UK this summer, promoter Festival Republic confirmed today (1 March).
Iron Maiden, Kiss and Biffy Clyro will headline the 2022 edition of the 110,000-capacity rock and metal festival, which returns to Donington Park in Leicestershire next 10–12 June. Tickets for Download 2022 go on sale this Friday (5 March) at 10am GMT, priced from £250 for a standard weekend camping pass.
Download, which would have taken place from 4 to 6 June 2021, is the first of Live Nation-owned Festival Republic’s events to announce it will be unable to go ahead for a second consecutive year, with the likes of Wireless (2–4 July) and Latitude (22–25 July) still on for now and Reading and Leeds (27–29 August) having already sold out.
Download Australia, which would have debuted in 2020, is on hiatus, as are Download Madrid and Download France in Paris (both of which last took place in 2019).
“Ware determined to make the show one hell of a party and the greatest homecoming ever”
“Downloaders, your 2022 headliners are here,” comments Download booker Andy Copping. “Rock’n’roll legends Kiss will be kicking off Friday in style, Iron Maiden will return, bringing with them mascot Eddie and more fire than we can handle, and what better way to end the festival than with Biffy, who will leave us awestruck with their energy. I’m counting down the days already.”
“Like everyone, we were all hugely disappointed when the global pandemic forced the cancellation of Download 2020, which would have been Maiden’s seventh time headlining here,” says Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson, “so we are delighted to be invited back and fulfil our ambition of playing Donington Park in every decade since the 1980s.
“As most people know, this festival is hallowed ground for us – and Eddie – and our fans’ vocal support and enthusiasm is always phenomenal and much appreciated. We can’t wait to see everyone again, and are determined to make the show one hell of a party and the greatest homecoming ever.”
Further Download 2022 artists will be announced in the coming months.
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K2 joins forces with Y Entertainment Group’s AGI
UK-based international booking agency K2, which represents the likes of Metallica, Iron Maiden and Slayer, has announced a joint venture with investment firm Yucaipa’s umbrella of companies.
Under the new partnership, K2 joins the Yucaipa-owned international booking agency Artist Group International (AGI) in the Y Entertainment Group.
Yucaipa’s existing interests in the music industry also include a joint venture with Paradigm Talent Agency, a minority stake in Primavera Sound and Primavera Pro and an acquisition of US promoter Danny Wimmer Presents (DWP).
“I have had the pleasure of collaborating with [AGI chairman] Dennis and the team at AGI for many years,” says K2 founder and renowned music agent John Jackson.
“Not only is there mutual respect between us, but we share a similar philosophy and work ethic when it comes to our artists, agents and staff. As such, joining forces is the perfect fit and an opportunity to flourish on the global stage.”
K2 agency was launched in 2004 and in recent years has acquired UK companies EGO Agency and Factory Music Management and Agency.
“Joining forces is the perfect fit and an opportunity to flourish”
Founder of Factory Music Management and Agency, Sharon Richardson, brought to K2 her roster of over 20 rock and metal artists, which include Delain, Sabaton, Steve Harris’s British Lion and Metal Allegiance. The acquisition of EGO brought over company founder Jim Morewood, agent Yerry Stetter, and EGO’s largely heavy metal-focused roster.
Chairman Dennis Arfa says, “John runs one of the best agencies in the world. We’re thrilled to be working with him and his K2 team. We share many clients including Metallica, Ghost, and Volbeat and over the years have developed a natural synergy. We are pleased that our ownership has staunchly facilitated and supported our expansion efforts.”
AGI was founded in 1986 and represents artists such as Billy Joel, Metallica, Def Leppard, Rod Stewart and Motley Crue.
It was acquired by The Yucaipa Companies in 2011, with an eye towards expanding its reach in the live entertainment space through strategic acquisitions and organic growth.
The companies say plans for collaboration, expansion and diversification will be further revealed in the coming months.
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