That’s how it was with IRON MAIDEN & MEGADETH

June 2, 2026, Hanover, Heinz von Heiden Arena

A Stadium Full of Memories
There are bands that are cult favorites. And there are bands that are legends, whose names have long since transcended music itself. Iron Maiden is certainly one of them. Since their founding in 1975, the British band hasn’t just played heavy metal. They’ve helped shape it, expand it, and bring it to the world’s biggest stages for decades. Fifty years later, Iron Maiden is still where very few bands ever get to be: at the top. Not as a nostalgia project. Not as a veterans’ club. But as a living institution. With the “Run for Your Lives World Tour,” Bruce Dickinson, Steve Harris, and their bandmates are celebrating the band’s 50th anniversary. The setlist delves deep into the band’s early decades and deliberately omits many later hits in favor of the songs that made Iron Maiden what it is today. Hanover was the exception in Germany. While Iron Maiden was set to perform at Rock am Ring and Rock im Park a few days later, the Heinz von Heiden Arena was the tour’s only regular stadium show in Germany. Around 45,000 fans made their way there. Metalheads in robes mingled with fans in black scene T-shirts; longtime fans stood alongside young fans who had only known Maiden from videos until then. Hours before the concert even began, that special buzz—that inner excitement—hung over the stadium. Because everyone knew: Tonight is going to be a blast!

Megadeth: Thrash Metal in Its Purest Form
Before Iron Maiden took the stage, Megadeth took on the task of getting the stadium fired up. A task for which there’s hardly a more fitting band. Ever since Dave Mustaine founded Megadeth in 1983, the Americans have been at the absolute forefront of thrash metal. Technically brilliant, aggressive, and uncompromising, the band was in impressive form in Hanover as well. “Tipping Point” kicked off the set at full speed. “Hangar 18” sparked the first major mosh pits of the day, while the guitar riffs shot through the arena like bullets. “Take No Prisoners” marked the tour debut of a long-missed classic. “Let There Be Shred” turned into a technical showcase, with fingers flying across the fretboards. A version of Metallica’s “Ride the Lightning” that followed left the audience looking surprised. Presumably, quite a few attendees had been at the Metallica concert at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium just three days earlier. “Tornado of Souls,” “Peace Sells,” and “Symphony of Destruction” made it abundantly clear why Megadeth remains among the world’s best to this day. By the time “Holy Wars… The Punishment Due” came on, the entire stadium was on its feet. For many bands, a performance like this would have been the highlight of the evening. For Hanover, it was merely the beginning.

Doctor Doctor
As the first notes of UFO’s “Doctor Doctor” rang out, the Heinz von Heiden Arena was finally transformed into a sea of raised arms. Anyone familiar with Iron Maiden knows: It won’t be long now. With “The Ides of March,” the excitement continued to build. The lights dimmed, the video screens came to life, and 45,000 people waited for the moment many had been eagerly anticipating for months. Then Iron Maiden took the stage. “Murders in the Rue Morgue” kicked off the evening with a bold statement. Not an obvious hit, but an early classic that immediately made clear what this anniversary tour is all about: celebrating their own history. “Wrathchild” followed right on its heels. Steve Harris marched across the stage like a general, while tens of thousands sang along to every line. Music over forty years old suddenly sounded young, edgy, and dangerous again. Then came “Killers.” And with it, Eddie took the stage for the first time. The iconic mascot seemed nearly three meters tall that evening. In his hand, a blood-stained axe. His face was a mix of nightmare, comic book, and heavy metal lore. The audience’s reaction was massive. For a few seconds, the stage didn’t belong to Bruce Dickinson, Steve Harris, or the three guitarists—Dave, Adrian, and Janick—but exclusively to Eddie.

Between madness and monument
“Phantom of the Opera” delved even deeper into the band’s early years. The tempo changes and intricate instrumental passages still sounded remarkably fresh in 2026, while Simon Dawson impressively demonstrated why he absolutely belongs on the drum stool. With “The Number of the Beast,” the mood shifted abruptly. Red light displays, flames, and 45,000 fans almost singing the chorus on their own – heavy metal can sometimes be frighteningly simple. “Infinite Dreams” provided one of the most emotional moments of the evening. Many had waited years to experience this song live again. Accordingly, the stadium listened attentively to every line.

