The Run For Your Lives World Tour celebrates 50 years of Iron Maiden, counting from Steve Harris founding the band in 1975. Its musical concept draws on the first nine studio albums, from Iron Maiden (1980) through Fear of the Dark (1992), bringing back songs and imagery associated with the group's formative era. The band is also asking audiences to put away their phones and drastically reduce filming. For the Brazilian dates, that statement is a request for cooperation, not an announcement of a blanket phone ban.
Concerts are scheduled for October 25 and 27, 2026, in São Paulo, October 28 in Curitiba, and October 31 in Santiago, Chile. The concept combines a historical song selection, large-scale visual production and more direct audience participation.
Why does the tour focus on the first nine albums?
The 50th anniversary marks the band's founding in 1975, not the 50th birthday of any particular album. The selection begins with its 1980 debut and follows the musical shifts of the 1980s through 1992. It brings together the earliest recordings with Paul Di'Anno, the group's international breakthrough during the Bruce Dickinson era, and the releases that followed within that period.
According to the band, the point is not simply to play unrelated greatest hits. The stage production also revisits Eddie, the album-cover artwork and the various settings created over those years. The show was designed for stadiums, with sets and audiovisual elements tied to the songs. These are the nine albums defining the era:
| Album | Year |
|---|---|
| Iron Maiden | 1980 |
| Killers | 1981 |
| The Number of the Beast | 1982 |
| Piece of Mind | 1983 |
| Powerslave | 1984 |
| Somewhere in Time | 1986 |
| Seventh Son of a Seventh Son | 1988 |
| No Prayer for the Dying | 1990 |
| Fear of the Dark | 1992 |
An important distinction: saying the tour covers this nine-album catalogue does not mean every performance is guaranteed to include a song from each album. These records define the historical range, rather than a pledge to play exactly one track from every release.
Which songs illustrate the 2026 setlist?
In the Latin American tour announcement, Bruce Dickinson named classics including Hallowed Be Thy Name, Run to the Hills, Phantom of the Opera, The Trooper, Killers, Powerslave, 2 Minutes to Midnight and Wasted Years. He also singled out the lengthy compositions Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. These are examples named by the band, not a final officially confirmed running order for São Paulo or Curitiba.
One completed show offers a more concrete snapshot. A community-maintained record of the October 17, 2026, concert in Lima lists 17 songs performed by the band. The set opens with Murders in the Rue Morgue, Wrathchild, Killers and Phantom of the Opera; later features Infinite Dreams, Powerslave, Rime of the Ancient Mariner and The Trooper; and closes its encore with Aces High, Fear of the Dark and Wasted Years.
That record separates songs performed live from prerecorded introductions. It also illustrates why the “first nine albums” formula needs care: No Prayer for the Dying is part of the chosen timeline, yet none of its songs appears on the reported Lima setlist. The order and selection for the upcoming concerts should not be treated as confirmed until those performances take place.
Why is Iron Maiden asking for fewer phones?
The band published its request on May 20, 2025, before the tour's first leg. Longtime manager Rod Smallwood explained that raised screens can obstruct other fans' views and affect the musicians' experience onstage. The intention is to restore something of the audience atmosphere from when many of these songs were first performed, particularly in the 1980s.
The message was repeated for Central and South America: fans are encouraged to severely limit camera use, ideally keep devices in their pockets and avoid prolonged filming, especially in standing areas close to the stage. It is an appeal to protect a shared concert experience, not a claim that carrying a phone is prohibited at every venue.
A request or a formal ban? The distinction matters
The statements consulted for the South American leg request less filming, but do not announce any general rule requiring fans at the Brazilian shows to surrender or seal their phones. A formal measure described by the band applied to a different performance: on the floor at the June 22, 2026, concert in Paris, the production planned to use locked Yondr pouches to create a phone-free area while filming the show. In the venue's other sections, fans were simply asked to keep phones in their pockets.
Paris-specific arrangements therefore should not be assumed to apply in São Paulo, Curitiba or Santiago. Concertgoers should follow instructions issued by their own venue and promoter and read their ticket conditions, which may separately regulate professional recording equipment and other items.
When and where are the next concerts?
As checked on October 22, 2026, the band's official tour schedule and Livepass information listed these dates within the scope of this article:
| Date | City | Venue | Announced support act |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 25, 2026 | São Paulo | Nubank Parque | Alter Bridge |
| Oct 27, 2026 | São Paulo | Nubank Parque | Alter Bridge |
| Oct 28, 2026 | Curitiba | Arena da Baixada | Alter Bridge |
| Oct 31, 2026 | Santiago | Estadio Nacional | Mammoth + Nuclear |
For Curitiba, Livepass lists gates opening at 4 p.m., Alter Bridge at 7:10 p.m. and Iron Maiden scheduled for 8:50 p.m., all local time. Nubank Parque also lists an 8:50 p.m. start for the São Paulo performances. These are event-service details subject to change by the organizers; they should not be applied to Santiago without confirmation.
The appropriate expectation, then, is a journey through the band's early years, backed by visuals recalling Eddie and his many incarnations. A final setlist becomes certain only after each concert happens. On phones, the request itself is unambiguous: enjoy the stage with fewer screens held up in front of it.
Sources and references
- Iron Maiden: statement on phone use (May 20, 2025)
- Iron Maiden: Central and South American tour announcement (December 12, 2025)
- Iron Maiden: 2026 European announcement and the specific restriction in Paris
- Iron Maiden: official 2026 Run For Your Lives tour schedule
- Iron Maiden: official studio album discography
- Livepass: official details of the Curitiba concert
- setlist.fm: recorded setlist for the Lima show on October 17, 2026
- Nubank Parque: São Paulo concert information and announcement
