The Dance of Death World Tour was a

concert tour A concert tour (or simply tour) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific to ...

by heavy metal band

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...

in support of their thirteenth studio album, ''Dance of Death''. The group's eighth live record, ''

Death on the Road ''Death on the Road'' is a live album and video released by British heavy metal band Iron Maiden on 29 August 2005 on CD and vinyl, and on 6 February 2006 on DVD. The album was recorded at Westfalenhallen in Dortmund, Germany on 24 November 200 ...

'', was recorded in Dortmund. The tour was subject to a short number of cancellations, with the band's shows in Wrocław, Rotterdam and Helsinki being postponed while lead vocalist

Bruce Dickinson Paul Bruce Dickinson (born 7 August 1958) is an English singer who has been the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden from 1981 to 1993 and 1999–present. He is known for his wide-ranging operatic vocal style and energetic stage ...

recovered from flu and laryngitis. On top of this, the group's second show in New York was cut short after one audience member dropped a beer on the soundboard, while the final concert was cancelled due to a scheduling conflict.

Set

Throughout the

tour Tour or Tours may refer to: Travel * Tourism, travel for pleasure * Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service * Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus * Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed ...

, the stage was decorated to look like a medieval castle, with two towers on either side of the runways, featuring

Grim Reaper Death is frequently imagined as a personified force. In some mythologies, a character known as the Grim Reaper (usually depicted as a berobed skeleton wielding a scythe) causes the victim's death by coming to collect that person's soul. Other b ...

statues and a castle gate between them for the opening song. The stage floor was decorated to look like a twelve-point star, identical to the one featured in the ''Dance of Death'' artwork. The tour was notable for its extensive use of props and other

theatrics Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...

. Bruce Dickinson would begin "Dance of Death" from a throne on the left podium, wearing a cape and two

Venetian mask The Carnival of Venice ( it, Carnevale di Venezia) is an annual festival held in Venice, Italy. The carnival ends on Shrove Tuesday (''Martedì Grasso'' or Mardi Gras), which is the day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. The festival i ...

s, and would later sport a Grim Reaper cloak. Paschendale would begin with battlefield sound effects reminiscent of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, during which the road crew, dressed in military uniform, would place dead bodies and barbed wire around the set, and Bruce Dickinson would recite (pre-recorded) the first two stanzas of "

Anthem for Doomed Youth "Anthem for Doomed Youth" is a poem written in 1917 by Wilfred Owen. It incorporates the theme of the horror of war. Style Like a traditional Petrarchan sonnet, the poem is divided into an octave and sestet. However, its rhyme scheme is neither ...

" by

Wilfred Owen Wilfred Edward Salter Owen MC (18 March 1893 – 4 November 1918) was an English poet and soldier. He was one of the leading poets of the First World War. His war poetry on the horrors of trenches and gas warfare was much influenced by ...

. A giant

Eddie Eddie or Eddy may refer to: Science and technology *Eddy (fluid dynamics), the swirling of a fluid and the reverse current created when the fluid flows past an obstacle * Eddie (text editor), a text editor originally for BeOS and now ported to Lin ...

would appear from the back of the set during "Iron Maiden", wearing a cloak and wielding a scythe. The walk-on Eddie would also appear as the Grim Reaper during "The Number of the Beast."

Setlist

Tour dates

Reference

References

External links

Official website

Dance of Death World Tour Dates
{{IronMaiden 2003 concert tours 2004 concert tours Iron Maiden concert tours