Ten More Years of Iron Maiden?

Steve Harris predicts that Iron Maiden have about ten years left in'em. Say it ain't so, Steve!!

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/steve_harris_maiden_gone_in_10_years.html

ClassicRockMagazine reports, Iron Maiden mainman Steve Harris thinks his band may have more years left in them - but they'll be gone within ten.

Harris reveals he has doubts about whether to take his solo album "British Lion" on the club tour he'd previously said he was thinking about.

Maiden released their fifteenth studio album "The Final Frontier" in 2010. That led to speculation the band was winding down, based on comments Harris had made years earlier saying they'd make fifteen records then split. He later admitted the album title was a play on those rumours, and said the band would continue as long as they felt able.

Asked by The Quietus if there's any reason they can't keep going for another decade, the bassist says: "I don't know about ten years. I think we've certainly got another five years in us - but it's hard to say.

"As you get older it gets doubly hard to keep yourself fit and in shape. We do work really hard on doing that. We'd be selling ourselves and everyone else short if we didn't, so we do look after ourselves.

"It does get tougher - I don't play football much any more, partly because I've had so many problems with my back that I can only play the odd match here or there. Unfortunately it's five years since I've played a full season of football and that's something that I miss a lot; but I had to make a decision. I play a lot of tennis."

Harris reflects that while Maiden could once have been regarded as a band towards the heaviest end of metal, "the emergence of hardcore and extreme bands have made us sound more like the 'Moody Blues'!"

It's a b*tch getting old.

I read that more as 5 years left than 10

2 studio albums, 4 tours, 4 live albums...then box-set & DVD mania begins to clear the vaults.

Tur-Thalion wrote:

I read that more as 5 years left than 10

At least five more, ten at most. I'm hoping for the "most."

I can't see Maiden (or many other older bands) giving up on making music. It's what they do, it's in their blood. There are no rules that say you have to stop at 65 in rock n' roll.

The physical and mental demands of touring is a different story altogether. I can see them scaling that sort of thing way, way back.

Personally I think that after the Maiden England tour is over (next year) we'll get a new album/tour and then they will decide if they want to keep going. I don't see them jumping on the endless "farewell tour" circuit. But, personally I can see them calling it a day after the next new album tour.

And I am sure they have a ton of stuff in the vaults to get out a DVD/Blu-Ray release every year for a while after they retire.

...And after a couple of years, we get a 50th anniversary reunion in 2025! Complete with Paul Day on vocals!

I can see 5 years but I have to agree MG, at this point its not about money, this is what they do, its all they know, and its in their blood

I think it's the tours that keep them relevant though. TFF was good enough but would it have sold if they didn't go on the road?

Fat Freddy wrote:

Tur-Thalion wrote:

I read that more as 5 years left than 10

At least five more, ten at most. I'm hoping for the "most."

Same here.

Maybe by then Dick Brucington will be a space shuttle pilot for Virgin and we can fly to see Maiden on Moon Base Alpha

MetalGuy71 wrote:

I can't see Maiden (or many other older bands) giving up on making music. It's what they do, it's in their blood. There are no rules that say you have to stop at 65 in rock n' roll.

The physical and mental demands of touring is a different story altogether. I can see them scaling that sort of thing way, way back.

that would be my guess too. At this point if they dont tour, they really could do pretty much anything they want in terms of number of albums. If I had to trade touring for more albums, I would take it.

James B. wrote:

Maybe by then Dick Brucington will be a space shuttle pilot for Virgin and we can fly to see Maiden on Moon Base Alpha

LOL!!! It'll be "The Final Frontier" history tour at that point!

I would love to see a "fan favorites" tour before they quit touring. Love the new stuff and seeing it live, but their classics have been left for encores recently. It would be nice to see the classics take center stage again.

QuothTheRaven wrote:

I would love to see a "fan favorites" tour before they quit touring. Love the new stuff and seeing it live, but their classics have been left for encores recently. It would be nice to see the classics take center stage again.

Have you seen the set list for the current tour, Maiden England?

