Iron Maiden have postponed all 2020 touring plans as the COVID-19 pandemic persists. The legendary UK metal band has rescheduled many of the European dates of its ongoing “Legacy of the Beast Tour” for 2021, but canceled festival appearances have not been rescheduled.
The band was supposed to begin the first leg of the 2020 tour on May 1st in Perth, Australia, with shows in New Zealand, the Philippines, Japan, Dubai, and Israel to follow. Those dates have not been rescheduled yet, though the band hopes to return to those countries “in some guise, in the first half of 2022.” European shows in Moscow, Weert, and Zurich have also not been rearranged thus far.
Iron Maiden’s manager Rod Smallwood issued a statement on the band’s website in regards to the postponements and cancellations:
“I hope you and your loved ones are staying safe and well, wherever you may be, and my continued thanks to you all for bearing with us so patiently.
Due to the continuing health issues Worldwide around COVID-19 we regretfully inform you that Iron Maiden will now not be playing any concerts until June 2021.
However, we are now in a position to give you details of our touring plans in respect to those shows we had hoped to play this year.
Firstly, we are very pleased to tell you that we’ve managed to reschedule all our European own-shows on the ‘Legacy Of The Beast Tour’ for June/July 2021 with the exception of Moscow, St Petersburg, Weert and Zurich which unfortunately we have been unable to re-arrange in this period.
To consolidate the tour routing, as you can see, we have added 2 further shows in Arnhem and Antwerp.”
Smallwood also said that opening acts have been re-invited for the 2021 shows, barring any scheduling conflicts. Confirmed bands so far include Within Temptation, Lord of the Lost, Airbourne, and Avatar. He continued:
“Re-arranging the headline Festival dates has unfortunately not been possible. This is mainly because we already had an extremely busy year lined up for 2021 and, as I’m sure you can imagine, a great deal of forward planning has already gone on and there’s only so much we can do within the timeline and logistics already in place. The band enjoy playing at Festivals so please be assured we will get back to as many of these as we can at another time.
In respect of what should have been the opening leg of the 2020 tour starting on May 1 in Perth, Australia and visiting New Zealand, the Philippines, Japan, Dubai and Israel, we are currently working on a possible return to as many of these countries as we can, in some guise, in the first half of 2022, more news on that will follow at the appropriate time.
The band are all fine and send you guys their best wishes, they are very much looking forward to getting back on stage next year and seeing you all so, please, continue to take care of yourselves and stay SMART.”
Iron Maiden’s announcement follows a plethora of festival and tour cancellations and postponements, as the pandemic curtails the live music industry. Like Iron Maiden’s shows, many have been pushed to 2021, when some medical experts predict live music might return.
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Meanwhile, the band’s latest digipak CD reissues, The Live Collection — featuring 1985’s Live After Death and 2002’s Rock in Rio — come at an opportune time. They should at least partially fill the live Maiden void as fans await the 2021 concerts.
See the full list of rescheduled dates below. Get tickets here.
Iron Maiden 2021 Legacy of the Beast European Tour Dates:
06/11 – Warsaw, PL @ PGE Narodowy * ^
06/13 – Bremen, DE @ Bürgerweide #
06/15 – Prague, CZ @ Sinobo Stadium # ^
06/16 – Wiener, AT @ Neustadt Stadium Open Air # ^
06/19 – Barcelona, ES @ Olympic Stadium *
06/21 – Lisbon, PT @ Estadio Nacional * #
06/24 – Bologna, IT @ Sonic Park # ^
06/26 – Stuttgart, DE @ Mercedes–Benz Arena (Stadium) # ^
06/27 – Antwerps, BE @ Sportpaleis
06/30 – Berlin, DE @ Waldbühne # ^
07/03 – Gothenburg, SE @ Ullevi Stadium #
07/08 – Cologne, DE @ Rhein–Energie–Stadium # ^
07/10 – Arnhem, NL @ GelreDome #
07/11 – Paris, FR @ La Defense Arena # %
* = w/ Within Temptation
^ = w/ Lord of the Lost
# = w/ Airbourne
% = w/ Avatar
