British metal stalwarts Iron Maiden have announced that they’re gearing up for a massive European tour- with a lengthy stint in the UK- for summer 2018.
The ‘Legacy of the Beast’ tour comes barely a year since the band’s last, which saw them commemorate their sixteenth studio album The Book of Souls, and successfully headline Download Festival in June 2016.
The ‘Legacy of the Beast’ Tour -which kicks off in Tallinn, Estonia on May 26, and culminates at London’s famous O2 Arena in August- is inspired by the ever-conceptual Maiden’s mobile game, and comic book series of the same name. The stage set for the tour- often a spectacle in it’s own right- is believed to combine a number of interlocking ‘worlds’, with a setlist that will cover the storied career of the band, which spans over three decades.
Maiden’s co-manager Rod Smallwood explained the tour in further detail to Blabbermouth:
“As our fans know, we’ve been following a particular touring cycle ever since Bruce [Dickinson, vocals] and Adrian [Smith, guitar] rejoined Maiden at the start of the millennium, alternating new album tours with ‘History/Hits’ tours. We enjoy working this way for many reasons, not least because it gives the band a chance to play both new material and the older favourites which we know fans like to hear. It keeps things fresh, not just for the fans but for the band too.
“For this History/Hits tour we decided to base the theme around the ‘Legacy Of The Beast’ name, which suits our purposes perfectly by giving us scope to get creative and have some fun, especially with Eddie! I don’t want to give too much away at the moment but we’re working on a number of different stage sets, all in keeping with the MAIDEN tradition and we hope to give our fans a fantastic experience when they come to see this very special show.”
The band will be ably supported by New Jersey metal heavyweights Killswitch Engage, who will be touring with Maiden from May 26-July 1. Further support acts have not yet been finalised and will be announced very soon.
We will be touring alongside the legendary @IronMaiden on #TheLegacyOfTheBeast 2018 tour in Europe and the UK. #IronMaiden pic.twitter.com/HTJi6M4QkS
— Killswitch Engage (@kseofficial) November 13, 2017
Tickets go on sale here on November 24, and you can see the full list of UK dates below.
31/07/2018- Radio Arena- Newcastle
02/08- SSE Arena- Belfast
04/08- Exhibition & Conference Centre- Aberdeen
06/08- Manchester Arena- Manchester
07/08- Genting Arena- Birmingham
10/08- O2 Arena- London
