Iron Maiden’s record label team haven’t been allowed to visit the metal institution in the recording studio since 1982.
Bassist and founding member Steve Harris makes the revelation in a new interview with Bass Player. During the conversation, he says the most satisfying thing about being in the band, who will soon start celebrating their 50th anniversary on the Run For Your Lives tour, is the creative freedom they’ve long enjoyed.
“We’ve had success on our own terms,” he explains. “We’ve kept outside the music business a lot of the time. We’ve been stubborn and not let record company people bully us about.”
To prove his point, Harris adds that staff at Maiden’s label have been banned from entering the studio while the band are recording ever since their third album The Number Of The Beast, released in 1982 through EMI.
“As far back as the third album we banned the record company people from the studio,” he continues. “They were freaking out because the single was so different to the last one, which had been a success. We just told them to get out!”
Though it’s unclear which songs Harris is referring to, the suits needn’t have worried, as both of The Number Of The Beast’s singles, Run To The Hills and the title track, were successes that hit the top 20 of the UK charts. The album itself was the band’s first UK number one, up from the number 12 position reached by 1981 predecessor Killers.
Maiden’s Run For Your Lives shows will kick off on May 27 in Budapest, Hungary. The band will play across Europe until August, including a blockbuster show at the UK’s 80,000-capacity London Stadium on June 28. Further legs are expected to be announced, with the tour set to extend into 2026. See all dates and details below.
Run For Your Lives will be Maiden’s first stretch of shows since 1982 without longtime drummer Nicko McBrain. McBrain, who suffered a mini-stroke in January 2023, retired from the stage late last year and will be replaced at live shows by Simon Dawson, who plays in Harris’ solo project British Lion.
Despite his touring retirement, McBrain says he will “remain firmly part of the Iron Maiden family working on a variety of projects”.
In advance of the Run For Your Lives tour, the new issue of Metal Hammer names the 50 greatest moments in Maiden’s history, from their very first show to their 50th anniversary. Order your copy online and get it delivered directly to your door!
Iron Maiden Run For Your Lives 2025 tour dates:
May 27: Budapest Aréna, Hungary *
May 28: 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 19: Dessel Graspop Metal Meeting, Belgium≠
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 20: 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 **
Jul 30: Berlin Waldbühne, Germany **
Aug 02: Warsaw PGE Narodowy, Poland **
* = Halestorm support
^ = The Raven Age support
** = Avatar support
≠ = Festival date
