IRON MAIDEN: Around The World In 66 Days

IRON MAIDEN, with their crew and many tons of equipment, will once again be boarding Ed Force One in February 2011 to fly 50,000 miles round the globe on their continuing mammoth "The Final Frontier World Tour", playing 29 shows and visiting 26 cities in thirteen countries across five continents with singer Bruce Dickinson again in the pilot's seat, and heading into more new frontiers of uncharted MAIDEN territory!!!

The first show will be on February 11 in Moscow's Olympic Stadium, after which the Boeing 757, which will have new designs to tie in with the new album and tour, will fly the band to Singapore and Indonesia for MAIDEN's first-ever shows there, before arriving in Australia to headline two arena dates and five Soundwave Festivals. Ed Force One then turns its attention briefly to the Northern hemisphere with a first show ever in South Korea and two shows in Tokyo, before heading all the way across the Pacific, a journey which (believe it or not!) is 6660 miles for two shows in Mexico. An extensive series of stadium shows through five South American countries follows, including a first visit to Belem, Northern Brazil, and, via Puerto Rico, the band will play the final show on this leg of the tour in Tampa, Florida, USA on April 17, exactly 66 days after Moscow!

Says Bruce, "We were taken aback by the fantastic reaction from everyone to Ed Force One during the 2008/09 world tour. As our fans all know from the 'Flight 666' film, which documented the trials and tribulations we underwent in order to get the whole project literally off the ground, the end result was well worth all the effort and complex logistics we had to deal with! The band and crew enjoyed themselves so much travelling that way, it seemed only logical to set up this part of 'The Final Frontier' tour in the same way so we could get to see as many fans as possible all over the world, only this time we're pushing the boundaries even further and going to more places MAIDEN has never been before... in true frontier style!! We very much look forward to playing in Singapore, Indonesia and South Korea for the first time, as well as revisiting our fans everywhere else.

"The set list will be different to this year's tour. Of course we will play more songs from the new album and some other recent material, but we will include a healthy dose of older fan favourites as we will be playing to so many new faces who we know will want to hear those songs live for the first time. We will cram into the plane as much of the production we used this year as is physically possible, including of course Eddie, and intend to replicate the spectacular light show in as many places as we are able. All in all it promises to be a fantastic trip for everyone!! So see you all soon."

Since its release in August on EMI (UME in the US),"The Final Frontier" — the band's 15th studio album — has proved their most successful chart album to date, registering the No. 1 sales chart slot in 28 countries around the globe; from Lebanon, Arabia and India in the East, to Canada in the West, New Zealand down South, throughout Europe and across Latin America, as well as reaching No.1 in Billboard's European, Tastemaker and Rock charts, and No. 4 in the USA, which is the band's highest position ever there.

Having already played an extensive 25 date North American Tour and some selected European shows this year, MAIDEN will undertake a full European tour in the summer of 2011. Some dates (as below) have already been announced but keep an eye on this site over the next few weeks and months for many more announcements.

The dates for IRON MAIDEN's "Round The World Trip" on Ed Force One and current European dates for "The Final Frontier World Tour" can be seen below.

Feb. 11 - Moscow, Russia - Olympiski
Feb. 15 - Singapore - Singapore Indoor Stadium
Feb. 17 - Jakarta, Indonesia - Stadium Utama Gelaro Bung Karno Senayan
Feb. 20 - Bali, Indonesia - Garuda Wisnu Kencana
Feb. 23 - Melbourne, Australia - Hisense Arena
Feb. 24 - Sydney, Australia - Entertainment Centre
Feb. 26 - Brisbane, Australia - Showgrounds (Soundwave Festival)
Feb. 27 - Sydney, Australia - Eastern Creek Raceway (Soundwave Festival)
Mar. 04 - Melbourne, Australia - Showgrounds (Soundwave Festival)
Mar. 05 - Adelaide, Australia - Bonython Park (Soundwave Festival)
Mar. 07 - Perth, Australia - Steel Blue Oval (Soundwave Festival)
Mar. 10 - Seoul, Korea - Chamsil Gymnasium
Mar. 12 - Tokyo, Japan - Super Arena
Mar. 13 - Tokyo, Japan - Super Arena
Mar. 17 - Monterrey, Mexico - Banamex Theatre
Mar. 18 - Mexico City, Mexico - Foro Sol
Mar. 20 - Bogota, Columbia - CC Sapo
Mar. 23 - Lima, Peru - Estadio San Marcos
Mar. 26 - Sao Paulo, Brazil - Morumbi Stadium
Mar. 27 - Rio De Janeiro, Brazil - HSBC Arena
Mar. 30 - Brasilia, Brazil - Nilson Nelson Parking Lot
Apr. 01 - Belem, Brazil - Parque De Exposicoes
Apr. 03 - Recife, Brazil - Parque De Exposicoes
Apr. 05 - Curitiba, Brazil - Expotrade
Apr. 08 - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Velez Sarsfield
Apr. 10 - Santiago, Chile - Estadio Nacional
Apr. 14 - San Juan, Puerto Rico - Coliseo De Puerto Rico
Apr. 16 - Sunrise, Florida - Bank Atlantic Center
Apr. 17 - Tampa, Florida - St Pete Times Forum
Jun. 30 - July 3 - Roskilde, Denmark - Roskilde Festival
Jul. 01 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Ullevi Stadium
Jul. 06 - Oslo, Norway - Telenor
Jul. 08 - Helsinki, Finland - Olympic Stadium
Jul. 10 - St Petersburg, Russia - SKK Peterburgskiy

(Thanks: NJthrasher)