IRON MAIDEN guitarist
Adrian Smith spoke to the
Miami Herald about the concept for the
"Legacy Of The Beast" tour, which was inspired by
MAIDEN's mobile game and comic book of the same name. The stage set design features a number of different but interlocking "worlds" with a setlist covering a large selection of 1980s material with a handful of surprises from later albums to add diversity.
"[Singer]
Bruce [
Dickinson] has to be a little bit more involved in the show. He puts a lot of work into that,"
Adrian said. "I'm not as heavily involved in the production. Just don't put stuff in front of my amps. That's my one stipulation. I don't want any goats or monsters in front of me. But we have a great production team and crew and
Bruce leans toward the theatrics and has gone to town on this one with flame throwers and costumes."
MAIDEN's current set includes a
Spitfire buzzing the stage during the opening number,
"Aces High". The plane is a 90-percent-sized replica of an actual Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vb registration number AA 853 from 302 Squadron that saw active duty in 1941.
"It's great fun,"
Adrian said. "I never thought I'd play on stage with a
Spitfire."
"Legacy Of The Beast" tour will hit 33 cities across the U.S. and Canada beginning in July. Support on the trek comes from
THE RAVEN AGE. Additionally,
FOZZY will be guests for the Banc Of California Stadium show in Los Angeles.
MAIDEN's 2019 North, South and Central America trek comprises 44 shows in six countries, which, combined with the band's 2018 European dates, means that by the end of this tour, the group will have taken the
"Legacy Of The Beast" show to over one and three quarter of a million fans around the globe.
The first leg of the
"Legacy Of The Beast" tour opened in Europe last year to outstanding critical acclaim, not just by the 750,000-plus fans who came to see the show but right across national press and rock media, including
The Times (U.K.) newspaper calling it "an extraordinary show filled with world class theatrics… a masterclass in performance and staging."
