| Tour by Iron Maiden | |
 Iron Maiden performing in Irvine on 31 May 2008 | |
| Location |
|
|---|---|
| Associated albums | |
| Start date | 1 February 2008 |
| End date | 2 April 2009 |
| Legs | 4 |
| No. of shows | 90 in total (91 scheduled) |
| Iron Maiden concert chronology | |
Somewhere Back in Time World Tour was a concert tour by the heavy metal band Iron Maiden in 2008 and 2009, focused on the band's 1980s material, in particular songs from Powerslave, Somewhere in Time and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. The tour tied in with the second part of the DVD series, entitled "The History of Iron Maiden",[1] and prompted the release of a new greatest hits compilation, Somewhere Back in Time.[2]
The tour was advertised as a way of bringing back the 1980s stage show and forgotten "classics" for an audience of younger fans, not having been born in time to witness the original. Many of the band's songs had not been played in a long time, as much as 21 years in one case, and two of them ("Moonchild" and "Rime of the Ancient Mariner") never having been played by the current line-up. The stage set was based around that of the widely celebrated World Slavery Tour of 1984–85, featuring similar pyrotechnics and the return of the giant mummified Eddie, but also included a lighting rig and cyborg walk-on Eddie based on that of Somewhere on Tour 1986.[1]
The tour would also see the first use of Ed Force One, Iron Maiden's customised Boeing 757, designed to carry band, crew and equipment across continents, which is piloted by the band's lead singer Bruce Dickinson, who also received the qualifications to flight the Boeing 757.[1] The ground breaking nature of the tour led to the documentary entitled Iron Maiden: Flight 666, released in select cinemas in April 2009,[3] followed by a Blu-ray, DVD and CD release in May and June,[4] which would top the music DVD charts in 25 countries.[5]
The 2008 tour was the second highest grossing of the year for a British artist,[6] with the band reportedly playing to well over than 2 million people worldwide over both years.[5]
- ^ a b c Lane, Daniel (7 September 2007). "Iron Maiden Tour Plans". Metal Hammer. Archived from the original on 2 June 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
- ^ "Iron Maiden To Release Somewhere Back in Time Collection". Blabbermouth.net. 11 March 2008. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
The album celebrates the essence of the current tour by featuring most of the essential tracks from the band's first seven studio albums and one live album, recorded between 1980 and 1989
- ^ Bezer, Terry (20 January 2009). "Iron Maiden: The Movie! Catch The Trailer!". Classic Rock. Archived from the original on 6 May 2009. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
- ^ "Iron Maiden Flight 666 To Be Released on Blu-Ray, DVD". Blabbermouth.net. 15 April 2009. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
- ^ a b "Iron Maiden's Flight 666 Is A Global Smash". Blabbermouth.net. 18 June 2009. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
- ^ "The Police and Iron Maiden lead British music stars' foreign earnings to hit record levels". The Daily Telegraph. London. 6 April 2009. Retrieved 18 February 2011.