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Longtime Iron Maiden manager Rod Smallwood has dismissed concerns that the band’s various outside projects make it difficult to organize tours. In a new interview with Chile’s Radio Futuro, he said the British heavy metal legends remain enthusiastic about performing live and described the group as “built for touring”.
Smallwood made the comments after Iron Maiden completed the Latin American portion of their ongoing “Run For Your Lives” world tour, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the band’s formation.
Asked whether it has become harder to bring the members together for concerts, given Bruce Dickinson’s solo career, Steve Harris’s work with British Lion and Adrian Smith’s other projects, Smallwood offered a straightforward response: “No. They love touring.”
And I plan touring two — certainly two years ahead, maybe three. And at the end of every tour, I’ll let them know what we’re gonna do next time. And, yeah, Maiden is built for touring. Maiden has always been a great live band, always been close to the fans, always loved playing, playing live. I mean, Steve Harris with his British Lion [side project] — he will [play] a football match, a British Lion gig and a Maiden show in a stadium in a weekend regularly. He just loves playing. He loves looking those fans in the eye. First time I saw them, then the singer was arrested, and it was Steve singing and obviously playing bass, and Dave, and the original drummer, just those. And it was clear that Steve’s a phenomenal bass player and Dave’s a complete guitar hero. And from then on, it was always built around touring, and that’s what the band like doing. So no, it’s not hard to get them out on the road at all.
Smallwood also spoke enthusiastically about the response to the “Run For Your Lives” shows in Latin America. He noted that audiences throughout the region express their excitement particularly loudly, making the concerts an energizing experience for the musicians.
The band have been performing to crowds of tens of thousands on the tour, with Smallwood citing attendance figures of up to approximately 65,000 in Chile. He said he often prefers watching from the stands rather than the enclosed mixing area so that he can see and experience the audience’s reaction.
Chile holds particular significance in Iron Maiden history: the band recorded its 2012 live album “En Vivo!” there, and Smallwood praised the distinctive energy and rhythm of Chilean crowds.
Despite earlier plans to take a break after the 2026 dates, Iron Maiden recently announced a final North American leg of the “Run For Your Lives” tour for spring 2027. The 16-show run is scheduled to conclude with festival appearances at Sonic Temple in Ohio and Boardwalk Rock in Maryland.
According to the band’s announcement, the full anniversary tour will encompass 107 concerts in 36 countries and draw more than three million fans. The group has described the newly added 2027 shows as the final dates of this particular production, rather than an announcement that Iron Maiden are retiring from the stage.
For Smallwood, the band’s enduring appeal remains rooted in the same quality that first attracted him to them in 1979: a shared passion for performing and connecting with fans.
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