British heavy metal giants IRON MAIDEN officially launched the 2026 portion of their “Run For Your Lives” world tour on Saturday night (May 23), taking over the Olympic Athletic Center of Athens (OAKA) in Athens, Greece for a high-energy opening show.
Although the band largely kept the structure of their 2025 setlist intact, the Athens performance stood out thanks to one major change — the long-awaited return of “Infinite Dreams.” The track, originally featured on 1988’s Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son, was performed live for the first time in 38 years, marking its first appearance in a setlist since the tour cycle that supported the album.
The surprise moment arrived mid-show, when vocalist Bruce Dickinson spoke directly to the crowd before the sixth song of the night, setting up the rare deep cut.
He said: “We couldn’t think of a better place in Europe to start this tour… We know a few of you have seen some of this show before. We thought we’d just do a little bit of something different, just for this next song, because it’s a song that we have not played for many, many years. No, it’s not ‘Alexander The Great’. But it will be when you go to bed tonight — your ‘Infinite Dreams’.”
That introduction set the tone for one of the night’s standout moments, as longtime fans witnessed a track that had been absent from the stage for nearly four decades.
Elsewhere in the set, the band delivered a career-spanning selection of material, reinforcing the scale of the tour’s production and the depth of their catalogue. The full Athens setlist was as follows:
- Murders In The Rue Morgue
- Wrathchild
- Killers
- Phantom Of The Opera
- The Number Of The Beast
- Infinite Dreams (first performance since 1988)
- 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
Support for the Athens concert came from American thrash metal pioneers ANTHRAX, who opened the night before MAIDEN’s headline performance.
Looking ahead, the “Run For Your Lives” tour is expected to continue well into November 2026. After it concludes, the band is reportedly preparing for a step back from live activity in 2027.
In a recent interview with The Guardian, bassist Steve Harris discussed the planned break and made it clear it was not his preferred outcome, even though it was agreed upon collectively within the group.
“It looks like we’re taking next year off,” Harris said. “Personally, I didn’t want to, but that’s me. I’m just one of six people, despite what people might think. They don’t just all do as they’re told. Otherwise we’d be doing stuff next year, too.”
Alongside the touring plans, IRON MAIDEN are also set to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame this November in Los Angeles at the Peacock Theater, though the current active lineup is not expected to attend due to ongoing tour commitments. The band will also headline their largest UK shows to date with the two-day “EddFest” event at Knebworth in July.
The remainder of the “Run For Your Lives” 2026 schedule is as follows:
May 23, 2026 – Athens, Greece – OAKA (with Anthrax)
May 26, 2026 – Sofia, Bulgaria – Vasil Levski Stadium (with Anthrax)
May 28, 2026 – Bucharest, Romania – Arena Națională (with Anthrax)
May 30, 2026 – Bratislava, Slovakia – Národný Futbalový Štadión (with Anthrax)
June 2, 2026 – Hannover, Germany – Heinz von Heiden Arena (with Megadeth)
June 4, 2026 – Solvesborg, Sweden – Sweden Rock
June 6, 2026 – Nürnberg, Germany – Rock IM Park
June 7, 2026 – Nürburg, Germany – Rock AM Ring
June 10, 2026 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Ziggo Dome (with Evergrey)
June 13, 2026 – Nickelsdorf, Austria – Nova Rock
June 14, 2026 – Hradec Králové, Czech Republic – Rock For People
June 17, 2026 – Milan, Italy – San Siro Stadium (with Trivium)
June 19, 2026 – Clisson, France – Hellfest
June 22, 2026 – Paris, France – Paris La Défense Arena (with Evergrey)
June 24, 2026 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Copenhell
June 25, 2026 – Oslo, Norway – Tons of Rock
June 28, 2026 – Lyon-Décines, France – Groupama Stadium (with Anthrax)
June 29, 2026 – Antwerp, Belgium – Live is Live
July 2, 2026 – Viveiro, Spain – Resurrection Fest
July 4, 2026 – Cartagena, Spain – Rock Imperium Festival
July 7, 2026 – Lisbon, Portugal – Estádio da Luz (with Anthrax)
July 11, 2026 – Knebworth, United Kingdom – EddFest (with The Darkness, The Hu, Airbourne, The Almighty)
August 29, 2026 – Toronto, Canada – Scotiabank Arena (with Megadeth)
August 30, 2026 – Toronto, Canada – Scotiabank Arena (with Megadeth)
September 3, 2026 – Montréal, Canada – Parc Jean-Drapeau (with Megadeth, Anthrax)
September 5, 2026 – Harrison, United States – Sports Illustrated Stadium (with Megadeth, Anthrax)
September 6, 2026 – Harrison, United States – Sports Illustrated Stadium (with Megadeth, Anthrax)
September 9, 2026 – Boston, United States – TD Garden (with Megadeth)
September 11, 2026 – Bristow, United States – Jiffy Lube Live (with Megadeth)
September 12, 2026 – Charlotte, United States – Truliant Amphitheater (with Megadeth)
September 15, 2026 – Hershey, United States – Hersheypark Stadium (with Megadeth)
September 17, 2026 – Louisville, United States – Louder Than Life Festival
September 19, 2026 – Shakopee, United States – Mystic Lake Amphitheater (with Megadeth)
September 22, 2026 – Chicago, United States – Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre (with Megadeth)
September 25, 2026 – Los Angeles, United States – BMO Stadium (with Megadeth, Anthrax)
September 27, 2026 – Los Angeles, United States – BMO Stadium (with Megadeth, Anthrax)
September 29, 2026 – San Antonio, United States – Alamodome (with Megadeth, Anthrax)
October 2, 2026 – Mexico City, Mexico – Estadio GNP Seguros (with Anthrax)
October 5, 2026 – San Salvador, El Salvador – Estadio Jorge “Mágico” González (with The Raven Age, Souls of Steel)
October 8, 2026 – San José, Costa Rica – Estadio Nacional (with The Raven Age)
October 11, 2026 – Bogotá, Colombia – Vive Claro (with The Raven Age)
October 14, 2026 – Quito, Ecuador – Estadio Atahualpa (with The Raven Age)
October 17, 2026 – Lima, Peru – Estadio Nacional (with The Raven Age)
October 20, 2026 – Buenos Aires, Argentina – Estadio Hurácan (with La H No Murió)
October 21, 2026 – Buenos Aires, Argentina – Estadio Hurácan (with La H No Murió)
October 25, 2026 – São Paulo, Brazil – Allianz Parque (with Alter Bridge)
October 27, 2026 – São Paulo, Brazil – Allianz Parque (with Alter Bridge)
October 31, 2026 – Santiago, Chile – Estadio Nacional (with Mammoth, Nuclear)
November 1, 2026 – Santiago, Chile – Estadio Nacional (with Mammoth, Nuclear)
November 7, 2026 – Auckland, New Zealand – Spark Arena (with Megadeth)
November 8, 2026 – Auckland, New Zealand – Spark Arena (with Megadeth)
November 11, 2026 – Adelaide, Australia – Entertainment Centre (with Megadeth)
November 13, 2026 – Melbourne, Australia – AAMI Park (with Megadeth)
November 15, 2026 – Sydney, Australia – Allianz Stadium (with Megadeth)
November 18, 2026 – Brisbane, Australia – Entertainment Centre (with Megadeth)
November 19, 2026 – Brisbane, Australia – Entertainment Centre (with Megadeth)
November 24, 2026 – Yokohama, Japan – K-Arena
November 25, 2026 – Yokohama, Japan – K-Arena
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