Iron Maiden launched their Run for Your Lives 50th anniversary tour on Tuesday (May 27) at Papp Laszlo Sportarena in Budapest, Hungary, dusting off several classics that they hadn’t performed live in decades.
You can see the setlist and videos from the performance below.
As promised, the Run for Your Lives tour kickoff focused on Iron Maiden’s first nine albums, from 1980’s Iron Maiden through 1992’s Fear of the Dark. Following a taped intro of “The Ides of March,” they opened the show with a blistering three-song volley off Killers, playing “Murders in the Rue Morgue,” “Wrathchild” and “Killers” in quick succession. It was the first time they played the title track since 1999.
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Other goodies included “Phantom of the Opera,” played for the first time since 2014; “The Clairvoyant,” played for the first time since 2013; “Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” played for the first time since 2009; and “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son,” for the first time since 2014.
Following these deeper cuts, Iron Maiden ended their set with a flurry of time-honored classics, including a three-song encore of “Aces High,” “Fear of the Dark” and “Wasted Years.”
Iron Maiden Debut New Drummer Simon Dawson
Tuesday’s concert marked Iron Maiden’s show with drummer Simon Dawson and first without Nicko McBrain since 1982. McBrain announced his retirement from touring last December, revealing that his playing had not fully recovered since he suffered a stroke in January 2023.
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Dawson is no slouch behind the kit, having played with artists ranging from the Outfield to short-lived NWOBHM outfit Deep Switch. Most crucially, he’s played with Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris’ other band, British Lion, since 2013.
Iron Maiden’s Run for Your Lives European tour is scheduled to conclude on Aug. 2 in Warsaw, Poland, with more international dates to be announced well into 2026.
Iron Maiden – 5/27/25, Budapest, Hungary Setlist + Video
1. “The Ides of March” (prerecorded intro)
2. “Murders in the Rue Morgue” (first performance since 2005)
3. “Wrathchild” (first performance since 2017)
4. “Killers” (first performance since 1999)
5. “Phantom of the Opera” (first performance since 2014)
6. “The Number of the Beast”
7. “The Clairvoyant” (first performance since 2013)
8. “Powerslave” (first performance since 2017)
9. “2 Minutes to Midnight” (first performance since 2019)
10. “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” (first performance since 2009)
11. “Run to the Hills”
12. “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son” (first performance since 2014)
13. “The Trooper”
14. “Hallowed Be Thy Name”
15. “Iron Maiden”
Encore:
16. “Aces High”
17. “Fear of the Dark”
18. “Wasted Years”
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Gallery Credit: Joe DiVita