Prepare for the heavy metal onslaught as British legends IRON MAIDEN announce the Australian leg of their "The Future Past" tour in 2024.
This highly-anticipated tour, set to rock Down Under in September, will mark IRON MAIDEN's return to Australia following their "The Book Of Souls" tour back in 2016 and 2017.
Joining MAIDEN on this six-date journey as special guests will be none other than KILLSWITCH ENGAGE.
"The Future Past" promises a setlist featuring previously unperformed songs from MAIDEN's latest studio album, "Senjutsu," along with a spotlight on the 1986 classic "Somewhere In Time" LP and other iconic hits.
Steve Harris, the band's bassist, exclaims, "We've truly relished every moment of 'The Future Past' tour this year, and our fans' response has been nothing short of incredible. Introducing these songs to our audience for the very first time has made the tour all the more unforgettable, and we're thrilled to continue it next year. We're beyond excited to return to Australia, knowing how patiently our fans have awaited our comeback over the past few years. This new show will be worth the wait, we promise!"
Iron Maiden's manager, Rod Smallwood, adds, "Our plans to bring the 'Legacy Of The Beast' tour to Australia were thwarted by the live music industry shutdown during Covid. However, we assured our fans then that we would return to Australia, and as our fans know, we always keep our promises. So, as you can imagine, we are eagerly looking forward to bringing this sensational new show to the Southern hemisphere, giving our loyal Australian fans the best MAIDEN show we can offer. It's definitely worth the wait. See you all in 2024!"
Here are the tour dates:
Sep. 01 - RAC Arena, Perth, Australia
Sep. 04 - Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide, Australia
Sep. 06 - Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, Australia
Sep. 10 - Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Australia
Sep. 12 - Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, Australia
Sep. 16 - Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand
Fans have long wondered why IRON MAIDEN never performed "Alexander The Great" live, and when asked in a radio interview several years ago, singer Bruce Dickinson quipped, "Because Adrian [Smith, guitar] can't remember the guitar solo." But he went on to reveal that when the song was initially composed, they used advanced music computer software, and it couldn't figure out the time signature.
IRON MAIDEN's "Senjutsu" was released in September 2021, marking the band's second consecutive double album after 2015's "The Book Of Souls," which holds the record for the longest MAIDEN album with a runtime of 92 minutes.
The album, "Senjutsu," was recorded in Paris in 2019 with their longtime producer, Kevin Shirley, and co-produced by bassist Steve Harris. It boasts three tracks with a runtime exceeding 10 minutes each.
"Senjutsu," which can be loosely translated as "tactics and strategy," features artwork with a Samurai theme, a creation of Mark Wilkinson based on an idea by Harris.
Upon its release, "Senjutsu" debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, surpassing even classics like "Powerslave" and "The Number Of The Beast" in chart performance. Nearly 90 percent of the album's 64,000 equivalent album units came from pure album sales. The double album received critical acclaim and debuted one position higher than 2015's "The Book Of Souls" and 2010's "The Final Frontier," both of which peaked at No. 4. IRON MAIDEN's "Senjutsu" became the 13th album to break into the Top 40 in the U.S.
