Killer World Tour

1981 concert tour by Iron Maiden

Killer World TourTour by Iron Maiden

Location|

* Europe
* Japan
* North America

Associated album| Killers
Start date| 17 February 1981
End date| 23 December 1981
No. of shows| 131 in total (140 scheduled)
Iron Maiden concert chronology

*   * Iron Maiden Tour
(1980)
*   * Killer World Tour
(1981)
*   * The Beast on the Road
(1982)

The Killer World Tour was a concert tour by the heavy metal band Iron Maiden from 17 February 1981 to 15 November 1981. This was the band's first world tour, including their debut shows in North America (where they supported Judas Priest on their World Wide Blitz Tour, and UFO on select dates)[1] and Japan where they recorded the live release, Maiden Japan.[2] On top of this, the band moved into larger venues in the United Kingdom, including the Hammersmith Odeon, in London.[3]

This would be Iron Maiden's last tour with singer Paul Di'Anno, who was dismissed due to his unreliability.[4] He was replaced by Samson vocalist Bruce Dickinson, with whom the band undertook a short series of concerts in Italy and the UK from 26 October to 23 December, before they set about writing and recording their next album, The Number of the Beast.[5][6]

## Setlist

[edit]

1. (Intro) "The Ides of March" (from Killers, 1981)
2. "Wrathchild" (from Killers, 1981)
3. "Purgatory" (from Killers, 1981)
4. "Sanctuary" (from Iron Maiden, 1980)
5. "Remember Tomorrow" (from Iron Maiden, 1980)
6. "Another Life" (from Killers, 1981)
7. "Genghis Khan" (from Killers, 1981)
8. "Killers" (from Killers, 1981)
9. "Innocent Exile" (from Killers, 1981)
10. "Murders in the Rue Morgue" (from Killers, 1981)
11. "Twilight Zone" (from Killers, 1981)
12. "Phantom of the Opera" (from Iron Maiden, 1980)
13. "Iron Maiden" (from Iron Maiden, 1980)
14. "Running Free" (from Iron Maiden, 1980)
15. "Transylvania" (from Iron Maiden, 1980)
16. Guitar solo
17. "Drifter" (from Killers, 1981)
18. "Prowler" (from Iron Maiden, 1980)

Notes:

* "Strange World" (from Iron Maiden, 1980) was performed on 23 May 1981 and 24 May 1981.
* "I've Got the Fire" (Montrose cover) was performed on 24 May, 26 October, 27 October, and 15 November 1981.
* "22 Acacia Avenue" and "Children of the Damned" were played at the 15 November Rainbow show as a preview for The Number of the Beast album. The intro solo on "Children of the Damned" is different from the final studio version.
* "The Prisoner" and "Run to the Hills" were played at the "secret" show at the Ruskin Arms on 23 December. "The Prisoner" had slightly different lyrics in the second verse and final chorus.

## Tour dates

[edit]

