There is no denying it, Iron Maiden’s ‘Book of Souls’ tour has been an international success. Starting in Florida towards the end of February, the group have travelled to Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, around the US, Australia, and more. In recent months, they have reached Europe and have been filling out stadiums wherever they go. In total, the tour has accumulated over 1.5 million fans over 72 shows across six continents. In that regard, it has been a success all round.
With the tour coming to an end and just a couple of shows left, Iron Maiden would be excused for relaxing a little. However, they are doing the opposite and will be finishing in style at the Wacken Open Air festival in Germany. What’s more, the whole thing will be live-streamed meaning that thousands of people will get to watch from their comfort of their own home. Taking place on August 4th, the event wanted everyone to enjoy the festivities so they will be filming every single moment to then live-stream online.
Rod Smallwood, manager of Iron Maiden, has said how Wacken is the perfect way to end the ‘magical tour’. Around 80,000 fans are expected to attend the event, with people travelling from all over the world to see their favourite acts on stage. In addition to the 80,000 lucky ticket holders, thousands more are expected to be watching the event at specially-held parties and in homes; the event could even attract millions. Smallwood also went on to note that the fans had been amazing throughout the tour and the new songs have been welcomed just as well as the older songs. It was Wacken who first approached the band to see if they would be willing to live-stream the event and they jumped at the chance and saw it as an ideal way to end a worldwide tour.
Whilst high attendance has been a constant over the past few months, the opening acts have been varied which has really added to fans’ experience. A number of different acts have provided the opening for Iron Maiden’s main performance which has not only given groups a time to shine but also given the fans a completely unique experience. Bands such as Sabaton, Opeth, Anthrax, Ghost, and Amon Amarth have all contributed to this magnificent tour with The Raven Age appearing all the way through.
If you are a fan of Iron Maiden and haven’t been lucky enough to get a ticket to Wacken, at least you now have the opportunity to join millions of others who will be watching via the internet. Don’t forget, it’s going to be a good one!
~DW
Image reference: http://ironmaiden.com/