Iron Maiden delivered a barnstorming performance at Knebworth on Saturday, but not before a cheeky reference to any Norwegian fans in the audience, ahead of England’s nail-biting win in the World Cup quarter finals.
50th Anniversary Concert Kicks Off with East London Roots
The second night of Eddfest, a massive two-day immersive festival dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the heavy metal legends, kicked off with a dazzling intro video reflecting the band’s historic East London roots. They then exploded onto the stage, launching straight into early track "Murders In The Rue Morgue", followed by bass-driven anthem "Wrathchild" and a ferocious rendition of "Killers" — before frontman Bruce Dickinson stopped to survey the vast crowd stretching all the way up the hill towards Knebworth House.
Dickinson's Mischievous Welcome
Welcoming them all to the history-making concert, Dickinson said mischievously, “Apologies to all the Norwegians in the audience. We can argue about it after England have won,” to huge cheers from the crowd. “Anyway, here we are at the end of the first bit of the Run For Your Lives Tour. It has been 50 years and here we are in this amazing place with all this grass. The stuff you stand on, not the kind you smoke!”
Pyrotechnics and Magic Illusions
The band tore into "Number of the Beast" in a hail of pyrotechnics, just as the sun started to set. “Scream for me Knebworth!” Bruce cried, dressed in a feathered mask, as "Powerslave" roared out of the speakers and 50,000 Maiden fans joyfully screamed back. The hits kept coming through the night — "Run To The Hills", "The Trooper", "Two Minutes to Midnight", "Aces High", "Fear of the Dark" and more. Maiden even pulled off an eye-catching magic illusion trick as Dickinson disappeared in a puff of smoke during "Hallowed Be Thy Name", getting sucked into the screens to continue as a supernatural avatar fighting off a ghost.
Raspy Voice Apology and Closing Anthem
At one point, Dickinson apologized to fans for his raspy voice, saying he'd 'picked up a bug' in Spain. But from his powerhouse vocals, you'd never have known. With fan favorite "Wasted Years", which turns 40 this year, closing the show, Iron Maiden proved yet again why they are a veritable British institution.
Steve Harris on Full Circle Moment
As they geared up for the milestone concert, Iron Maiden founder and bass player Steve Harris told the Mirror why their headlining show was going to be so meaningful. “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.” “We’ve always just cared about our fans — and I think we’ve got the best family of fans in the world,” he says. “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.”
