Iron Maiden will open their UK ‘Legacy Of The Beast Tour’ shows by performing with Spitfire replica on stage.
The heavy metal veterans will open their set with ‘Aces High’ and Bruce Dickinson, who is a pilot, and his bandmates kick off their arena run at Newcastle’s Metro Radio Arena next Tuesday (31.07.18), and have many treats in store for fans, including the plane which is a 90 per cent-sized model of an actual Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vb registration number AA 853 from 302 Squadron that saw active duty in 1941.
Bruce said: "We would have made it actual size but we had to cut it down by 10 per cent to fit on some of the festival stages, otherwise it’s an exact replica of arguably the greatest plane design ever, in fact one of the best designed machines ever! "
The Spitfire plane is just one of many fan experiences the band has provided their fans.
In May, it was revealed that the band’s own brew of Trooper Beer sold over 20 million pints in five years.
Bruce launched the boozy beverage with Robinsons Brewery in 2013, and the marked the drink’s fifth birthday by revealing its success.
Thanking fans for their support, he said: "I’m incredibly proud of the success that TROOPER has had, and long may it continue. To sell over 20 million pints in 5 years is something that we couldn’t have imagined when we started out with just the simple plan to make a great session ale that didn’t compromise on flavour, and the quality of the end product speaks for itself. It has been great fun to work with ROBINSONS on TROOPER and the various Limited Editions that we have created, each of which have been unique in their own way, and it’s exciting to see the reaction that our latest beer, LIGHT BRIGADE, has had too. I’m delighted that our fans and beer lovers worldwide have enjoyed them so much, and who knows what we will come up with next… Cheers!"
The beverage will be available at all Iron Maiden’s 2018 UK Tour dates, which are as follows:
July 31 Newcastle Metro Radio Arena
Aug 2 Belfast SSE Arena
Aug 4 Aberdeen Exhibition & Conference Centre
Aug 6 Manchester Arena
Aug 7 Birmingham Genting Arena
Aug 10 London 02 Arena
Aug 11 London 02 Arena