Iron Maiden are preparing for a 2003 assault on the world's stage by announcing a few advance dates in what will be a spectacular tour next year. The global success of their last Brave New World tour saw them play to over 1.5 million fans across the globe finishing with a sold out show in Rio in front of 250,000 fans and leading the way to put Heavy Metal back on the map. Famed for their huge stage shows the tour next year will be as big and spectacular as ever. As frontman Bruce Dickinson said 'We go out and do unfashionable things like having huge stage sets, explosions, fleets of trucks, hordes of crew and burn huge amounts of fossil fuel for a living.' No doubt the next Maiden album and tour will be as in your face and politically incorrect as possible then.
The dates announced are :-
Wednesday 25th June France, Paris, Omnisport De Bercy (tickets now on sale)
- to buy tickets and information for the Bercy, Paris show go to fnac.com or elyseemontmartre.com
Friday 27th June Denmark, Roskilde Festival (tickets on sale December 3rd)
Saturday 28th June Sweden, Stockholm Stadium (tickets on sale December 3rd)
Monday 30th June Finland, Helsinki Hartwall Areena (tickets on sale December 3rd)
Wednesday 2nd July Norway, Oslo Spektrum (tickets on sale November 30th)
- to buy tickets and information for all Scandinavian shows www.ticnet.se or www.ema.se
Bercy was the venue chosen by the band to make their triumphant return to Europe in 1999 while their appearance at Stockholm's 35,000 seater Stadium on the last Brave New World Tour was one of the biggest shows in Stockholm that year. Maiden will also be headlining the Roskilde Festival as they did in 2000 to 85,000 fans.
Tickets for Scandinavia go on sale 3rd December. Tickets for Paris have just been released. Supporting acts will be announced at a later date. With so many successful bands around who are now big Maiden fans, the line up announcement is expected to be very interesting.
Having taken some well deserved time off the road the band have returned from their sabbatical (during which Steve Harris spent 7 months editing the Number 1 DVD 'Rock In Rio') and returned to London to commence writing for their next album due out sometime in 2003. This will be the bands 13th Studio album and once again they will be enlisting the production talents of Kevin Shirley who also produced their 'Brave New World' album and more recently the live 'Rock in Rio' album. The studio recording of the new album should start in the New Year.