Iron Maiden, 24th June 2026, Helviti, Copenhell Festival, Denmark

Photo: John McMurtrie / www.ironmaiden.com

Five years have already passed since the release of Iron Maiden’s last album, Senjutsu, and the band has been touring ever since. In the meantime, Bruce Dickinson has also managed to release his long-awaited solo album The Mandrake Project, as well as a reworked version of his 1994 album Balls to Picasso, entitled More Balls to Picasso. The most notable change since the band last played Copenhell in 2022 is the retirement of drummer Nicko McBrain from live performances. His place behind the kit has been taken by Simon Dawson (British Lion).

The Run For Your Lives World Tour is essentially Iron Maiden’s 50th-anniversary celebration, focusing on the band’s classic era, from their 1980 self-titled debut through 1992’s Fear of the Dark. The concept is to revisit the first nine studio albums and perform a setlist built almost entirely from that period. As such, it’s a winning concept because it celebrates the band’s most beloved era.

Iron Maiden’s headlining show at Copenhell was, in many ways, a copy of the performance they played in the city last year, both in terms of the setlist and the stage production. The only change to the setlist was the replacement of “The Clairvoyant” with “Infinite Dreams” – a very welcome substitution. It’s one of the songs they hadn’t performed live since 1988. It’s an especially interesting choice, as it perfectly showcases the band’s dynamic, particularly in a live setting.

On the other hand, just like at their previous show in Copenhagen, they chose not to include a single song from No Prayer for the Dying, which is a pity. Celebrating the band’s output up to 1992 while consequently skipping an entire album simply doesn’t make sense. Sure, it’s one of Iron Maiden’s weaker albums, but it is still part of their catalogue and one that certainly contains gems such as “The Assassin”, “Mother Russia”, and the excellent title track.

Throughout the show, however, the band performed with a level of conviction and power worthy of musicians half their age. Crowd favourites such as “The Trooper”, “Run to the Hills”, and “Fear of the Dark” worked brilliantly in a festival setting, while songs like the aforementioned “Infinite Dreams”, “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, and “Phantom of the Opera” added depth and variety to the set.

Professionalism and musicianship aside, it’s always a pleasure to witness the band’s enthusiasm on stage. For the most part, Bruce Dickinson sounded great, and while it’s impossible not to miss Nicko McBrain, his live replacement Simon Dawson has proven to be an excellent fit.

Iron Maiden returned to Copenhell and did just about everything right – everything that was expected of them. If only they had also done a few more unexpected things along the way.

SETLIST:

1. Murders in the Rue Morgue
2. Wrathchild
3. Killers
4. Phantom of the Opera
5. The Number of the Beast
6. Infinite Dreams
7. Powerslave
8. 2 Minutes to Midnight
9. Rime of the Ancient Mariner
10. Run to the Hills
11. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
12. The Trooper
13. Hallowed Be Thy Name
14. Iron Maiden
15. Aces High
16. Fear of the Dark
17. Wasted Years