Among the Gods of Powerslave
“Powerslave” transformed the stage into a gigantic Egyptian temple. Golden columns, hieroglyphs, and Dickinson’s imposing feathered mask brought the ’80s back to life for a few minutes. “2 Minutes to Midnight” brought the arena back to reality. The anti-war anthem has lost none of its relevance and was sung along to by thousands of voices. “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” remains one of the greatest masterpieces in Maiden’s history. For fourteen minutes, Hanover became a ghost ship, while roaring waves, black clouds, and cold light dominated the stage. Bruce Dickinson slipped into various roles and guided the audience through Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s dark tale. As the long track reached its climax, the tension erupted into a massive storm of cheers. It’s precisely for moments like these that Iron Maiden still fills stadiums even after five decades.

Where Legends Belong
“Run to the Hills” sent the crowd into a frenzy. As soon as the famous intro began, the Heinz von Heiden Arena transformed into a gigantic choir. With “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son,” the atmosphere became much more mystical. Icy projections, surreal imagery, and the epic atmosphere made the song one of the most powerful visual moments of the evening. “The Trooper” delivered exactly what many had been waiting for. Bruce Dickinson stormed across the stage waving a British flag, while Steve Harris whipped his legendary bass riff through the stadium. Battlefields on the screens, thousands of raised fists, and an audience singing along to every line—it doesn’t get much more Iron Maiden than that. “Hallowed Be Thy Name” demonstrated once again why this song remains one of the genre’s greatest classics to this day. Prison walls flickered across the screens as Dickinson recounted the story of the condemned man with impressive intensity. By the time the final bridge rolled around, the entire arena was singing along. Not as a party. Not as a spectacle. But almost reverently.

Eddie Takes Control
With “Iron Maiden,” the main set reached its final climax. Eddie returned—somehow even bigger, even more menacing, and with that presence that has been an inseparable part of the band for decades. As 45,000 fans roared “Iron Maiden’s gonna get you,” the stadium felt like one giant heavy metal mass for a few minutes. Churchill’s famous speech kicked off the encore, before “Aces High” swept across the arena like a fighter jet. Fighter jets on the screens, Bruce Dickinson at his best, and an audience that was far from done. The first few notes were all it took. 45,000 voices immediately took up the famous melody of “Fear of the Dark” and let it roll through the stadium for minutes on end. That moment is one of those things you just can’t explain. You have to experience it. When the band finally kicked in, that magical Maiden moment—the one people travel halfway across Europe for—came to life.

Wasted Years
After monsters, battlefields, ghost ships, and apocalyptic scenarios, “Wasted Years” provided the perfect finale. The song possesses that rare blend of melancholy and hope. Especially on an anniversary tour, every line takes on added weight. It’s about time. About memory. About all the paths one has traveled. To the strains of Monty Python’s “Always Look On the Bright Side of Life,” Iron Maiden finally bid farewell to Hanover. Tens of thousands sang along one last time.

Fifty Years Against Time
Iron Maiden celebrated five decades of band history in Hanover. With a setlist that delved deep into their own past. With songs that have shaped generations. With a stage design that fell somewhere between theater, film, and heavy metal opera. Above all, however, Bruce Dickinson, Steve Harris, Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, Janick Gers, and Simon Dawson demonstrated something that has become rare on this scale: passion. No routine. No perfunctory performance. No nostalgic run-through of old hits. In Hanover, Iron Maiden didn’t come across as a band looking back on fifty years. They came across as a band that still has something to prove. And that’s exactly why nearly 45,000 people were at the Heinz von Heiden Arena that evening. Not to celebrate a farewell, but to experience a legend that stubbornly refuses to become one.

Text & Photos: Thomas Friedel Fuhrmann

Megadeth Setlist:
• “Tipping Point” • “Hangar 18” • “Take No Prisoners” • “Let There Be Shred” • “Ride the Lightning” (Metallica cover) • “Tornado of Souls” • “Peace Sells” • “Symphony of Destruction” • “Holy Wars… The Punishment Due”

Iron Maiden Setlist:
• “Murders in the Rue Morgue” • “Wrathchild” • “Killers” • “Phantom of the Opera” • “The Number of the Beast” • “Infinite Dreams” • “Powerslave” • “2 Minutes to Midnight” • “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” • “Run to the Hills” • “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son” • “The Trooper” • “Hallowed Be Thy Name” • “Iron Maiden” ••• “Aces High” • “Fear of the Dark” • “Wasted Years”