As far as 50th birthday bashes go, this is going to be a pretty special one. Iron Maiden have announced a new world tour to celebrate half a century of flamboyance, pageantry and “Scream for me!”’s, and said run of shows is going to include their biggest-ever UK headliner at London Stadium (home of bassist Steve Harris’ beloved West Ham).
As if that weren’t enough, The Beast have also promised the setlist for the Run For Your Lives dates will be composed purely of cuts from their debut album through to 1992’s Fear Of The Dark. “We will cover classics and fan-favourites from the first nine albums, many of which we haven’t played in years and many we will likely never play again in the future,” manager Rod Smallwood promises in a press release. So, Metal Hammer has suggested nine deep cuts from Maiden’s golden age that need to be played. Hallowed be these rarities, which you can stream in our specially curated playlist below.
Remember Tomorrow (Iron Maiden, 1980)
By the time Maiden hit the road next year, it will have been 20 years since they last played Remember Tomorrow onstage. Frankly, that’s criminal. This slow-burning ballad, despite being a Paul Di’Anno-era track, is perfectly suited to Bruce Dickinson’s range, as it rises from pensive verses to hardy riffing, backed by bombastic cries of “Fiiiiiiiiire!” Plus, if you want evidence of how beloved this debut album number is, it’s been covered by fucking Metallica. Get on it boys!
Killers (Killers, 1981)
We could have picked almost anything from Killers. Apart from the bouncy Wrathchild, Maiden are apparently allergic to bringing any album two material into their modern setlists. We’ve zeroed in on that galloping title track, however, as it symbolises the best of the Di’Anno days. From a juicy Steve Harris bassline, this giant builds until it’s contrasting dry, punky vocals with twirling guitar wizardry. Dickinson hasn’t sung this on tour since 1999 either, which would make its reappearance an even bigger treat.
22 Acacia Avenue (The Number Of The Beast, 1982)
There are songs from breakthrough opus The Number Of The Beast that Maiden have never played, namely Invaders and Gangland. However, they’re a bit wank. So instead we’re nominating 22 Acacia Avenue. This proggy saunter into the brothel where Charlotte The Harlot works has gone unperformed since 2003, despite it flaunting the vocal heroics of Dickinson and the masterful songwriting of guitarist Adrian Smith. For all its winding riffs and tempo changes, it still has that excellent “22, the avenue!” hook at its heart.
Sun And Steel (Piece Of Mind, 1983)
The rarest of the rare. In the more-than-40 years since Piece Of Mind came out, The Beast have never once brought Sun And Steel to the stage, and that’s a damn shame. This late-in-the-tracklist entry is a barrelling rocker. It matches its high energy with words about the excitement and violence of a good sword fight (unsurprisingly, lyricist Dickinson started competing in fencing championships just a couple years later). Bring this out during next year’s tour and we’ll see who the real Maiden aficionados are.
Flash Of The Blade (Powerslave, 1984)
Bloody hell, another sword fighting song?! Yes, but with just cause: Flash Of The Blade is badass. From those opening tap-along guitars to the lyrics about St George and dragons, through the virtuosic soloing, this Powerslave number almost bleeds adrenaline. By the time that closing chorus kicks in with its army of backing vocals, we feel exhilarated enough to benchpress a tectonic plate. Somehow, Flash… has never once graced a Maiden setlist, so imagine the stadium-wide joy when that riff finally kicks in.
The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner (Somewhere In Time, 1986)
Maiden played Loneliness… on the very first date of the 1986 Somewhere In Time world tour, then immediately shelved it. It’s remained on the sidelines ever since, to the chagrin of diehard fans and even some band members themselves. Harris told Classic Rock last year, “That’s something I would love to play.” Respectfully, do it you cowards! That slick lead guitar, those sprinting verses, those empowering howls of “I’ve got to keep running!” – it’s all so fucking good! And it needs to come back.
Infinite Dreams (Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son, 1988)
Seventh Son… was the prog metal apex Maiden had been building towards since their debut, and songs like Infinite Dreams – with its six-minute run-time, tonal shifts and lack of a chorus – showed it. The monolith was a fixture of the band’s 1988 world tour, but hasn’t been heard live since. Even their 2013–14 setlist, which emphasised Seventh Son… material above all else, ignored it. Who knows, now could be Maiden’s very last chance to dig this buried treasure up for their shows.
Tailgunner (No Prayer For The Dying, 1990)
We’ve all heard your jokes about how naff No Prayer For The Dying is, and it seems Maiden have too: the last time they played something from it was when they added Bring Your Daughter… to their 2003 setlist. The one No Prayer… song that almost matches the band’s former glory is Tailgunner, which weaves through complex riffs and a punchy chorus. Given it’s not been performed since 1992, why not give this diamond in the rough a well-deserved and long-overdue dust-off?
Be Quick Or Be Dead (Fear Of The Dark, 1992)
Fear Of The Dark isn’t the strongest Maiden album, but it’s been immortalised by its stone-cold classic of a title track. Why the hell hasn’t Be Quick Or Be Dead enjoyed even a sniff of that recognition? Released as a single in 1992, this is a no-holds-barred thrasher where Dickinson tears into contemporary politics, and it’s arguably the most alive the band sounded that decade. It’s languished in retirement since 1993 and needs to come back, especially with its lyrics remaining tragically relevant in the 2020s.
Iron Maiden Run For Your Lives 2025 tour dates:
May 27: Budapest Aréna, Hungary *
May 31: Prague Letnany Airport, Czech Republic *
Jun 01: Bratislava TIPOS Arena, Slovakia *
Jun 05: Trondheim Rocks, Norway ≠
Jun 07: Stavanger SR-Bank Arena, Norway *
Jun 09: Copenhagen Royal Arena, Denmark *
Jun 12: Stockholm 3Arena, Sweden *
Jun 13: Stockholm 3Arena, Sweden *
Jun 16: Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Finland *
Jun 21: Birmingham Utilita Arena, UK ^
Jun 22: Manchester Co-op Live, UK ^
Jun 25: Dublin Malahide Castle, Ireland *^
Jun 28: London Stadium, UK *^
Jun 30: Glasgow OVO Hydro, UK ^
Jul 03: Belfort Eurockéennes, France ≠
Jul 05: Madrid Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano, Spain **
Jul 06: Lisbon MEO Arena, Portugal **
Jul 09: Zurich Hallenstadion, Switzerland **
Jul 11: Gelsenkirchen Veltins-Arena, Germany **
Jul 13: Padova Stadio Euganeo, Italy **
Jul 15: Bremen Bürgerweide, Germany **
Jul 17: Vienna Ernst Happel Stadium, Austria **
Jul 19: Paris Paris La Défense Arena, France **
Jul 23: Arnhem GelreDome, Netherlands **
Jul 25: Frankfurt Deutsche Bank Park, Germany **
Jul 26: Stuttgart Cannstatter Wasen, Germany **
Jul 29: Berlin Waldbühne, Germany **
Aug 02: Warsaw PGE Narodowy, Poland **
* = Halestorm support
^ = The Raven Age support
** = Avatar support
≠ = Festival date
