Adrian Smith speaks about Iron Maiden’s 50th anniversary

Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith discussed the band’s 50th anniversary “Run For Your Lives” world tour, which began in Europe in 2025 and will continue with a North American leg in 2026, in a recent interview with Argentina’s Rock & Pop 95.9 radio station, as per Blabbermouth. Adrian made this statement regarding Maiden’s official 50th birthday.

It’s incredible, isn’t it? 50 years. I joined the band when I was 24 years old, and it just seems like a few months ago. It’s incredible. It’s gone so quickly, really. But we’ve done such a lot. It’s been an incredible journey, incredible journey. And I think with this anniversary tour, we’re just trying to — we start off with some old songs from the ‘Killers’ album, and it’s wonderful to go back and revisit those songs ’cause they’re good songs, I think. And they fit in — they sound fresh today, and they’re great fun to play. And I think the audience likes to hear it, as well as we’ll be playing some newer stuff. But, of course, it’s quite emotional. 50 years — I mean, incredible, isn’t it? They say that when you’re having fun, time goes quicker, doesn’t it? Yeah. it seems quick, but when you look back to all the tours and all the shows and the albums, it’s a long time. And like I say, it’s an incredible journey.

Upcoming shows:

MAY

• 23 – Athens, GREECE – OAKA (Anthrax)
• 26 – Sofia, BULGARIA – Vasil Levski Stadium (Anthrax)
• 28 – Bucharest, ROMANIA – Arena Națională (Anthrax)
• 30 – Bratislava, SLOVAKIA – Národný Futbalový Štadión (Anthrax)

JUNE 2026

• 02 – Hannover, GERMANY – Heinz von Heiden Arena (Megadeth)
• 10 – Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS – Ziggo Dome (Evergrey)
• 17 – Milan, ITALY – San Siro Stadium (Trivium)
• 22 – Paris, FRANCE – Paris La Défense Arena (Evergrey)
• 28 – Lyon – Décines, FRANCE – Groupama Stadium (Anthrax)
• 29 – Antwerp – BELGIUM – Middenvijver Park (Epica, Testament, Doro, Fleddy Melculy)

JULY 2026

• 07 – Lisbon, PORTUGAL – Estádio da Luz (Anthrax)

August 2026

• 29 Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena *

September 2026

• 03 Montréal, QC – Parc Jean-Drapeau *^
• 05 Harrison, NJ – Sports Illustrated Stadium *^
• 09 Boston, MA – TD Garden *
• 11 Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live *
• 12 Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion *
• 15 Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Stadium *
• 17 Louisville, KY – Louder Than Life Festival
• 19 Shakopee, MN – Mystic Lake Amphitheater *
• 22 Chicago, IL – Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre *
• 25 Los Angeles, CA – BMO Stadium *^
• 29 San Antonio, TX – Alamodome *^

* Megadeth ^ Anthrax

• Wednesday, November 7, 2026 – Auckland, New Zealand – Spark Arena (with Megadeth)
• Wednesday, November 11, 2026 – Adelaide, Australia – Adelaide Entertainment Centre (with Megadeth)
• Friday, November 13, 2026 – Melbourne, Australia – AAMI Park (with Megadeth)
• Sunday, November 15, 2026 – Sydney, Australia – Allianz Stadium (with Megadeth)
• Wednesday, November 18, 2026 – Brisbane, Australia – Brisbane Entertainment Centre (with Megadeth)