Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith discussed how the band remains energized performing live after 50 years together, in comments shared via Radio Oxigeno.
Smith reflected on the band’s longevity and their current tour. He noted that despite the passage of time and ups and downs, Iron Maiden continues to draw audiences and attract younger fans.
“How’s anyone doing after 50 years?” Smith said. “It’s a long time. But we’re still together, we’re still friends, and we’ve had our ups and downs. But I have to say, I think we’re enjoying playing live as much, if not more than ever.”
“And the audiences are just getting better,” he continued. “We’re getting more younger fans, new blood into the audience. It’s fantastic. Fantastic.”
Smith explained that the band’s music has remained timeless, allowing them to incorporate songs from different eras of their history into their setlist. “The first song we do is ‘Murders In The Rue Morgue’,” he said. “I think that’s from the ‘Killers’ album, which is way, way back. And we’re doing some stuff off the first album, which I didn’t play on. The music hasn’t changed, so, yeah, we can take songs from any era and make them work in a modern setting. And together with the show we have, it just takes you through that period of the band to bring it all to life.”
“And it’s great fun playing the old stuff,” Smith added. “It just brings back some great memories. And when we started rehearsing, it’s like riding a bike. You pretty much… It’s in the brain, in the muscle memory, so you remember the songs easily.”
Smith’s comments came during an interview as Iron Maiden continues their ongoing tour, performing material spanning their five decades as a band.
Iron Maiden was formed on Christmas Day 1975 by bassist Steve Harris. The band played their first real gig on 9 June 1976 at the Cart And Horses in East London, and has since released 17 albums while selling over 130 million copies worldwide. Adrian Smith joined the band in November 1980 and has contributed to key albums including Killers in 1981, The Number of the Beast in 1982, and Brave New World in 2000.
Smith’s career with Iron Maiden was not always continuous. He left the band in 1990 but returned in 1999 along with singer Bruce Dickinson, after which the band achieved renewed success. Their three most recent albums—The Final Frontier in 2010, The Book of Souls in 2015, and Senjutsu in 2021—have each reached number 1 in more than 25 countries.
Iron Maiden announced the Run for Your Lives World Tour in September 2024 to celebrate the band’s 50th anniversary. The tour began on 27 May 2025 in Budapest, Hungary, and is set to conclude on 16 May 2027 in Ocean City, Maryland. The setlist focuses on material from the band’s first nine albums, allowing fans to experience decades of Iron Maiden’s history in a single show.
The North American leg of the Run for Your Lives Tour started in Toronto, Ontario in August 2026 and continued through the United States and Canada until the end of September. The tour features support from legendary metal acts Megadeth and Anthrax, creating a showcase of heavy metal’s most enduring bands performing live together.
