Killer World Tour


The Killer World Tour was a concert tour by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden from 17 February 1981 to 15 November 1981. This was the band's first world tour, including their debut shows in North America and Japan where they recorded the live release, Maiden Japan. On top of this, the band moved into larger venues in the United Kingdom, including the Hammersmith Odeon, in London.
This would be Iron Maiden's last tour with singer Paul Di'Anno, who was dismissed due to his unreliability. He was replaced by Samson vocalist Bruce Dickinson, with whom the band undertook a short series of concerts in Italy and the UK from 26 October to 23 December, before they set about writing and recording their next album, The [Number of the Beast |The Number of the Beast].

Setlist

  1. "The Ides of March"
  2. "Wrathchild"
  3. "Purgatory"
  4. "Sanctuary"
  5. "Remember Tomorrow"
  6. "Another Life"
  7. "Genghis Khan"
  8. "Killers"
  9. "Innocent Exile"
  10. "Murders in the Rue Morgue"
  11. "Twilight Zone"
  12. "Phantom of the Opera"
  13. "Iron Maiden"
  14. "Running Free"
  15. "Transylvania"
  16. Guitar solo
  17. "Drifter"
  18. "Prowler"
Notes:
  • "Strange World" was performed on 23 May 1981 and 24 May 1981.
  • "I've Got the Fire" was performed on 24 May, 26 October, 27 October, and 15 November 1981.
  • "22 Acacia Avenue" and "Children of the Damned" were played at the 15 November Rainbow show as a preview for The Number of the Beast album. The intro solo on "Children of the Damned" is different from the final studio version.
  • "The Prisoner" and "Run to the Hills" were played at the "secret" show at the Ruskin Arms on 23 December. "The Prisoner" had slightly different lyrics in the second verse and final chorus.

    Tour dates

Reference
;Festivals and other miscellaneous performances
;Cancelled and rescheduled dates
The tour was subject to a number of cancellations due to problems with Paul Di'Anno's voice, causing four German dates to be cancelled and several Scandinavian dates to be rescheduled. According to band manager Rod Smallwood, the reason for the vocal issues were brought about by adopting a "rock star" lifestyle, which Di'Anno states was because he "couldn't see way to the end of" the band's heavy schedule and that he believed that this was "what you were supposed to do in a big, successful rock band." On the other hand, Steve Harris, the band's bassist, has since said that he did not "know whether he was seeking attention or what", arguing that having to cancel shows because of personal problems was intolerable and ultimately cemented Di'Anno's dismissal. The full list of cancelled dates are as follows: