Iron Maiden: The Future Past World Tour 2023-24

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My relationship with the band Iron Maiden has been one of love and hate over the years (“The thin line between love and hate”?). My first conscious encounter with the band’s music (their name was already familiar to me because someone had taken the liberty of spray-painting “Iron Maiden” across the street from my school in the early ’90s) was through the album Virtual XI (yes, with Blaze Bayley on vocals), which to this day is one of my favorites. Then I listened to Maiden Japan and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. Later, Brave New World was released while I was in high school (and to this day, my mind still thinks of it as “Iron Maiden’s most recent album”), and eventually, I reached Senjutsu.

I saw the Beast in 2004 during the Dance of Death World Tour, but subsequent tours didn’t spark much interest in me, either because of the band’s musical direction at the time (all their albums seemed like recycled songs such as “Sign of the Cross,” “The Clansman,” or “Dream of Mirrors” —songs I love and consider perfect, by the way), because of the tour setlists (I didn’t want to hear “The Trooper” or “Fear of the Dark” over and over again), or simply because I sought refuge in albums sung by Di’Anno, Bayley, or in Somewhere in Time, Seventh Son, and Brave New World—not to mention No Prayer for the Dying or Fear of the Dark, the band’s lowest albums in my opinion, and therefore, I never listen to them.

Since I was somewhat disconnected from the band’s news (the last thing I heard about Iron Maiden was the release of Senjutsu in 2021), I learned about The Future Past World Tour through a video YouTube suggested to me on May 28, 2023: “Alexander the Great” being played live for the first time. The tour had begun in Slovenia and included five songs from Somewhere in Time, which was reason enough for me to want to see the band again (although I confess that the moment I heard “Alexander the Great,” I decided it was a must-attend event). On October 31, 2023, the ticket presale began (and sold out by November 3, prompting the band to add another date), making it more than a year before the concert materialized on November 27, 2024.

Even though Chile is supposedly one of the most organized countries in Latin America, entering the Estadio Nacional was a mess. After about four checkpoints and endless lines where the destination within the stadium was unclear, I finally got into the grounds just as the stadium filled with about 50,000 attendees. As night fell, UFO’s “Doctor Doctor” began playing through the speakers—a song the band has used as an intro since the World Slavery Tour in 1984-85. Although it was just the introduction, the crowd reacted as if the band had already started playing, singing and jumping through the entire song. This transitioned into “End Titles” from the Blade Runner OST, perfectly fitting the futuristic imagery of Somewhere in Time.

The atmosphere, with the stage illuminated in blue and violet lights and the recorded intro to “Caught Somewhere in Time” playing, was enhanced by the first flares of the night. The crowd hummed along to the intro as the band appeared amidst timid fireworks, with the giant screens showing close-ups of Adrian Smith and Bruce Dickinson running across the stage in a steampunk outfit. The crowd erupted despite the tempo differing from the studio version. By the time Murray’s solo came, I was already hoarse—moving to the point of tears made of Heavy Metal.

The slower “Stranger in a Strange Land” caused the audience to calm down slightly, singing along while jumping and clapping. I was pleasantly surprised by the crowd’s response to “The Writing on the Wall” and, in general, to all the Senjutsu songs, which I had assumed would be less appreciated since they came from the latest album. During “Days of Future Past,” Dickinson showcased his vocal abilities more triumphantly than on “Caught Somewhere in Time.” Let’s be honest, Bruce Dickinson’s voice isn’t the same as it once was, but the man is 66 years old and survived tongue cancer. Even so, he remains one of the top three frontmen in Heavy Metal, tirelessly moving throughout the concert and interacting with the audience at every moment.

Before “The Time Machine,” Dickinson referenced the band’s canceled performance in 1992 due to pressure from the Catholic Church and spoke about traveling back to 1986 (the year Somewhere in Time was released), expressing his joy at seeing that a significant portion of the audience was born after that year.

“The Prisoner,” like the songs from Somewhere in Time, was performed slightly slower than the original version—something entirely expected due to age and health factors (when was the last fast-paced studio track, “Wildest Dreams”?), especially in Nicko McBrain’s case. Let’s not forget his stroke in early 2023. During “Death of the Celts,” Janick Gers made me eat my words about his place in Iron Maiden (I once considered him unnecessary after Adrian Smith’s return, until I heard “Dream of Mirrors” and “Out of the Silent Planet”—though I’ve always acknowledged his contributions to The X Factor).

I could live in a world without “Can I Play with Madness,” “The Trooper,” and “Fear of the Dark,” but evidently, the general public loves those songs, reacting enthusiastically to the radio hits.

“Alexander the Great.” It has never been a particularly fast song, but it’s arguably one of Iron Maiden’s most epic pieces, and I can’t understand why the band waited so long to perform it live (which gives me hope for hearing “Deja-Vu” in the not-too-distant future). The wind whistles, and the voiceover intones, “My son, ask for thyself another kingdom, for that which I leave is too small for thee,” paving the way for one of Western civilization’s greatest tributes to Ancient Greece. The backdrop featured Eddie dressed as the warrior-king of Macedonia, Bruce Dickinson striking the gong, Murray and Smith’s solos, Harris’s galloping bass, and Dickinson holding the final syllable of “Babylon.” It was the highlight of the tour—2023-2024 is a great time to be alive.

After the encore, “Hell On Earth” played—a song destined to become a classic.  “Hell On Earth” features an intro reminiscent of “The Clansman” and “No More Lies.” It wasn’t included in the second leg of the Legacy of the Beast World Tour (which featured three Senjutsu songs, only “The Writing on the Wall” being repeated in this tour), but here it was accompanied by fire as the band played the chords and solos unhurriedly. I hope this song will have greater audience participation in the future, like “Fear of the Dark.”

The night ended with “Wasted Years,” which I thought was a great choice since ending with “Alexander the Great” would have felt abrupt. “Wasted Years” allowed the concert to conclude on a high note, leaving the audience energized and with the promise of a return.

The Run For Your Lives World Tour 2025-26, celebrating the band’s 50th anniversary, is already promised and tickets are being sold. Personally, I hope it doesn’t feature songs from the Best of the Beast compilation but rather highlights more from Killers or songs like “22 Acacia Avenue,” “Die with Your Boots On,” and, why not, “Deja-Vu.” We’ll have to stay tuned to see what Iron Maiden brings on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, in Budapest.