World Slavery Tour


The World Slavery Tour was a concert tour by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden in support of their fifth album, Powerslave, beginning in Warsaw, Poland on 9 August 1984 and ending in Irvine, California on 5 July 1985.

Background

The tour was notorious for being the band's most arduous to date- although it was very successful, the band were left exhausted by its end in 1985 and demanded a break for the rest of the year before starting work on Somewhere In Time in 1986. The band's lead vocalist, Bruce Dickinson, has since explained that "I never thought it was going to end... I began to feel like I was a piece of machinery, like I was part of the lighting rig." Overall, the tour lasted 331 days, during which the band performed 189 gigs, the longest tour dates of their career. The tour also saw the band play to one of the largest crowds of their career, approximately 350,000 people at the first edition of the Brazilian rock festival Rock in Rio in 1985.
The tour was notable for its use of props, such as the sarcophagi, 30-foot mummified Eddie and extensive pyrotechnics. Steve Harris referred to it as "probably the best stage show we ever did," and Dickinson commented that, "You could set it up in small theatres or big arenas and it would always look fantastic." The band's 2008–2009 tour, Somewhere Back in Time World Tour, featured a stage set which largely emulated the World Slavery Tour.
Iron Maiden's first full-length live album Live After Death was recorded during the band's four shows at London's Hammersmith Odeon in October 1984 and four shows at Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, California in March 1985. A video entitled Behind the Iron Curtain documented the band's first shows in Poland, Hungary, and Yugoslavia in August 1984, as they were regarded as the first rock act to take a full stage show into the Eastern Bloc.
An 18-year-old Iron Maiden fan, Daniel Pitre, fell 100 ft to his death from a catwalk in the press area of the Colisée de Québec during the Quebec City show. The band learned about the death only after the show.

Setlist

  1. Intro – Churchill's Speech
  2. "Aces High"
  3. "2 Minutes to Midnight"
  4. "The Trooper"
  5. "Revelations"
  6. "Flight of Icarus"
  7. "Rime of the Ancient Mariner"
  8. "Los'fer Words"
  9. "Powerslave"
  10. Guitar solo
  11. "The [Number of the Beast (song)|The Number of the Beast]"
  12. "Hallowed Be Thy Name"
  13. "22 Acacia Avenue"
  14. "Iron Maiden"
  15. "Run to the Hills"
  16. "Running Free"
  17. "Sanctuary"
Other songs occasionally played were:
  • "Phantom Of The Opera"
  • "Children Of The Damned"
  • "Wrathchild"
  • "Die With Your Boots On"
  • "Murders In The Rue Morgue"
  • "Back In the Village"

