Scream for me, Budapest.

Tuesday night (5/27), Iron Maiden answered the prayers that many who have been rocking out to them since their start have hoped for: a wildly diverse set of deep cuts and hits predominately culled from their six studio albums of the 1980s.

Kicking off their Run For Your Lives Tour in Hungary, with a revamped visual and pyro display, as well as a new touring drummer, singer Bruce Dickinson called it the best Maiden show he's ever seen.

The set was something the band were so proud of, they did something we've never seen before: a song-by-song tweet and accompanying graphic for each tune of the setlist from the official Maiden Twitter account which were simultaneously posted on the group's website.

That's how you present a damn setlist.

Now were all the social media graphics in the background perfectly representative of the songs they were announcing?

No.

For example track #15 in the set, "Iron Maiden" from the group's self-titled 1980 debut sure looks like it has the graphic in the background from the cover of the 1983 classic Piece of Mind where poor Eddie is chained up in a rubber room.

BUT NOW WE ARE JUST BEING NIT PICKY - MAIDEN IS BACK. UP THE IRONS!

Not only are they back, they are digging deep into their rich catalogue, over four decades in the making and unearthing classics like "Killers" which hadn't been rocked since 1999.

They also unshackled the 13-minute epic "Rime of the Ancient Mariner," a favorite for air drummers, whose dark tale hadn't been told for 16 long years.

Setting the tone, the British icons blasted the show off with the dual guitar attack of "Murders in the Rue Morgue," which has been lurking in exile for 20 years.

The show opens with a recording of "The Ides of March" (a tune they've only played once live, in 1979) which provides the soundtrack for a colorful journey down dark streets and alleys finally leading to the familiar poster of the 1981 album, Killers, which the both "Ides..." and "Murders..." hail from.

Frequently overshadowed by "Wrathchild," which followed it on the set, listen to the crowd singing along, and you can hear why Maiden was correct in including the song in the set and why Budapest was the ideal place to get this party started.

Also kudos to the group for presenting 1/3 of the music (if you include "Ides of March") from the first two Maiden albums into the setlist. Those were sung by original vocalist Paul Di'Anno who passed away last year at 66. Paul was a vital part of the early days of the group who are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year.

This band has so many songs they could have played in place of those earliest tunes, and a less-secure frontman than Bruce could have easily argued to keep bangers like "Murders..." and "Phantom..." stuffed away in moth balls and replaced with bigger hits that didn't make the cut on night one - sing-a-longs like "Die With Your Boots On" or "Flight of Icarus."

Perhaps this was a tip of the cap to their fallen brother. It also makes room for the band to include those tunes later in the tour. Although, if Maiden 2025 is anything like The Future Past Tour, this setlist is set in stone, I mean, metal.

Not many groups have the embarrassment of riches like Maiden does, nor do many have a singer whose voice is as powerful and operatic as ever.

Finally, the new touring drummer, Simon Dawson, seems to be a very nice fit in the band. What a tough role to play by filling in for Nico McBrain, Maiden's drummer of 42 years who stepped down from the road at the end of the last tour.

The metal giants were known for many things: nimble guitar solos, incredible vocals, hot songs, a bassist who basically runs the show, but also a drummer whose fills and unique patterns have few peers. Bravo for the band to have a proper replacement for Nico.

There's one great way to hear Simon for yourself and take in the amazing spectacle of sights and sounds: get tickets to the shows on Iron Maiden's website.

Iron Maiden Run For Your Lives 2025 European Tour

May 31 – Prague, Czech Republic – Letňany Airport
June 1 – Bratislava, Slovakia – TIPOS Arena
June 5 – Trondheim, Norway – Dahls Arena (Trondheim Rocks Festival)
June 7 – Stavanger, Norway – SR-Bank Arena
June 9 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Royal Arena
June 12 – Stockholm, Sweden – 3Arena
June 13 – Stockholm, Sweden – 3Arena
June 16 – Helsinki, Finland – Olympic Stadium
June 19 – Dessel, Belgium – Festivalpark Stenehei (Graspop Metal Meeting)
June 21 – Birmingham, England – Utilita Arena
June 22 – Manchester, England – Co-op Live
June 25 – Dublin, Ireland – Malahide Castle
June 28 – London, England – London Stadium
June 30 – Glasgow, Scotland – OVO Hydro
July 3 – Belfort, France – Presqu'île du Malsaucy (Eurockéennes Festival)
July 5 – Madrid, Spain – Cívitas Metropolitano
July 6 – Lisbon, Portugal – MEO Arena
July 9 – Zurich, Switzerland – Hallenstadion
July 11 – Gelsenkirchen, Germany – Veltins-Arena
July 13 – Padua, Italy – Stadio Euganeo
July 15 – Bremen, Germany – Bürgerweide
July 17 – Vienna, Austria – Ernst-Happel-Stadion
July 19 – Paris, France – Paris La Défense Arena
July 23 – Arnhem, Netherlands – GelreDome
July 25 – Frankfurt, Germany – Deutsche Bank Park
July 26 – Stuttgart, Germany – Cannstatter Wasen
July 29 – Berlin, Germany – Waldbühne
July 30 – Berlin, Germany – Waldbühne
August 2 – Warsaw, Poland – PGE Narodowy