Madrid, July 5, 2025
at Estadio Riyadh Air Metropolitano
Run For Your Lives Tour
Opening band: Avatar
SCREAM FOR ME, MADRID!!!
The Swedish metal band Avatar was the opening act, but I didn’t get to see them.
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden is an English heavy metal band formed in 1975 by bassist and songwriter Steve Harris.
They’re one of the most influential metal bands and my favorite one, since thanks to them, I discovered the world of metal music. I’ve seen them 9 times in Chile, and Madrid was my 10th Iron Maiden show.
I love them because they combine metal music with history-related songs (among other themes) that are being told in a very theatrical way by their singer, Bruce Dickinson.
Their longtime drummer Nicko McBrain retired from touring in December 2024, so this is the first tour with their current drummer Simon Dawson, who was the drummer of British Lion, Steve Harris’s other band.
The Run for Your Lives World Tour started in May 2025 in Budapest, Hungary.
Band members
- Bruce Dickinson – vocals
- Dave Murray – guitars
- Adrian Smith – guitars
- Janick Gers – guitars
- Steve Harris – bass
- Simon Dawson – drums
The Show
I entered the Stadium an hour before Iron Maiden’s show started. I bought the tour t-shirt and a bottle of water, and then I went to my seat close to the starting time. The stadium wasn’t full, I thought maybe people were outside in the bars, but no, the Stadium was never full.
Iron Maiden started at 20.50, there was still daylight, with their usual taped intro: UFO’s song Doctor Doctor, which was sung by all of us. Then the instrumental, also taped, The Ides of March, and they showed up to play Paul Di Anno’s era songs: Murders in the Rue Morgue, Wrathchild, Killers, and Phantom of the Opera.
Then Barry Clayton’s narration of Revelation 13:18 sounded loud on the speakers to introduce The Number of the Beast.
It was the turn of The Clairvoyant, Powerslave, 2 Minutes to Midnight, and Rime of the Ancient Mariner.
Run to the Hills, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, The Trooper (with Bruce waving the Union Jack flag), Hallowed Be Thy Name, and the iconic Iron Maiden.
The band left for a couple of minutes, and Churchill’s Speech started to play in the speakers to continue with Aces High.
The show finished after Fear of the Dark and Wasted Years around 23.00. As usual, the lights lit up as Always Look on the Bright Side of Life invited us to leave the stadium.
The sound wasn’t the best, in some parts it came in waves, I don’t know if it was the wind that, at times, was very strong.
It was a great experience to see Iron Maiden in Spain. That said, I couldn’t help but think of how different it is back home in Chile, where Iron Maiden shows feel almost like a religious experience. The crowds there are wild, passionate, singing every word, sometimes even lighting flares! But that’s the beauty of seeing a band in different countries — each crowd has its vibe and energy.
In this tour, there’s a new member: Simon Dawson, the drummer. I thought he played very well, as well as the band, as usual. I didn’t see much of the band or anything on the screens because I was situated at the side of the stage, far away, but I enjoyed it very much.
At the beginning of this tour, people didn’t like that Simon played on a smaller drum kit compared to Nicko McBrain’s. Yet others claimed that he had a more similar style to the older drummer, the late Clive Burr, so for me, it’s ok, I think he’s a good musician anyway. He cannot be a copy of the band’s previous drummers; he has his style.
The screens were ok, even though I didn’t see them that much, and regarding the people who didn’t like them and prefer their older elaborated stage, for me, it’s alright. They have to adapt to these times, with a simpler stage, same with Eddie.
And finally, regarding the setlist, I also heard some negative comments about it, that they always play the same songs, and that they don’t play songs from each of their albums. I’ve always dreamed that they would make a tour with B-sides or songs that they haven’t played in a while, like Be Quick or Be Dead or Bring Your Daughter… to the Slaughter. But I know it’s very difficult for they to do that. Also, I dreamed that they would make a tour with their previous singers, Paul Di’Anno and Blaze Bayley, like Helloween does, but since Paul’s recent passing, that won’t be possible anymore.
We’ll have to accept that the setlist will always be similar to the current one because each of these songs is so iconic that they can’t leave them out. Plus, I understand that younger fans or the people who haven’t seen them want to hear those songs, even though we, the older fans, have seen them playing those songs a million times. I think it’s fine, I love to see them live, and I’m grateful that they’re still playing. Every time that I’m able to see them, I’m happy because I just love them, and every chance I get to see them, I will. After all, for me, they’re the greatest metal band ever, and I owe them everything since thanks to them, I fell in love with heavy metal, so to conclude, I can only say… Up the Irons!
… if you’re not familiar with Iron Maiden, here’s a video:
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Setlist
- Doctor Doctor (UFO song)
- The Ides of March
- Murders in the Rue Morgue
- Wrathchild
- Killers
- Phantom of the Opera
- The Number of the Beast
- The Clairvoyant
- Powerslave
- 2 Minutes to Midnight
- Rime of the Ancient Mariner
- Run to the Hills
- Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
- The Trooper
- Hallowed Be Thy Name
- Iron Maiden
Encore:
- Churchill’s Speech
- Aces High
- Fear of the Dark
- Wasted Years
- Always Look on the Bright Side of Life