List of 1981 concerts  Date  | City  | Country  | Venue

|
|
|

17 February 1981 | Ipswich | England | Gaumont Theatre
18 February 1981 | Norwich | University of East Anglia
19 February 1981 | Oxford | New Theatre Oxford
20 February 1981 | Lancaster | Lancaster University
21 February 1981 | Derby | Assembly Rooms
22 February 1981 | Manchester | Manchester Apollo
23 February 1981 | Hanley | Victoria Hall
24 February 1981 | Dunstable | Queensway Hall
26 February 1981 | Guildford | Guildford Civic Hall
27 February 1981 | Bristol | Colston Hall
28 February 1981 | Taunton | Taunton Odeon
1 March 1981 | Bournemouth | Winter Gardens
2 March 1981 | Southampton | Gaumont Theatre
4 March 1981 | Bradford | St George's Hall
5 March 1981 | Liverpool | Royal Court Theatre
6 March 1981 | Middlesbrough | Middlesbrough Town Hall
7 March 1981 | Newcastle upon Tyne | Newcastle City Hall
8 March 1981 | Glasgow | Scotland | The Apollo
9 March 1981 | Edinburgh | Odeon Theatre
10 March 1981 | Sheffield | England | Sheffield City Hall
12 March 1981 | Birmingham | Birmingham Odeon
13 March 1981 | Cambridge | Corn Exchange
14 March 1981 | Bracknell | Bracknell Sports Centre
15 March 1981 | London | Hammersmith Odeon
18 March 1981 | Lille | France | Palais St. Sauveur
19 March 1981  | Hagondage | Salle de Fetes
20 March 1981 | Reims | Maison des Sports
21 March 1981 | Paris | Bataclan
22 March 1981
23 March 1981 | Lyon | Palais d'Hiver
24 March 1981 | Miramas | Salle des Fêtes
25 March 1981 | Toulon | Patinoire Vert Côteau
26 March 1981 | Nice | Théâtre de Verdure de Nice
27 March 1981 | Montpellier | Palais des Sports de Montpellier
30 March 1981 | Milan | Italy | Rolling Stone
31 March 1981 | Reggio Emilia | Palasport di Reggio Emilia
1 April 1981 | Brescia | Palasport di Brescia
2 April 1981 | Gorizia | Palasport di Gorizia
3 April 1981 | Turin | PalaRuffini
5 April 1981 | Zürich | Switzerland | Volkshaus
6 April 1981  | Erlangen | West Germany | Stadhalle Erlagen
7 April 1981  | Düsseldorf | Phillipshalle
8 April 1981  | Cologne | Sporthalle
~~9 April 1981~~ | ~~Kassel~~ | ~~Stadthalle Kassel~~
~~10 April 1981~~ | ~~West Berlin~~ | ~~Neue Welt~~
11 April 1981  | Bremen | Stadthalle Bremen
12 April 1981  | Wertheim | Main-Tauber-Halle
13 April 1981  | Munich | Schwabinger Brau
14 April 1981  | Karlsruhe | Gartenhalle
15 April 1981  | Stuttgart | Ausstellungshalle
~~16 April 1981~~ | ~~Mannheim~~ | ~~Rosengarten~~
17 April 1981 | Strasbourg | France | Tivoli Hall
18 April 1981 | Mulhouse | Palais des Fêtes
19 April 1981 | Douvaine | Salle de la Bulle
21 April 1981 | Toulouse | Colomiers Hall
22 April 1981 | Bordeaux | Salle du Grand Parc
23 April 1981 | Orléans | Rothonde
24 April 1981 | Genk | Belgium | Limburghal
25 April 1981 | Antwerp | Cine Roma
26 April 1981 | Leiden | Netherlands | Stadsgehoorzaal
~~27 April 1981~~ | ~~Winschoten~~ | ~~De Klinker [nl]~~
28 April 1981 | Nijmegen | Concertgebouw de Vereeniging
29 April 1981 | Offenbach | West Germany | Stadthalle Offenbach
~~30 April 1981~~ | ~~Hanover~~ | ~~Kurhaus Friednstal~~
~~1 May 1981~~ | ~~Hamburg~~ | ~~Markthalle~~
~~2 May 1981~~ | ~~Dortmund~~ | ~~Westfallenhalle~~
~~3 May 1981~~ | ~~West Berlin~~ | ~~Neue Welt~~
~~5 May 1981~~ | ~~Oslo~~ | ~~Norway~~ | ~~Unknown~~
~~7 May 1981~~ | ~~Lund~~ | ~~Sweden~~ | ~~Olympen~~
