Iron Maiden kicked off their Run For Your Lives last Tuesday, the 27th, in Budapest, Hungary. The most notable aspect was their appeal against the use of cell phones during the show.
The British band's longtime manager, Rod Smallwood , said in a press release on May 20th that the band wants the audience to keep their cell phones in their pockets as much as possible.
He stated that a large number of phones in the air during shows "diminishes the enjoyment," not only for the performing band but also for other spectators: "We really want fans to enjoy the shows firsthand and not on their screens. Excessive cell phone use nowadays diminishes the enjoyment, especially for the band on stage looking at rows of cell phones."
After the first show of the tour, Rod Smallwood thanked the fans for respecting the band's wish not to film with their cell phones: “That was a great encouragement for us and the band really appreciated it. It's much better when they can see you without worries, and that motivates them to keep going without that distraction.”
Even so, not everyone respected the guidelines and some were seen recording parts of the performance, which was not well received by the band's longtime manager: "To the few selfish ones who didn't want to and had to continue recording... I wish you all a very sore arm!"
Iron Maiden fans share their experience of the first show on the 'Run For Your Lives' tour.
Wikimetal spoke exclusively with Brazilian fans who attended Run For Your Lives and shared their experience regarding the reduced use of cell phones during the concert.
For fan Márcio Barbosa , who attends almost every Iron Maiden show, there wasn't much difficulty: “There was an announcement on the screen before the show. I didn't have any trouble recording, I just respected the space of the fans around me. I heard reports at the show of some fans who wouldn't let others record. But everyone managed to film and photograph, but nothing very long.”
Alex Astoc also commented on his experience: “Before the show started, many people were taking photos in groups, of the stage, of the stands… but during the show, at least in the first half, despite the excitement about the new type of stage, the fans in the very first rows were busy holding onto their seats due to the constant pushing and shoving.”
"A few people would quickly take a picture. That changed after the halfway point of the show. With the pushing and shoving decreasing, it was possible to take some photos. But without raising the phone above head level," he concludes.
Other bands ban cell phones at shows.
Currently, many bands have been asking fans to avoid using their cell phones during the show. One of the most recent and widely discussed cases was that of Ghost .
On recent tours, the band has banned the use of cell phones and electronic devices under penalty of expulsion from the venue . During a performance at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles in September 2023, the organizers confiscated electronic devices at the entrance of each show and stored them, prohibiting their use.
On the new tour, Skeletour , fans placed their phones in a "bag," and the organizers unlocked the devices at the end of the performances.
Tobias Forge explained the ban in an interview with Planet Rock : “I really want to emphasize that the ban has nothing to do with copyright control. […] When we adopted this strategy, we had such an engaged audience, that it soon seemed to be joyful in a way that… I had to go back in time to remember the last time I saw a completely involved audience, where everyone was really watching the show.”
The legendary Jethro Tull also banned the use of cell phones during their tour in Brazil. At the show held at Vibra in April 2024, before the performance, a notice was displayed on the screens. The band informed that photos and videos would not be allowed during the show. The justification was that this could distract the band.
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