Iron Maiden’s manager has said he wishes fans who use their mobile phones at the band’s gigs “nothing but a sore arm”.
The metal veterans’ ‘Run For Your Lives’ tour kicked off in Budapest, Hungary last week (May 27), with the band set to stop off in Copenhagen, Stockholm, Birmingham, Manchester, London, and more. You can check all dates here and find any remaining tickets for the shows here.
Shortly before the tour commenced, their manager Ron Smallwood urged fans to refrain from filming the band’s performances on their phones during the shows. Writing a post titled ‘Put Away Your Phones and Get Ready to Run For Your Lives!’, he implored gig-goers to experience the shows “in the moment” rather than through a phone screen.
He explained the band wanted fans to experience the show “as they would have when many of these songs were first played live back in 80’s”.
After the Budapest gig, Smallwood followed up with a new Instagram post, writing: “A huge thank you to every one of you who kept your phones down, respected the band and your fellow fans, and embraced the show the way it’s meant to be experienced – in the room with us. That was a great boost for us and the band appreciated it greatly.”
“It is so much better when they can see you unencumbered and that drives them on without that distraction. For the selfish few that didn’t and just had to keep videoing… I wish you nothing but a very sore arm!”
“But they were few, and we do hope this support from fans, especially in the floor area in front of the sound desk, continues in Prague tomorrow and beyond. As I said before, by all means take the odd quick pic as a memento of a great night, but otherwise please keep your phone in your pocket.”
The current worldwide trek marks Maiden’s 50th anniversary as a band and will see them playing a setlist made up exclusively of songs from their first nine studio albums, with frontman Dickinson previously teasing that the band would “be doing stuff we’ve never, ever done before”.
The mammoth run of dates will also see the debut of drummer Simon Dawson, following the retirement of long-term sticksman Nicko McBrain, who announced he would be stepping away from touring after suffering a minor stroke in 2023 which left him partially paralysed on his right side from the shoulder down.
Meanwhile, Iron Maiden have announced an “unrestricted” new documentary film – including the late Paul Di’Anno’s final interview. The film, which will celebrate 50 years of the band, is due to drop later this year.
Along with appearances from longtime fans and names such as Javier Bardem, Metallica‘s Lars Ulrich and KISS’ Gene Simmons, rare archival footage and all-new animated sequences of the band’s legendary mascot, Eddie, will all be included too.
Elsewhere, Dickinson recently announced a graphic novel made with soil from William Blake’s grave, and opened up about the Di’Anno era song he can no longer sing.
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