Iron Maiden Adds a Final US Leg to Its Tour

Iron Maiden were supposed to rest in 2027. On Oct. 16, two days before this article, the band announced a "surprise" third and final North American leg of its Run For Your Lives World Tour, 16 shows in the spring of 2027. It comes after a 2026 North American run that, by the band's own account, included the first stadium headline shows Iron Maiden has played in the United States.

The new dates

The 2027 leg starts at the Tacoma Dome in Washington on April 14 and moves through Vancouver, Portland, Wheatland (California), Chula Vista, San Bernardino, Phoenix and Dallas in April. May brings Tampa, West Palm Beach, Atlanta and Raleigh, then Hartford on May 9 and UBS Arena in Belmont Park, New York, on May 11, the closest date to New York City. The tour ends with two festival headline sets: Sonic Temple in Columbus, Ohio, on May 14, and Boardwalk Rock in Ocean City, Maryland, on May 16.

Ticket sales begin with a fan club presale on Monday, Oct. 19 at 10 a.m. local time, with general on-sale on Friday, Oct. 23 at 10 a.m. local. A VIP package that includes a seated ticket and entry to the TROOPER pre-show party is sold through VIP Nation. Bullet for My Valentine and The Raven Age are the special guests, according to the announcement. Bullet for My Valentine have a new album, Social Apocalypse, due March 19, 2027.

Why the band changed its mind

Steve Harris said in the announcement that the band had planned a break in 2027 but "decided we should take the show to parts we missed, particularly the North West and South East." He added that the band wanted to play a couple more American festivals at the end of the tour. Manager Rod Smallwood said the first leg was "terrific, huge sell-out crowds of all ages spanning multi-generations," and noted the band's following here has grown despite what he called "an almost total lack of mainstream radio support" and never having a track on the Billboard Hot 100. Those are the band's claims, made in a promotional announcement, and we have not independently checked the chart history.

The numbers behind a 50th anniversary

The tour celebrates 50 years since the band formed in 1975. The 2027 shows will be the last of the tour, which the band says will have played 107 shows to well over 3 million fans in 36 countries. Wikipedia's tour page, which cites industry reporting, adds some context on earlier legs: the first 32 European shows in 2025 sold more than a million tickets, and Pollstar ranked Iron Maiden fifth in its 2025 world touring artists list with $128 million in revenue and 1.32 million net tickets over 41 concerts. Billboard's rock tours ranking, per the same page, put the group in its top three, with about 1.5 million tickets and roughly $150.9 million. We could not open the Pollstar and Billboard reports directly, so treat these as secondhand.

The 2026 North American leg in New Jersey and beyond

Before the new dates, the band played North American dates from Toronto on Aug. 29 through San Antonio's Alamodome on Sept. 29, according to the band's October 2025 announcement. Two nights at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey, on Sept. 5 and 6 were the New York area stop. Megadeth, on what the band described as their last ever tour, played every date of that leg, with Anthrax on larger shows.

The announcement for 2027 reprints a string of reviews, among them the Boston Globe, [NJ.com](http://NJ.com) and Consequence. They are selected by the band and all positive, so they say more about the marketing than the shows.

What the show is

The tour was designed around the band's first nine albums, a set list Bruce Dickinson promised would be "for the ages," per Wikipedia citing Loudersound. One reviewer quoted in the band's announcement describes a video wall that brings album imagery to life, including a recreation of the Powerslave cover. The band also asked fans in 2025 to keep phones in pockets, a request repeated for North American shows. It is the first Iron Maiden tour in more than four decades without Nicko McBrain on drums, who retired from touring in December 2024. Simon Dawson is the touring drummer.

FAQ

When do Iron Maiden tickets for 2027 go on sale?

A fan club presale starts Monday, Oct. 19 at 10 a.m. local time, and general sale starts Friday, Oct. 23 at 10 a.m. local.

Is there a New York date?

UBS Arena in Belmont Park, New York, on May 11, 2027. The 2026 run included two shows at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey.

Is this the end of the tour?

Yes. The band says the 2027 shows are the last of the Run For Your Lives World Tour.

Who is opening?

Bullet for My Valentine and The Raven Age.

Sources

*Cover photo: Chris93, Wikimedia Commons, *[*https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Concert_Iron_Maiden_200725_Powerslave.jpg*](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Concert_Iron_Maiden_200725_Powerslave.jpg)* (CC BY-SA 4.0).*