Iron Maiden’s manager Rod Smallwood has dismissed concerns that band members’ side projects are holding back the group’s touring plans, saying the musicians love playing live and can balance multiple commitments. He made the comments on Radio Futuro.
Smallwood addressed whether side projects like Steve Harris’s British Lion are preventing Iron Maiden from touring. He explained that he plans tours two to three years in advance and that the band members are built for the road.
“No. They love touring,” Smallwood said. “And I plan touring two — certainly two years ahead, maybe three. And at the end of every tour, I’ll let them know what we’re gonna do next time. And, yeah, Maiden is built for touring. Maiden has always been a great live band, always been close to the fans, always loved playing, playing live.”
Smallwood pointed to bassist Steve Harris as an example of how band members manage their various projects. “I mean, Steve Harris with his British Lion [side project] — he will [play] a football match, a British Lion gig and a Maiden show in a stadium in a weekend regularly,” he said. “He just loves playing. He loves looking those fans in the eye. First time I saw them, then the singer was arrested, and it was Steve singing and obviously playing bass, and Dave [Murray, Maiden guitarist], and the original drummer, just those.”
“And it was clear that Steve’s a phenomenal bass player and Dave’s a complete guitar hero,” Smallwood continued. “And from then on, it was always built around touring, and that’s what the band like doing. So no, it’s not hard to get them out on the road at all.”
Smallwood’s remarks came as he discussed Iron Maiden’s approach to touring and the role side projects play in the band members’ lives. The manager stressed that the band’s love of live performance has always been central to their identity.
Iron Maiden announced the Run For Your Lives World Tour on September 19, 2024, to celebrate the band’s 50th anniversary since their formation in 1975. The tour features a special setlist spanning nine studio albums from Iron Maiden to Fear of the Dark, covering material from 1980 to 1992. The band’s 2026 touring schedule concludes with two final shows at Yokohama, Japan’s K-Arena on November 24 and 25.
The band announced a surprise North American tour for 2027, billed as the third and final leg of the 50th anniversary trek. The new run begins April 14 in Tacoma, Washington and runs through May 11 in Belmont Park, New York, with additional festival appearances at Sonic Temple and Boardwalk Rock. Iron Maiden plans to take a break from the road during 2027 between these two legs of touring.
Steve Harris’s side project British Lion has operated for 14 years, with Harris playing whenever Maiden gets time off. Harris described the project as an outlet to play small clubs and enjoy a close, personal connection with audiences. Simon Dawson took over drumming duties for Iron Maiden in 2025 after Nicko McBrain announced his retirement from touring on December 7, 2024, following a stroke in January 2023.