Moon Child, Can I Play with Madness, The Prisoner, Two Minutes To Midnight, Afraid To Shoot Strangers, The Trooper, Number Of The Beast, Phantom Of The Opera, Run To The Hills, Wasted Years, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, The Clairvoyant, Fear Of The Dark, Iron Maiden Encore: Aces High, The Evil That Men Do, Running Free


Looks like the classic are center stage to me!

I truly hope that ten years from now we are able to look back at these comments and laugh at the notion of Maiden calling it a day. Sucks about Harris not being able to play soccer.

That is one killer set list.

I really don't want to read too much into Steve's statements. As most of the "old guard" of hard rock & heavy metal start getting into their 50's & 60's, it's only natural that the subject of "how long can you keep doing this" is going to come up in interviews.

So they're posed with the question and the response is usually pretty vague. "I dunno, 10 years?". He's just throwing a number out there. Could be more, could be less. The band members themselves don't know.

thejokeriv wrote:

QuothTheRaven wrote:

I would love to see a "fan favorites" tour before they quit touring. Love the new stuff and seeing it live, but their classics have been left for encores recently. It would be nice to see the classics take center stage again.

Have you seen the set list for the current tour, Maiden England?

Moon Child, Can I Play with Madness, The Prisoner, Two Minutes To Midnight, Afraid To Shoot Strangers, The Trooper, Number Of The Beast, Phantom Of The Opera, Run To The Hills, Wasted Years, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, The Clairvoyant, Fear Of The Dark, Iron Maiden Encore: Aces High, The Evil That Men Do, Running Free


Looks like the classic are center stage to me!

Every other tour is like this lately...new album tour gets all the recent stuff, then the next tour is a "hits" tour.

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

thejokeriv wrote:

QuothTheRaven wrote:

I would love to see a "fan favorites" tour before they quit touring. Love the new stuff and seeing it live, but their classics have been left for encores recently. It would be nice to see the classics take center stage again.

Have you seen the set list for the current tour, Maiden England?

Moon Child, Can I Play with Madness, The Prisoner, Two Minutes To Midnight, Afraid To Shoot Strangers, The Trooper, Number Of The Beast, Phantom Of The Opera, Run To The Hills, Wasted Years, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, The Clairvoyant, Fear Of The Dark, Iron Maiden Encore: Aces High, The Evil That Men Do, Running Free


Looks like the classic are center stage to me!

Every other tour is like this lately...new album tour gets all the recent stuff, then the next tour is a "hits" tour.

Yep, and I think it keeps them relevant. Instead of going out and doing a "new album" tour with one or two tracks (see KISS and most of the other older hard rock/metal bands), the entire point of the tour is to tour the new album. It took some balls to go out and play the whole new album on the A Matter Of Life & Death tour, especially considering that they were 14 albums and 30 years since they started at that point when most bands would do one or two tracks.

Whoever thought of rotating history tour/new album tour was a genius - keeps those that just want the 80's coming to the shows and the new album tours keep the new, younger fans happy that discovered them with the newer albums.

I don't think the statement shocked anyone - most of the fan club people I know have felt they are winding down anyway (as did some of the crew I talked to on the past couple of tours). Enjoy it while we can!

If you think about it, they're all 50+...10 years to retirement is about right.

Plus, as has been stated, they may retire from touring and being "Iron Maiden"...but they'll still make music on some level for a while after that.

There's plenty of old blues guys that still make and play live music well into their 80's, so I don't see why rock bands couldn't do the same if the passion/ability is there. They'll just need to cut back on the physical rigors a bit.

So Bruce won't do splits off the drum riser anymore. I can live with that. And the less spastic movements Janick makes, well that's just icing on the cake.

Quote :

So Bruce won't do splits off the drum riser anymore. I can live with that. And the less spastic movements Janick makes, well that's just icing on the cake.

But that cuts back on all the pithy comments you make about him.

Dark Horseman wrote:

Quote :

So Bruce won't do splits off the drum riser anymore. I can live with that. And the less spastic movements Janick makes, well that's just icing on the cake.

But that cuts back on all the pithy comments you make about him.

I'm sure I'll find something else to be snarky about.

Tur-Thalion wrote:

I read that more as 5 years left than 10

Same here