Iron Maiden Explores ''The Final Frontier''; Will Tour With Dream Theater
Date: Wednesday, April 21 @ 03:00:00 UTC
Topic: Album Release News


British heavy metal legends Iron Maiden have set The Final Frontier as the title of their new studio album, due late summer of this year.

The announcement comes with news of a North American tour with very special guests Dream Theater to open in Dallas, Texas, on June 9 and finish in Washington D.C. on July 20, making it Maiden's most extensive North American tour in many years.

Following these shows in USA and Canada, "The Final Frontier World Tour" will travel back to Europe for a few selected major festival and stadium shows with the band planning to continue to many other countries in 2011.



To give Iron Maiden fan club members a privileged insight to their touring world, IMTV will return to www.ironmaiden.com to cover "The Final Frontier World Tour". This exclusive footage includes regular video from the live shows, touring, band interviews, insights into our crew and what they do and much much more. The website will also feature exclusive tour diaries, exclusive photographs and anything else that helps the fans get a real insight into the dynamics of a big tour.

"The Final Frontier 2010 North American Tour" dates:

Jun. 09 - Dallas, TX - Superpages.com Center
Jun. 11 - Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Jun. 12 - San Antonio, TX - AT&T Center
Jun. 14 - Denver, CO - Comfort Dental Amphitheatre
Jun. 16 - Albuquerque, NM - The Pavilion
Jun. 17 - Phoenix, AZ - Cricket Wireless Pavilion
Jun. 19 - San Bernardino, CA - San Manuel Amphitheatre
Jun. 20 - Concord, CA - Sleep Train Pavilion
Jun. 22 - Auburn, WA - White River Amphitheatre
Jun. 24 - Vancouver, BC - GM Place
Jun. 26 - Edmonton, AB - Rexall Place
Jun. 29 - Saskatoon, SK - Credit Union Center
Jun. 30 - Winnipeg, MB - MTS Center +
Jul. 03 - Toronto, ON - Molson Amphitheatre
Jul. 07 - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
Jul. 11 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC
Jul. 12 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
Jul. 14 - Pittsburgh, PA - First Niagra Pavilion
Jul. 15 - Cleveland, OH - Blossom Music Center
Jul. 17 - Detroit, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
Jul. 18 - Chicago, IL - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
Jul. 20 - Washington D.C. - Jiffy Lube Live
+ DREAM THEATER will not perform in Winnipeg

Iron Maiden recorded The Final Frontier at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas with producer Kevin Shirley. According to a posting on Kevin's official web site, "There's still work to do, but the band portion is complete and in the can, so to speak."

Shirley previously worked on the last three Maiden albums ? 2000's Brave New World, 2003's Dance Of Death and 2006's A Matter Of Life And Death [And, incidentally, Dream Theater's 2007 album Falling Into Infinity as well as a pair of their live albums -ed.]

The next Iron Maiden album will be the band's fifteenth studio record, and they face a challenge to follow up A Matter Of Life And Death, which was received well critically and saw the group play the whole album on tour.

Speaking at last year's premiere of the band's documentary film Iron Maiden: Flight 666, guitarist Adrian Smith stated, "There's always a bit of pressure to follow up the last album. In a way, it's good, because it motivates you.

"We never get complacent; we always try our best for our own sake as much as anything else. As far as pressure for another album, we just do what we do ? we've been doing it long enough now; we know what we're doing. [laughs]"

Iron Maiden guitarist Janick Gers revealed to BBC News in November that the band was on its way "to Paris for three weeks to work on some new stuff." He added, "The most important thing for a band is to create new music, otherwise you're not valid ? you become a parody."

Iron Maiden will headline this year's edition of the U.K.'s Sonisphere festival, which will be held Saturday, July 31, 2010 and Sunday, August 1, 2010 at Knebworth.

Maiden became the first outfit in history to travel round the world in a customized jet during their Somewhere Back In Time tour, as detailed in award-winning movie Flight 666.

The Boeing 757 carried musicians, crew, gear and guests with singer Bruce Dickinson, a qualified airline pilot, at the controls.

In a related item on the other half touring pair - prog rock/metal icons Dream Theater will spend their summer supporting Iron Maiden on the band's month-long tour of major U.S. and Canadian markets. The tour launches on June 9 and runs through July 20, and includes a stop at the storied Madison Square Garden in New York City, marking the first time in a lengthy and respected career that Dream Theater will have played the world's most famous arena. This tour will mark another milestone in Dream Theater's history, which continues to expand and evolve, twenty-five years deep.

Of touring with Iron Maiden in North America, Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy said, "It is a bit of a dream come true for us.

"After 25 years together, at this stage in our career, there's honestly only three bands Dream Theater would consider opening for and Maiden is one of them.

"It is an absolute honor.

"Through the years, we've done many one-off shows with Maiden and they've almost all been overseas. It is very exciting to finally be doing a full tour with them and on our side of the pond, no less.

"These are gonna be amazing shows that the fans won't want to miss.

"Up the *****ing irons!?

Playing Madison Square Garden for the first time is also a huge accomplishment for the band and they are thrilled about the prospect.

"Dream Theater has achieved so many dreams through the years, from playing the Budokan in Tokyo to Wembley Arena in London to Radio City Music Hall in New York City," Portnoy recalled. "But the one remaining dream that has eluded us through all of these years was to play at Madison Square Garden. Well, on July 12, along with Iron Maiden, that dream will finally be fulfilled."

Guitarist John Petrucci was equally stoked about the Madison Square Garden play, saying, "I am unbelievably excited to be finally playing Madison Square Garden, and with the almighty Maiden to boot! They have been heroes to the band since the beginning and are iconic in our eyes.

"There is nothing like achieving success and recognition in your own country, in your own city. It's going to be an incredible night, for sure."

Portnoy has proof of this career-long dream, saying, "About a month ago, my family and I were watching a video of my first band Inturder from back in 1983, and in the video before the show, I was interviewed and asked what my dream goal was. I responded 'To play the Garden.' It took almost 30 years, but it?s surreal that I will now be able to check it off the list."

[Source: via e-Prog]







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