Tour dates

DateCityCountryVenueOpening Act
3 January 1985CincinnatiUnited StatesCincinnati GardensTwisted Sister
4 January 1985DetroitUnited StatesJoe Louis ArenaTwisted Sister
5 January 1985ColumbusUnited StatesBattelle HallTwisted Sister
6 January 1985RichfieldUnited StatesRichfield ColiseumTwisted Sister
7 January 1985BuffaloUnited StatesBuffalo Memorial AuditoriumTwisted Sister
11 January 1985Rio de JaneiroBrazilCity of RockQueen
Whitesnake
14 January 1985HartfordUnited StatesHartford Civic CenterTwisted Sister
15 January 1985WorcesterUnited StatesWorcester CentrumTwisted Sister
17 January 1985New York CityUnited StatesRadio City Music HallQueensrÿche
18 January 1985New York CityUnited StatesRadio City Music HallQueensrÿche
19 January 1985New York CityUnited StatesRadio City Music HallQueensrÿche
20 January 1985New York CityUnited StatesRadio City Music HallQueensrÿche
21 January 1985New York CityUnited StatesRadio City Music HallQueensrÿche
28 January 1985LandoverUnited StatesCapital CentreTwisted Sister
29 January 1985PhiladelphiaUnited StatesThe SpectrumTwisted Sister
31 January 1985ColumbiaUnited StatesCarolina ColiseumTwisted Sister
1 February 1985Johnson CityUnited StatesFreedom Hall Civic CenterTwisted Sister
2 February 1985AtlantaUnited StatesOmni ColiseumTwisted Sister
3 February 1985MemphisUnited StatesMid-South ColiseumTwisted Sister
5 February 1985NashvilleUnited StatesNashville Municipal AuditoriumTwisted Sister
6 February 1985KnoxvilleUnited StatesKnoxville Civic ColiseumTwisted Sister
8 February 1985CharlotteUnited StatesCharlotte ColiseumTwisted Sister
9 February 1985GreensboroUnited StatesGreensboro ColiseumTwisted Sister
10 February 1985GreenvilleUnited StatesGreenville Memorial AuditoriumTwisted Sister
12 February 1985JacksonvilleUnited StatesJacksonville Memorial ColiseumTwisted Sister
14 February 1985North [Fort Myers, Florida|North Fort Myers]United StatesLee County Civic CenterTwisted Sister
15 February 1985Pembroke PinesUnited StatesHollywood SportatoriumTwisted Sister
16 February 1985LakelandUnited StatesLakeland Civic CenterTwisted Sister
17 February 1985St. PetersburgUnited StatesBayfront CenterTwisted Sister
19 February 1985ChattanoogaUnited StatesUTC ArenaTwisted Sister
20 February 1985BirminghamUnited StatesBoutwell Memorial Auditoriumrowspan="2"
21 February 1985HuntsvilleUnited StatesVon Braun Civic Center-
23 February 1985BeaumontUnited StatesBeaumont Civic CenterW.A.S.P.
24 February 1985BiloxiUnited StatesMississippi Coast ColiseumW.A.S.P.
27 February 1985New OrleansUnited StatesLakefront ArenaW.A.S.P.
28 February 1985HoustonUnited StatesThe SummitW.A.S.P.
1 March 1985WacoUnited StatesWaco Convention CenterW.A.S.P.
2 March 1985Oklahoma CityUnited StatesMyriad Convention CenterW.A.S.P.
4 March 1985DallasUnited StatesReunion ArenaW.A.S.P.
5 March 1985San AntonioUnited StatesSan Antonio Convention CenterW.A.S.P.
7 March 1985LubbockUnited StatesCity Bank ColiseumW.A.S.P.
8 March 1985El PasoUnited StatesEl Paso County ColiseumW.A.S.P.
9 March 1985AlbuquerqueUnited StatesTingley ColiseumW.A.S.P.
10 March 1985TucsonUnited StatesTucson Convention CenterW.A.S.P.
14 March 1985Long BeachUnited StatesLong Beach ArenaTwisted Sister
15 March 1985Long BeachUnited StatesLong Beach ArenaTwisted Sister
16 March 1985Long BeachUnited StatesLong Beach ArenaTwisted Sister
17 March 1985Long BeachUnited StatesLong Beach ArenaTwisted Sister
19 March 1985RenoUnited StatesLawlor Events CenterTwisted Sister
20 March 1985FresnoUnited StatesSelland ArenaTwisted Sister
21 March 1985Daly CityUnited StatesCow PalaceTwisted Sister
23 March 1985San DiegoUnited StatesSan Diego Sports ArenaTwisted Sister
24 March 1985TempeUnited StatesCompton TerraceTwisted Sister
25 March 1985Las VegasUnited StatesAladdin TheaterWarrior
26 March 1985San BernardinoUnited StatesOrange PavilionWarrior
31 March 1985HonoluluUnited StatesNeal S. Blaisdell CenterWarrior
14 April 1985TokyoJapanNakano Sun Plazarowspan="8"
15 April 1985TokyoJapanNakano Sun Plaza-
17 April 1985TokyoJapanTokyo Kōsei Nenkin Kaikan-
19 April 1985TokyoJapanTokyo Kōsei Nenkin Kaikan-
20 April 1985NagoyaJapanNagoya Civic Assembly Hall-
22 April 1985FukuokaJapanFukuoka Sunpalace-
24 April 1985OsakaJapanFestival Hall-
25 April 1985TokyoJapanNakano Sun Plaza-
2 May 1985CanberraAustraliaCanberra Civic TheatreBoss
3 May 1985MelbourneAustraliaFestival HallBoss
4 May 1985AdelaideAustraliaThebarton TheatreBoss
6 May 1985WollongongAustraliaShellharbour Workers ClubBoss
7 May 1985SydneyAustraliaHordern PavilionBoss
8 May 1985NewcastleAustraliaNewcastle Civic TheatreBoss
10 May 1985BrisbaneAustraliaBrisbane Festival HallBoss
23 May 1985PortlandUnited StatesCumberland County Civic CenterAccept
24 May 1985UniondaleUnited StatesNassau Veterans Memorial ColiseumAccept
25 May 1985BinghamtonUnited StatesBroome County Veterans Memorial ArenaAccept
27 May 1985RochesterUnited StatesRochester Community War MemorialAccept
28 May 1985Glens FallsUnited StatesGlens Falls Civic CenterAccept
29 May 1985SpringfieldUnited StatesSpringfield Civic CenterAccept
31 May 1985New HavenUnited StatesNew Haven ColiseumAccept
1 June 1985AllentownUnited StatesAllentown Fair">Allentown, Pennsylvania">Allentown FairAccept
2 June 1985ProvidenceUnited StatesProvidence Civic CenterAccept
4 June 1985ColumbiaUnited StatesMerriweather Post PavilionAccept
5 June 1985PittsburghUnited StatesPittsburgh Civic ArenaAccept
7 June 1985TrotwoodUnited StatesHara ArenaAccept
8 June 1985EvansvilleUnited StatesMesker AmphitheatreAccept
Why on Earth
9 June 1985East TroyUnited StatesAlpine Valley Music TheatreAccept
11 June 1985ToledoUnited StatesToledo Sports ArenaAccept
12 June 1985ClarkstonUnited StatesPine Knob Music TheatreAccept
14 June 1985SaginawUnited StatesWendler ArenaAccept
15 June 1985CharlevoixUnited StatesCastle FarmsAccept
16 June 1985Hoffman EstatesUnited StatesPoplar Creek Music TheaterAccept
18 June 1985PeoriaUnited StatesPeoria Civic CenterAccept
19 June 1985Cedar RapidsUnited StatesFive Seasons CenterAccept
21 June 1985MadisonUnited StatesDane County ColiseumAccept
22 June 1985SeymourUnited StatesOutagamie County FairgroundsAccept
Ratt
23 June 1985MinneapolisUnited StatesTrout Aire AmphitheatreAccept
Ratt
24 June 1985FargoUnited StatesRed River FairgroundsAccept
Ratt
26 June 1985Des MoinesUnited StatesIowa Veterans Memorial AuditoriumAccept
27 June 1985OmahaUnited StatesOmaha Civic AuditoriumAccept
29 June 1985MorrisonUnited StatesRed Rocks AmphitheatreAccept
3 July 1985San JoseUnited StatesSan Jose Civic AuditoriumAccept
W.A.S.P.
4 July 1985SacramentoUnited StatesCal Expo AmphitheatreAccept
W.A.S.P.
5 July 1985IrvineUnited StatesIrvine Meadows AmphitheatreAccept
W.A.S.P.

;Festivals and other miscellaneous performances
;Cancellations