Article Contributed by Justin Hunt
Published on 2026-09-12
Iron Maiden | TD Garden | Boston, MA | September 9th, 2026 - photos by Justin Hunt
After more than 50 years, Iron Maiden continues to have one of heavy metal’s most legendary careers. As the Run for Your Lives World Tour reached Boston, the band played TD Garden for the very first time. When the band reaches Massachusetts, it often favors Mansfield’s Great Woods or Worcester’s DCU Center, amazingly making this only the second time in its 50 years that Iron Maiden has played Boston with vocalist Bruce Dickinson!
Iron Maiden has a unique fanbase for a band with a legacy like theirs: as much as fans want to hear the classics, they also enjoy and want to hear newer material. This has led to a pattern over the past two decades in which the band will do a tour with a specific nostalgia hook, followed by a tour supporting newer material. It’s known going into a tour what the gimmick will be, and the Run for Your Lives World Tour focuses on the earlier years, drawing exclusively from the first nine studio albums, from the band’s debut, Iron Maiden, through the final album of Bruce’s initial run with the band, Fear of the Dark. They notably skipped anything from 1990’s No Prayer for the Dying.
Rather than relying on nostalgia alone, Maiden delivered a two-hour spectacle filled with elaborate stage production, towering versions of Eddie, pyrotechnics, and the kind of precision musicianship that has made them one of the most respected live acts in rock history. Gone are the background scrims and inflatables that were signatures of their stage production for more than four decades. In their place was a wall-to-wall video screen showing impressive visuals tailored to fit each song.
After their classic intro tape of “Doctor Doctor,” the band started with a strong focus on its sophomore album, Killers. “The Ides of March” played on tape, and the band exploded—though not literally, as the opening pyros failed to go off tonight—into the ferocious one-two-three punch of “Murders in the Rue Morgue,” “Wrathchild,” and “Killers.” Bruce Dickinson was in commanding form, sprinting across the massive stage while somehow still delivering soaring vocals on demanding classics like “Phantom of the Opera,” “The Number of the Beast,” and “Infinite Dreams,” the latter of which hadn’t been played since 1988.
Steve Harris remained the heartbeat of the band, his signature galloping bass lines driving every song forward, while guitarists Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, and Janick Gers effortlessly traded harmonized leads and blistering solos. New touring drummer Simon Dawson faced the unenviable task of replacing Nicko McBrain behind the kit. It wasn’t just strange to see a different drummer with the band; it was strange to see any drummer, as Nicko was always hidden behind his kit and Simon’s setup was much more subdued. Though there were certainly differences in his playing, Dawson handled the role with confidence, locking in with the band.
A centerpiece of the evening came with the epic “Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” complete with cinematic visuals, rolling fog, and dramatic lighting that transformed the stage into a ghostly seascape. After the 13-minute-plus epic, they followed with perhaps their most commercially successful song, “Run to the Hills,” before bringing in another equally impressive 10-minute epic, “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son.” From there, the band played some of its biggest songs, including “The Trooper,” “Fear of the Dark,” and its frequent finale, “Wasted Years.”
There were theatrical moments throughout the night, from towering flames during “The Number of the Beast” and larger-than-life Eddies walking onstage during “Killers” and “The Trooper” to an especially unique performance of “Hallowed Be Thy Name.” Dickinson performed much of the song from inside a prison cell, with the band’s four string players charging to the front of the stage as the song crashed in. As the vocals gave way to the guitar solos, Bruce literally vanished from the stage in a puff of smoke, and a digital version of him appeared on the screen behind the band. Digital Bruce climbed to the top of a mountain walkway while being chased by a spirit. As he reached the top, the spirit chased him into a noose, which eventually snapped. Digital Bruce vanished, and the real Bruce appeared in an explosion onstage, carrying the tattered remains of a noose.
As they kicked into “Wasted Years,” Dickinson encouraged the crowd to appreciate the moment rather than dwell on the past. Despite celebrating half a century as a band, Iron Maiden performed with the hunger and intensity of musicians still determined to prove themselves. The Run for Your Lives World Tour shows that Iron Maiden continues to set the standard for what a heavy metal concert should be.
As the band wraps up the tour this year, Bruce is expected to release a new solo album next year, presumably accompanied by a tour. If tradition holds, the next time we see Maiden could be focused on newer material. Perhaps a new album or a special focus on reunion-era material? With 17 albums in their catalog, I suppose we’re never satisfied. I loved hearing the rarely played classics tonight, and I’d love to hear a show featuring songs from the early-2000s albums Brave New World and Dance of Death. I look forward to what comes next. Until then, up the irons!
