Dance of Death World Tour

The Dance of Death World Tour was a concert tour by heavy metal band Iron Maiden in support of their thirteenth studio album, Dance of Death. The group's eighth live record, Death on the Road, was recorded in Dortmund.^[1]

Dance of Death World Tour

Tour by Iron Maiden
Official tour advertisement for the band's performance in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia, 21 October 2003
Associated album	Dance of Death
Start date	19 October 2003
End date	8 February 2004
No. of shows	53 (55 Scheduled)
Iron Maiden concert chronology

The tour was subject to a short number of cancellations, with the band's shows in Wrocław, Rotterdam and Helsinki being postponed while lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson recovered from flu and laryngitis.^[2][3] On top of this, the group's second show in New York was cut short after one audience member dropped a beer on the soundboard,^[4] while the final concert was cancelled due to a scheduling conflict.^[5]

Production

Throughout the tour, the stage was decorated to look like a medieval castle, with two towers on either side of the runways, featuring Grim Reaper statues and a castle gate between them for the opening song. The stage floor was decorated to look like a twelve-point star, identical to the one featured in the Dance of Death artwork.

The tour was notable for its extensive use of props and other theatrics. Bruce Dickinson would begin "Dance of Death" from a throne on the left podium, wearing a cape and two Venetian masks, and would later sport a Grim Reaper cloak.^[6] Paschendale would begin with battlefield sound effects reminiscent of the First World War, during which the road crew, dressed in military uniform, would place dead bodies and barbed wire around the set, and Bruce Dickinson would recite (pre-recorded) the first two stanzas of "Anthem for Doomed Youth" by Wilfred Owen.^[6]

A giant Eddie would appear from the back of the set during "Iron Maiden", wearing a cloak and wielding a scythe. The walk-on Eddie would also appear as the Grim Reaper during "The Number of the Beast."^[7]

Set list

"Declamation" composed by Chris Payne served as the intro for the tour.

1. "Wildest Dreams" (from Dance of Death, 2003)
2. "Wrathchild" (from Killers, 1981)
3. "Can I Play with Madness" (from Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, 1988)
4. "The Trooper" (from Piece of Mind, 1983)
5. "Dance of Death" (from Dance of Death, 2003)
6. "Rainmaker" (from Dance of Death, 2003)
7. "Brave New World" (from Brave New World, 2000)
8. "Paschendale" (from Dance of Death, 2003)
9. "Lord of the Flies" (from The X Factor, 1995)
10. "No More Lies" (from Dance of Death, 2003)
11. "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (from The Number of the Beast, 1982)
12. "Fear of the Dark" (from Fear of The Dark, 1992)
13. "Iron Maiden" (from Iron Maiden, 1980)

    Encore

14. "Journeyman" (from Dance of Death, 2003)
15. "The Number of the Beast" (from The Number of the Beast, 1982)
16. "Run to the Hills" (from The Number of the Beast, 1982)

Notes

• With the inclusion of "Lord of the Flies", the Dance of Death Tour would be the last tour to feature Blaze Bayley-era material in the band's setlist until the Legacy of the Beast World Tour in 2018.
• "Wrathchild" was not played at the first two shows.

Tour dates

List of 2003 concerts

Date	City	Country	Venue
19 October 2003	Debrecen	Hungary	Phoenix Hall
21 October 2003	Banská Bystrica	Slovakia	Bystrica Sports Hall
22 October 2003	Prague	Czech Republic	T-Mobile Arena
24 October 2003	Munich	Germany	Olympiahalle
25 October 2003	Stuttgart		Schleyerhalle
27 October 2003	Assago	Italy	Filaforum
28 October 2003	Florence		Nelson Mandela Forum
30 October 2003	Zürich	Switzerland	Hallenstadion
31 October 2003	Thonex		Salles Des Fetes
1 November 2003	Badalona	Spain	Palau Municipal d'Esports de Badalona
2 November 2003	Madrid		Palacio Vistalegre
4 November 2003	Frankfurt	Germany	Jahrhunderthalle
5 November 2003	Rotterdam	Netherlands	Rotterdam Ahoy (rescheduled)
7 November 2003	Wrocław	Poland	Centennial Hall (rescheduled)
10 November 2003	Helsinki	Finland	Hartwall Arena (rescheduled)
12 November 2003	Copenhagen	Denmark	Valby-Hallen
14 November 2003	Stockholm	Sweden	Globen Arena
15 November 2003	Gothenburg		Scandinavium
17 November 2003	Hanover	Germany	Eilenriedehalle
18 November 2003	Berlin		Treptow Arena
20 November 2003	Leuven	Belgium	Brabenthal
22 November 2003	Paris	France	Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy
24 November 2003	Dortmund	Germany	Westfalenhalle
26 November 2003	Hamburg		Sporthalle
27 November 2003	Leipzig		Arena
28 November 2003	Wrocław	Poland	Centennial Hall
29 November 2003	Paris	France	Le Zénith (rescheduled)
1 December 2003	Dublin	Ireland	The Point
3 December 2003	Newcastle upon Tyne	England	Telewest Arena
4 December 2003	Nottingham		Nottingham Arena
6 December 2003	Sheffield		Hallam FM Arena
8 December 2003	Glasgow	Scotland	SECC
9 December 2003	Manchester	England	MEN Arena
12 December 2003	London		Earls Court
13 December 2003	Rotterdam	Netherlands	Rotterdam Ahoy
15 December 2003	Cardiff	Wales	Cardiff International Arena
16 December 2003	Birmingham	England	NEC Arena
18 December 2003	Metz	France	Galaxie Amnéville
21 December 2003	Helsinki	Finland	Hartwall Areena

List of 2004 concerts

Date	City	Country	Venue
11 January 2004	Buenos Aires	Argentina	José Amalfitani Stadium
13 January 2004	Santiago	Chile	Pista Atlética
16 January 2004	Rio de Janeiro	Brazil	Claro Hall
17 January 2004	São Paulo		Estádio do Pacaembu
20 January 2004	Montreal	Canada	Bell Centre
21 January 2004	Quebec City		Colisée Pepsi
23 January 2004	New York	United States	Hammerstein Ballroom
24 January 2004
26 January 2004
27 January 2004			Hammerstein Ballroom (cancelled)
30 January 2004	Los Angeles		Universal Amphitheatre
31 January 2004
5 February 2004	Sapporo	Japan	Hokkaido Kosei Nenkin Hall
7 February 2004	Osaka		Osaka-jō Hall
8 February 2004	Saitama		Saitama Super Arena

Reference^[8][9]