For the first time ever, Iron Maiden played live on stage their legendary “Alexander the Great” a tribute to king and great army leader.
he performance took place in Ljubljana, Slovenia on Sunday, May 28, where Iron Maiden launched their “The Future Past” tour 2023.
Alexander The Great#IronMaiden #TheFuturePastTour pic.twitter.com/9GtDhKyJnC
— Iron Maiden (@IronMaiden) May 28, 2023
It took a full 37 years for Iron Maiden to fulfill a timeless wish of their fans everywhere and play, for the first time, live on stage, their legendary track ‘Alexander the Great’.
This was reportedly a big surprise for the launch of their new ‘Future Past Tour’, which took place on Sunday night with a big concert in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
The rock “anthem”, which is a tribute to the Greek legendary kinf od Macedonia, was released in 1986, on the album “Somewher in Time” and its original duration was 8:35 minutes.
At the age of nineteen
He became the Macedon King
And he swore to free all of Asia Minor
By the Aegean Sea
In 334 B.C
He utterly beat the armies of Persia
Alexander the Great
His name struck fear into hearts of men
Alexander the Great
Became a legend amongst mortal men
The lyrics recount the conquests of Alexander the Great, his victory over the Persians, the founding of Alexandria and his death while highlighting his courage, bravery and ambition that led him to create a historical legacy that remains alive today .
The reason why the band had never played this particular piece live remained, for decades, a great mystery. In fact, when they were asked publicly, various excuses were made, such as the one Bruce Dickinson had said some years ago, that Adrian Smith doesn’t remember the guitar solo!
Anyway, time has come and “Alexander the Great” was finally heard live by the famous heavy metal band, causing huge excitement to those who were there and enjoyed it.
It is not known whether Iron Maiden will play the song in the program of all their scheduled concerts.
What is known, though, is that Greeks will not hear it live as Greece is not included in “The Future Past” tour.
