Footage of heavy metal band Iron Maiden performing in Australia is going viral after the concert was branded a “boring festival”.
Thousands of metalheads descended on Perth’s RAC Arena on Sunday 1st September to see the British band rock out on stage as part of their The Future Past Tour.
But the video shows the band’s fan base barely making it into the loud set as they performed their 2021 song Hell on Earth.
The heavy metal music genre often sees crowds moshing, crowdsurfing, and forming circles at shows.
In the video, posted on TikTok, concert-goers barely bobbed their heads to the song as pyrotechnics lit up the stage.
“IRON MAIDEN in Australia, what the fuck?” the text above the clip read.
Fans flooded the comments, with many noting their shock at the lackluster crowd atmosphere.
“And the crowd grows peaceful,” someone wrote.
Footage of heavy metal band Iron Maiden playing in Australia is going viral after the gig was branded a “boring festival.” Thousands of metalheads descended on Perth’s RAC Arena, but could barely hear the loud set
“The energy from that crowd would be enough to power a 7W light,” said another.
“Is that audience alive?” wrote a third.
“Everyone is standing there like meerkats. It’s Iron Maiden! Come on people, dance without even lifting an arm!” added one user.
Some fans were not surprised and noted that previous concerts had had the same vibe.
“I saw them at Soundwave festival. It was a boring festival,” one fan commented.
In the video, posted on TikTok, concert-goers barely bobbed their heads to the beat of the song as pyrotechnics lit up the stage. Pictured: Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson
Meanwhile, others thought the lack of enthusiasm was justified since the band has been active for decades, since 1975, and suggested their fans were older, too.
“It’s Iron Maiden, most of the fans are 70 years old,” said one user.
“That’s what happens when they don’t play their most popular songs,” wrote another.
Iron Maiden continued their Australian tour on September 6, performing at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre before two back-to-back shows at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena on September 6 and 7.
The band will perform at Brisbane Entertainment Centre on September 10 and then head to Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena for two shows on September 12 and 13.
Earlier this year, Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson revealed he had two titanium metal hips surgically implanted and admitted that years spent rocking out on stage were to blame.
Fans flooded the comments, with many noting their surprise at the lackluster crowd atmosphere.
The 65-year-old metal frontman joked that he had the operations done so he could keep up with fellow rock ‘n’ roll star Mick Jagger, 80, according to The mirror.
But he admitted the real reason was that after his recent US tour, An Evening With Bruce Dickinson, he could barely walk.
Bruce told the publication: ‘I’ve slimmed down a bit because I’ve had both hips replaced.
‘After all that stage jumping, they were screwed.
“I had to do it because on the last tour in the United States I got to a point where I couldn’t walk after a show.”
Meanwhile, others thought the lack of enthusiasm was justified, as the band has been around for decades (since 1975) and suggested their fans were older too. Pictured (l-r): Dave Murray, Steve Harris, Bruce Dickinson, Nicko McBrain and Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden in 1983
The singer revealed that the situation got so bad that he even had trouble climbing a flight of stairs.
Bruce had his first hip replacement in 2021 and his second in 2023.
And this is not his first encounter with serious health consequences, as he battles… cancer almost a decade ago.
The musician was undergoing treatment for a tumor on his tongue, the band’s website reported at the time.
The cancer was diagnosed during a routine check-up just before Christmas 2014.
He completed a seven-week course of chemotherapy and radiology.
Iron Maiden continue their Australian tour in September. Pictured: Iron Maiden’s Dave Murray and Janick Gers perform on stage during The Book of Souls World Tour in Shanghai, 2016