Iron Maiden to play in NZ | infonews.co.nz New Zealand News

Loaded up with a full complement of band, crew and 12 tons of stage set and equipment, the band’s customized Boeing 757, christened Ed Force One by the fans, is flown by Astraeus Airlines Captain and Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson, will be circumnavigating 80,000km around the planet for concerts in 19 cities in 11 countries, making it a staggering 37 countries in total visited on this tour, playing to almost two million fans.

The ‘SOMEWHERE BACK IN TIME’ tour revisits the band’s history by focusing almost entirely on the 80’s in both choice of songs played and the stage set, which is based around the legendary Egyptian Production of the 1984-85 ‘Powerslave Tour’ featured on the recent DVD Live after Death. This is arguably the most elaborate and spectacular show the band have ever presented, and will include some key elements of their Somewhere In Time tour of 1986/7, such as the Cyborg Eddie. However the set list for this leg will vary from that of the 2008 shows with the inclusion of some of the earlier classic songs featured during the band’s 2005 Early Days Tour (which did not get to NZ), based around their first four albums.

Says band founder Steve Harris “We are all so very pleased to be able to get to New Zealand this time!

We were disappointed not to have made it earlier this year when we were in Australia, but, although we did try hard, we couldn’t make the schedule work. So when we decided to do this last leg of the tour we felt that, despite the distance, we just had to get there as we heard how disappointed our fans were to be missed out. But at least we have our own plane with our crew and a few beers on board to keep us entertained on the way down there! We will be loading onto the plane as much of the production and stage set as we can ram in, along with plenty of pyro!! The set list will be a bit different to the shows we have done so far on this tour as we will include a few more songs from the first four albums.

This tour is likely to be the last time we play many of these songs live so we really will be giving it everything we have got!”

Taking off in mid February, Maiden will make their first appearances in New Zealand for 16 years via Dubai and Bangalore followed by the long haul up to Mexico and then finishing with an extended run through Latin America.

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SOMEWHERE BACK IN TIME 2009 - FOURTH & FINAL LEG

NEW ZEALAND TOUR DATES

FRIDAY 20 FEBRUARY - MT SMART STADIUM, AUCKLAND

SATURDAY 21 FEBRUARY - AMI STADIUM, CHRISTCHURCH

PRESENTED BY

For further media information: Angela Mace, Beat Communications

Phone: +649 361 2327 Email: angela.mace@beat.net.nz

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION GO TO WWW.IRONMAIDEN.COM

Comments Bruce Dickinson, “This unique way of touring earlier this year with everyone and all our gear on the plane helped to make 2008 easily one of the most successful, exciting and fun years in the band’s career. Taking Ed Force One around the planet and playing to our fans in so many different countries was an incredible experience for all of us and, for me personally, flying and performing was one of the most challenging and satisfying things I’ve ever done despite the rigours and the logistical difficulties we encountered.”

“In fact it was so much fun we decided to do it again as a final leg of this tour. We couldn’t make a visit to New

Zealand work out first time round so we had to this time and will schedule a couple of days off so we can spend

some time there. All in all this will be a fantastic way to round off a tremendous year for the band before we take a bit of time off and then start work on a new studio album.”

The Iron Maiden plane Ed Force One has been back in regular airline service since the end of the first leg in

March this year and has been used for the ‘Bruce Air’ fan club flying trips during the European leg of the tour, as well as Bruce flying various missions to bring troops back home from tours of duty in Afghanistan and collecting stranded British tourists in the recent major airline closures.

However the Boeing 757 will be taken back into the hanger soon to be completely refitted and its Maiden livery restored, this having been removed due to fears of evil ju-ju spirits Eddie! inhabiting the plane from worried passengers on its summer route from Central Africa!

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