Iron Maiden urge fans not to use phones to film shows: “It’s really not a lot to ask”
Iron Maiden have urged fans attending their upcoming Run for Your Life world tour to “severely limit” how much they film the concert, branding it a “phone obsession” that “has got so out of hand.”
The heavy metal heavyweights, celebrating half a century since their inception in 1975, are set to kick off the tour on May 31st in Budapest, before performing 31 other shows across the summer, including UK stops in Birmingham, Manchester, London, and Glasgow.
However, before the band hit the road, their manager, Rod Smallwood, said in a statement on May 20th: “We really want fans to enjoy the shows first hand, rather than on their small screens. The amount of phone use nowadays diminishes enjoyment, particularly for the band who are on stage looking out at rows of phones, but also for other concertgoers.”
He continued: “The phone obsession has now got so out of hand that it has become unnecessarily distracting, especially to the band. I hope fans understand this and will be sensible in severely limiting the use of their phone cameras out of respect for the band and their fellow fans.”
Smallwood added Iron Maiden want fans to be “in the moment” and enjoy the spectacle of the concerts without filming it, Smallwood concluded by saying: “It’s really not a lot to ask, is it?”
It comes as Iron Maiden are also releasing a documentary to celebrate their 50th anniversary alongside the tour, after bassist Steve Harris formed the genesis of the band in 1975 and subsequently made them one of rock and roll’s biggest exports.
In terms of the phone ban, Iron Maiden are following a similar suit to other artists like Ghost, who banned filming entirely on their most recent arena tour.
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