Iron Maiden founder Steve Harris has pinpointed the one classic track he’s itching to reintroduce to the band’s live shows, revealing the eternal struggle of satisfying fans with a deep catalog during the group’s massive 50th-anniversary tour.
For any band with a career spanning half a century, the setlist is a sacred document and a potential battleground. For Iron Maiden, a group with sixteen studio albums of fan-favorite anthems, the challenge is monumental. In a new interview, bassist and founder Steve Harris has given fans a glimpse into his personal wish list, specifically naming “The Evil That Men Do” as the song he’s eager to bring back to the stage.
“I like them all! It’s hard to pick one,” Harris told Metal Hammer. “There’s certain songs like ‘The Evil That Men Do’ that aren’t already in the set and I’d like to play.” This admission offers a rare look at the creative tensions behind one of the world’s most iconic live acts.
The Setlist Conundrum for a Legendary Band
Harris’s comment underscores the delicate balance Iron Maiden must strike on their current Run For Your Lives 50th-anniversary tour. The tour’s first leg, which concluded in 2025, was celebrated for resurrecting several classics that had been absent from setlists for years, including:
- “Killers”
- “Murders In The Rue Morgue”
- “Rime Of The Ancient Mariner”
- “The Clairvoyant”
- “Seventh Son”
Despite this deep dive into their back catalog, the demand for more remains. “It’s difficult to do a set from any part of our career [and not miss things out],” Harris admitted. “It’s a nice problem to have, I suppose.” This “problem” is a testament to the band’s prolific and consistently high-quality output since its formation in 1975.
Why “The Evil That Men Do” Resonates
Harris’s specific call-out of “The Evil That Men Do” is significant. The track is a single from their landmark 1988 album, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. It embodies the band’s signature blend of galloping bass lines, dueling guitar harmonies, and the soaring vocals of Bruce Dickinson. For many fans, the song represents the peak of the band’s 1980s creative output.
However, Harris tempered expectations, noting that while the idea has been discussed, it hasn’t made the final cut for the upcoming leg. “We’ve bandied the ideas around and not ended up playing them this time,” he revealed. This suggests that the final setlist is a complex negotiation among all band members, each with their own attachments to different eras of the band’s vast history.
What’s Next for the Iron Maiden Tour
The second run of the 50th-anniversary tour is poised to be just as epic as the first. The band—comprising Harris, Dickinson, guitarists Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, and Janick Gers, and drummer Nicko McBrain—will kick off the European leg in May 2026, running through July. The tour then shifts to the Americas, where fans can expect shows from August through November.
While the setlist for these dates remains under wraps, Harris’s comments have undoubtedly ignited hope among the Iron Maiden faithful. The band has a long history of surprising its audience, and the door remains open for a last-minute addition of the beloved track.
The Legacy of Iron Maiden’s Live Shows
Iron Maiden’s commitment to their live performance is the stuff of legend. They are renowned for their elaborate stage shows, complete with towering Eddie mascots and dynamic pyrotechnics, but it’s the musical prowess that forms the foundation. The band’s ability to deliver marathon sets with relentless energy is a key reason they have maintained a fiercely loyal global fanbase for five decades.
Harris’s yearning to play “The Evil That Men Do” is more than just a preference; it’s a reflection of an artist who is still deeply connected to the music he helped create. It signals that even after 50 years, the passion for performing these songs, in all their complexity and glory, burns as brightly as ever.
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