Run For Your Lives…Iron Maiden Has Hit The United States

After kicking off their North American leg of the “Run For Your Lives World Tour” in celebration of the legendary heavy metal band’s 50th anniversary, Iron Maiden arrived in Harrison, NJ for two back-to-back nights over Labor Day weekend. Sports Illustrated Stadium, home to the New York Red Bulls MLS team, was sold-out Saturday night for the first of the NJ shows. For fans who traveled from Europe, this show certainly felt like home being inside of a soccer stadium instead of the typical arena or football stadium.

Joining the lineup alongside Iron Maiden were thrash legends Megadeth and Anthrax. Together, the three artists brought in approximately 32k fans from across the globe. Upon arrival at the stadium Saturday afternoon, fans were already wrapped around the block waiting to get their spot along the barricade.

The event kicked off shortly after 6PM with Anthrax taking the stage, who had just played the night prior at the reopening of the iconic St. Vitus Bar in Brooklyn, NY. The group, originally from Queens, NY, had to condense over 40 years of music into just 7 songs. Essentially performing a “greatest hits” set, Anthrax did include “It’s for the Kids”, a new song off their upcoming twelfth studio album, Cursum Perficio. The anticipated album releases on September 18th, over ten years since the band’s last album For All Kings. Anthrax is only joining Iron Maiden for select North American tour dates.

Next up on the stage was Megadeth, direct support for Iron Maiden on all North American tour dates. Touring behind their early 2026 self titled and final album, Megadeth, Dave Mustaine and group also only had enough time to play one new track from their expansive career of over 40 years. Megadeth ripped through nine songs, but tossed in some gems. One song that certainly caught fans off guard was “The Conjuring,” which was shelved for time until recently. Lead guitarist, Teemu Mantysaari, who’s the newest member of the band, played through legendary tracks like Hangar 18 and Tornado of Souls with ease. With the list of guitarists that Dave Mustaine has surrounded himself with, it shows that he has a sense for talent. Rounding out the group are drummer Dirk Verbeuren, who joined in 2016 after leaving Soilwork and James LoMenzo on bass who’s done a few stints with the band. Both Dirk and James have great stage presence and play incredibly well to the audience. As expected, during “Peace Sells,” the mascot for Megadeth, “Vic,” made his nightly appearance on stage. Vic wouldn’t be the only mascot to take the stage for the night. Megadeth ended their night with their iconic track “Holy Wars…The Punishment Due.” from their 1990 release, Rust In Peace.

As the sun set over the back of the stadium and a haze filled the stage, the sound of UFO’s “Doctor Doctor” began to play. Any fan of Iron Maiden knows that signals the start of the show. The die-hard fans who lined the front row with flags representing where they traveled from, were ready to go. For anyone who doesn’t follow the band closely, this current tour, “Run For Your Lives World Tour”, is a celebration of the first nine albums from Maiden’s discography. This tour also marks the first tour in 40 years without Nicko McBrain, the band’s legendary drummer who retired from touring a few years ago. Saturday night, the setlist included songs from their self-titled debut album all the way to 1992’s Fear of the Dark.

With the ability to focus on the first half of their career, Iron Maiden was able to play some deeper cuts that many people probably haven’t heard live or weren’t familiar with. This may seem like a downfall for the casual fan that comes to a show to hear all hits, but the band made sure there were certainly plenty of those played as well.

The stage setup of this tour is digital screens dependent, instead of physical props like some of their previous ones. All 17 songs of the setlist were matched with incredible digital graphics that gave the old school physical props a run for their money. It only took 3 songs into the set for Maiden’s mascot, Eddie, to run out on stage and attack singer Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Janick Gers. Eddie came out sporting his own leather jacket with an Iron Maiden pin on it.

Watching the show and its incredible visuals is only half of what needs to be discussed after night one in Harrison, NJ. The more important thing that needs to be addressed is how Bruce Dickinson and the rest of Iron Maiden sound. Not including replacement drummer, Simon Dawson who is 63 years old, the next youngest in the band is Dickinson who’s now 68. The rest of the members are either 69 or 70 years old, and they’re somehow not showing it. Aging like a fine wine, Iron Maiden is not showing any signs of slowing down and certainly still remain at the top of their game. Dickinson’s vocals during epic songs like “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” and “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son,” soared and filled the stadium with ease. The power and consistency he showed last night needs to be studied. Dickinson’s vocal performance is even more impressive when you factor in how much he’s running around the massive stage with his theatrics. The oldest band member, bassist Steve Harris, put on an absolute bass clinic last night. The sound was fluid and hit you deep in the chest. Rounding off the band’s lineup are the trio of guitarists, Dave Murray, Adrian Smith and Janick Gers, and new drummer Simon Dawson. The triple guitar attack gives Maiden the ability to fill that sound in massive stadiums even more. The new Maiden timekeeper, Simon Dawson, who joined the band after Nicko McBrain retired, wasn’t a complete stranger to the band. Dawson has been a band member with Steve Harris for the last 12 years in his side project, British Lion. Most of the Iron Maiden fan base also follow British Lion and were already aware of Dawson’s skill on drums. With Dawson now on the kit, Maiden still isn’t missing a beat.

After the conclusion of last night’s show, it’s easy to see why Iron Maiden sold over a million tickets in their first 32 shows of this tour in 2025. Maiden has one more night in New Jersey and then they head across the rest of the United States. Most of the remaining U.S. shows are one night only, with Megadeth opening until another two-night stand in Los Angeles with Anthrax re-joining the bill. After leaving the U.S. at the end of September, Eddie and Co make their way to South America, Mexico, and more. This epic tour finally concludes at the end of November with a two-night stand in Yokohama Japan. It’s unclear what’s next for Iron Maiden after this, but one thing is for sure, it’s not retirement.

Iron Maiden Setlist
1 – Murders in the Rue Morgue
2 – Wrathchild
3 – Killers
4 – Phantom of the Opera
5 – The Number of the Beast
6 – Infinite Dreams
7 – Powerslave
8 – 2 Minutes to Midnight
9 – Rime of the Ancient Mariner
10 – Run to the Hills
11 – Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
12 – The Trooper
13 – Hallowed Be Thy Name
14 – Iron Maiden
15 – Aces High
16 – Fear of the Dark
17 – Wasted Years

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