Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson has urged fans to 'pace yourselves' ahead of the band's 50th anniversary concert at Knebworth this Saturday, promising an epic show but without the World War I fighter jet theatrics of their last appearance.
No WW1 Planes This Time, Says Dickinson
The heavy metal icons last played the historic venue in 2014 at the Sonisphere Festival, where Dickinson orchestrated an aerial dogfight in his own Fokker Triplane alongside eight other planes to commemorate the centenary of World War I. This time, the 67-year-old singer, who is an Honorary Group Captain in the Royal Air Force, a licensed pilot, and an Olympic-level fencer, told the Mirror: 'And now we're back home! I can't wait to see all our fans at Knebworth - and not from a WWI plane this time, which to be honest, is a bit of a relief, in this heat!'
Speaking fresh from a gig in Portugal as part of their current Run For Your Lives world tour, Dickinson added: 'Knebworth is going to be a blast - in fact we just flew over the site coming in from Portugal and it looks amazing. Sunshine, beer, thousands of our fans gathering to party together along with lots of our friends performing on the bill, what's not to enjoy?'
Eddfest: A Two-Day Celebration
The two-day event, named Eddfest after the band's iconic mascot Eddie (formally Eddie the Head), will feature an open-air museum of stage props, outfits, and instruments, as well as Eddie's Dive Bars serving the band's Trooper beers (with a possible new brew), a fun fair, campsites, and other attractions. Dickinson advised: 'We've got the most incredible open-air museum of our stage props, outfits, instruments, and lots more fun stuff to check out, there's gonna be Eddie's Dive bars for people to drink our Trooper beers in (and maybe a new one...who knows?), a fun fair, campsites and other great things - so pace yourself…'
Full Circle for Steve Harris
Iron Maiden founder and bassist Steve Harris, now 67, reflected on the significance of the venue: 'It's really quite something to be celebrating our 50th anniversary at Knebworth - a place that's full circle to me, after coming here as a fan in the 70s.' He praised the band's enduring fan base: 'We've always just cared about our fans - and I think we've got the best family of fans in the world. They're the ones who've supported us for 50 years, and we must be doing something right, because they keep getting younger and younger, and our fan base keeps getting bigger and bigger all around the world.'
Weekend of Music and Nostalgia
Harris added: 'We're all really looking forward to this show at Knebworth, which we're calling EDDFEST because we're trying to give something back in so many different ways on site. I can't wait to be a punter again watching the bands on Friday night that all have a special place in my heart, in some way or another. The whole weekend's going to be amazing.'
From Pub Gigs to Global Stardom
The band's five-decade rise from East London pub gigs to global stadiums was chronicled in the career-spanning documentary 'Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition,' released in May. The Eddfest weekend will also be featured in a forthcoming cinematic concert movie scheduled for next year.
Bizarre Past: Ozzfest Feud
Among the many colourful chapters in Iron Maiden's history was a brief feud with Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon over headlining Ozzfest in 2005. Sharon famously cut the power to the band's final set and encouraged the crowd to throw objects at them at the California festival.
Iron Maiden's Eddfest at Knebworth takes place this Friday 10 and Saturday 11 July. For more information and tickets, visit www.ironmaiden.knebworth.com.
