Four things in the world I know I can count on unequivocally: my wife, my dog, the music of the Grateful Dead, and Iron Maiden. Since I first discovered them in 1985, Maiden has been my #1 all-time favorite band. In my opinion, nobody does it better, and nobody ever has (except for maybe the Blaze Bayley era), and these days, Maiden seems to be doing it just as well, if not better, than they have in decades.
Now that Bobby Weir of the Grateful Dead/Dead & Co has passed away (RIP), there is only ONE band I would endure standing in the rain for 4 hours for, and that band is Iron Maiden. The first US leg of the Run For Your Lives tour brought the band to Charlotte, NC, on September 12th, 2026, with thrash metal legends Megadeth on support.
Before I left the house for the five-hour drive, I knew the weather looked shifty, with lots of rain on the map. I packed my big ass camping poncho and strapped on my heavy-duty waterproof work boots and hit the road.
When I got to the venue, it was absolutely pissing rain. With my poncho and boots keeping me as dry as they could, I made my way to the lawn with my buddy and his son and secured a spot for us. At this point, people were just saying fuck it, shirts came off, and we had fun. Even the women said fuck it as they sported nothing but bras and jeans and continued like it was nothing.
Megadeth hit the stage, and the sold-out shed was packed. I have rarely seen an opening act pack a place like that, and for a second, you could’ve even sworn it was a Megadeth show everyone was there to see. They delivered an outstanding hour-long set, kicking off with “Wake Up Dead,” and the rest played out like a greatest hits of sorts. Mustaine sounded better than he has in a while, and the band was absolutely mesmerizing. The audience reaction song after song was unbelievable, and it made me feel like this was going to be an amazing night.
After the long intro to “Doctor Doctor” and “Ides of March,” drummer Simon Dawson delivered that iconic drumroll that brought on a huge roar from the crowd as they slammed right into everyone’s head with “Murders in the Rue Morgue.” The band sounded absolutely amazing, and this was my first time seeing Maiden since longtime drummer Nicko McBrain left. While I definitely missed Nicko in the mix, Simon did such a great job that I think it’s safe to say the fans have given him their blessing.
The night had so many highlights, including the addition of “Infinite Dreams” from the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son album and a stellar delivery of “Killers.” What took this show over the top was that, for the first time, Maiden delivered THREE epic songs in one set: “Phantom of the Opera,” “Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” and “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son.” I was completely blown away that these guys pulled these three songs into one set. I’m not sure if it was a way for Maiden to prove something, but if it was, they proved they still have plenty of fuel in the tank.
Bruce sounded better than I’ve heard him in a long time, and even his physical energy seemed up from what I last saw. These songs have never been easy to play, but seeing him pull off three in one night, along with other demanding songs like “The Trooper,” “2 Minutes to Midnight,” and “Hallowed Be Thy Name,” with such ease was nothing short of amazing.
The audience that night was absolutely wild and on “11.” The last time I saw a Maiden crowd that nuts was on the Legacy of the Beast tour in Oakland, California, in 2019. I don’t know if it was the rain, the band playing at the top of their game, or a combination of both, but this audience didn’t take for granted that they were seeing the greatest metal band on the planet, still doing it better than anyone. In classic Maiden fashion, they fed off the crowd’s energy, and they looked hyped, energized, and so happy to be there. Even cranky ol’ Bruce was nothing but smiles that night, and he kept us all screaming for him.
The encore was the 1-2-3 punch of “Aces High,” “Fear of the Dark,” and “Wasted Years.” For a hot second, I thought they were skipping “Fear of the Dark,” which would’ve been blasphemous, but I figured they’d have it as an encore. As far as I know, this marks the first time in a long time it wasn’t done before the encore, so I loved that the boys threw us for a loop. It was a fantastic close to an amazing evening of music, and I was fucking exhausted. I even woke up with a bangover the next morning from headbanging and air guitaring so much.
Throughout the night, Bruce called out to us on the lawn, raging in the rain that never let up. At one point, he even said, “Yeah, I see you guys up front, but I’m sorry, but those people standing in the fucking rain all night are the hardest of Iron Maiden fans here tonight.”
I always loved that Bruce paid so much attention to the “cheap” seat peeps. That connection with fans has always made Iron Maiden such a special band. Sure, plenty of bands love their fans and show it, but with Maiden, they make you feel like you’re the most important person in the crowd.
Iron Maiden doesn’t play for their fans. They play to their fans. They play to every one of us, making us each feel like we were being communicated with on some cosmic, spiritual level. They know we all get something out of it that is so personal and treasured it keeps bringing us back.
When I say, “Iron Maiden is MY band,” I mean it, and so does every Iron Maiden fan around the globe. It’s one of the biggest reasons that they have endured and persevered for as long as they have. Each time I prepare to see a Maiden show, I think that this might be it. This might be the last, but then they play a show like this one, and I leave there thinking, “They’re nowhere near done. They still have plenty of work to do, and for as long as I can, I will be there.”
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