The summer sun has finally settled in over Finland, and while most are soaking it up on holiday, I found myself packing my bags and heading back to Helsinki for one reason only, IRON MAIDEN. On the evening of June 16th, 2025, the legendary heavy metal titans brought their Run for Your Lives World Tour to the iconic Olympiastadion. As they celebrate an astonishing 50 years of music, there was no way I was going to miss this. As a lifelong fan, this wasn’t just another gig to me, but it felt more like a pilgrimage. And IRON MAIDEN delivered a show worthy of the legacy they’ve built over half a century.
Before MAIDEN took the stage, the honor of firing up the Helsinki crowd fell to HALESTORM, and they handled it like total pros. Warming up an IRON MAIDEN audience is no easy feat, but the seasoned Pennsylvanian hard rockers took it in stride. With the summer sun still glowing outside the Olympiastadion, HALESTORM delivered a tight, high-energy set blending fan favorites with fresh cuts from their upcoming album “Everest.” The new tracks sounded sharp and punchy, proving this band is still climbing. Of course, Lzzy Hale remains an unstoppable force at the mic. Her raw screams and powerhouse vocals slice through the open air like a battle cry. The definite highlight was Arejay Hale’s drum solo, complete with those comically massive drumsticks.
The anticipation inside Helsinki’s Olympiastadion hit a fever pitch. Every cable laid, every lighting test, every pyro check. It all drew louder cheers from the crowd. We knew what was coming, and we were ready. Then, as tradition dictates, “Doctor Doctor” blasted through the speakers, and just like that, the place erupted. Helsinki was bouncing, fists in the air, singing along as the intro anthem echoed across the stadium. As the house lights dimmed, the stadium was swallowed in a golden, smoky glow. Then the giant screen roared to life with “The Ides of March,” pulling us headfirst into a fast-paced, gritty journey through the shadowy backstreets of East London; a cinematic, almost surreal opener.
IRON MAIDEN have used visuals before, but this was something else entirely. Sleek, modern, and immersive. And then it happened: without warning, IRON MAIDEN were on stage. The band exploded into “Murders in the Rue Morgue,” kicking off a blistering dive into Paul Di’Anno-era classics. “Wrathchild,” “Killers,” and “Phantom of the Opera,” followed in rapid-fire succession, each backed by razor-sharp visuals and thunderous crowd energy. Somewhere in the chaos, Eddie made his first appearance of the night, lumbering across the stage in full “Killers” garb, wielding his iconic hatchet, and stalking the band like he owned the place.
Bruce steps up to the mic with a sly grin and nods toward the drum riser. “For once,” he quips, “we have a drummer you can actually see!” The crowd laughs and cheers as Simon Dawson gets his moment in the spotlight. It’s a big moment, marking the official live debut of IRON MAIDEN’s new drummer, and the crowd responded with a deafening roar. Right away followed by “The Number of the Beast,” backed by shadowy, Nosferatu-style horror visuals that flicker across the screens; eerie, stylized, and completely captivating.
Then it’s a deep dive into the “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son” era, starting with “The Clairvoyant.” The screen shifts again, revealing a stunning new take on IRON MAIDEN‘s famous “Powerslave” stage, sending chills through the crowd as the band rips into the powerful title track. From there, they move into “2 Minutes to Midnight” and the epic, haunting “Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” complete with sweeping ocean visuals and eerie narration, even a local seagull helped the story’s mood. It’s IRON MAIDEN at their most theatrical and at their absolute best.
With the towering screen as his stage partner, what follows is a surreal, theatrical sequence that walks the line between stage act and with just the right amount of animation. It’s eerie, over-the-top, a little cheeky, and absolutely brilliant. A ghostly figure appears, seemingly bursting from Bruce’s own shadow, drawing gasps and laughs in equal measure from the crowd. It’s pure IRON MAIDEN: theatrical, clever, and larger than life.
The energy stays high with two iconic classics: “Run to the Hills” and “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son,” both delivered with full force and crowd-fueling intensity. Giant Eddie makes his dramatic entrance during “Iron Maiden,” reimagined not as the towering animatronic of old but as a sleeker, digitally enhanced force woven into the stage’s visual spectacle. A Finnish flag was also a nice touch. It’s a bold update that may surprise traditionalists, but the sheer scale and seamless integration prove IRON MAIDEN are still masters of reinvention.
The encore roars to life with “Aces High” and “Fear of the Dark,” before “Wasted Years” brings a bittersweet, soaring finale. Its heartfelt chorus, echoing decades of IRON MAIDEN legacy, transforms the moment from a goodbye into a bold declaration, that this band isn’t just honoring their past but that they’re forging ahead with unstoppable energy.
As “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” playfully echoes through the stadium speakers, tens of thousands of voices join in with grins on their faces, sweaty, and completely exhausted. It’s hard not to feel like we’ve just witnessed more than a concert. We’ve seen a legacy reaffirmed. IRON MAIDEN aren’t just still standing, they’re sprinting forward, battle-worn banners held high.
Written by Peter Jerman
Photos by Janne Puronen
Setlist
- Murders in the Rue Morgue
- Wrathchild
- Killers
- Phantom of the Opera
- The Number of the Beast
- The Clairvoyant
- 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 (Encore)
- Fear of the Dark (Encore)
- Waster Years (Encore)