~~8 May 1981~~ | ~~Stockholm~~ | ~~Göta Lejon~~
~~10 May 1981~~ | ~~Copenhagen~~ | ~~Denmark~~ | ~~Odd Fellow~~
21 May 1981 | Tokyo | Japan | Kōsei Nenkin Kaikan
22 May 1981 | Osaka | Festival Hall
23 May 1981[A] | Nagoya | Aichi Kōsei Nenkin Kaikan
24 May 1981[B] | Tokyo | Nakano Sun Plaza
3 June 1981[B] | Paradise | United States | Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts
4 June 1981[B] | Phoenix | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
5 June 1981[B] | El Paso | El Paso County Coliseum
6 June 1981[B] | Odessa | Ector County Coliseum
7 June 1981[B] | Lubbock | Lubbock Municipal Coliseum
8 June 1981[B] | McAllen | Villa Real
9 June 1981[B] | Laredo | Laredo Civic Center
10 June 1981[B] | San Antonio | Convention Center Arena
11 June 1981[B] | University Park | Moody Coliseum
13 June 1981[B] | Houston | Sam Houston Coliseum
14 June 1981 | Detroit | Harpos Concert Theatre
19 June 1981 | Toronto | Canada | The Concert Hall
21 June 1981 | Montreal | Le Club
22 June 1981[C] | Milwaukee | United States | Henry Maier Festival Park
26 June 1981 | Lynwood | Point East
27 June 1981[B] | Cleveland | Agora Theater
28 June 1981[B] | Landover | Capital Centre
1 July 1981[B] | Asbury Park | Asbury Park Convention Hall
2 July 1981[B] | Salisbury | Wicomico Youth and Civic Center
3 July 1981[B] | Norfolk | Scope Arena
4 July 1981[B] | Pittsburgh | Stanley Theatre
7 July 1981[B] | Myrtle Beach | Myrtle Beach Convention Center
9 July 1981[B] | Atlanta | Fox Theatre
10 July 1981[B] | Johnson City | Freedom Hall
11 July 1981[B] | Memphis | Mid-South Coliseum
12 July 1981[B] | Trotwood | Hara Arena
15 July 1981[B] | Johnstown | Cambria County War Memorial Arena
16 July 1981[B] | Buffalo | Shea's Buffalo
17 July 1981[B] | Rochester | Auditorium Theatre
18 July 1981[B] | Syracuse | Landmark Theatre
19 July 1981[B] | Albany | Palace Theatre
21 July 1981[B] | New York City | Palladium
22 July 1981[B]
23 July 1981[B]
24 July 1981[B]
25 July 1981[B] | New Haven | New Haven Coliseum
26 July 1981[B] | Allentown | Allentown Fairgrounds
28 July 1981[B] | Boston | Orpheum Theatre
29 July 1981[B] | Baltimore | Baltimore Civic Center
30 July 1981[B] | Upper Darby Township | Tower Theater
1 August 1981[D] | San Bernardino | Swing Auditorium
4 August 1981[D] | Long Beach | Long Beach Arena
15 August 1981[E] | Stuttgart | West Germany | Cannstatter Wasen
16 August 1981[E] | Nuremberg | Zeppelinfeld
~~22 August 1981~~ | ~~Baarlo~~ | ~~Netherlands~~ | ~~Sportpark De Berckt [nl]~~
23 August 1981[E] | Darmstadt | West Germany | Stadion am Böllenfalltor
26 August 1981 | Fréjus | France | Arènes de Fréjus
27 August 1981 | Cap d'Agde | Cap d'Agde Arena
29 August 1981 | Bayonne | Arènes de Bayonne [fr]
31 August 1981 | Annecy | Parc des Sports
1 September 1981 | Orange | Roman Theatre of Orange
6 September 1981 | Belgrade | Yugoslavia | Belgrade Hippodrome
8 September 1981 | Stockholm | Sweden | Göta Lejon
9 September 1981 | Lund | Olympen
10 September 1981 | Copenhagen | Denmark | Odd Fellows Mansion
26 October 1981 | Bologna | Italy | Palazzo dello Sport
27 October 1981 | Rome | Teatro Tendastrisce [it]
28 October 1981 | Florence | Teatro Tenda
29 October 1981 | Padua | Palasport San Lazzaro
30 October 1981 | Milan | PalaLido
15 November 1981 | London | England | Rainbow Theatre
23 December 1981[F] | The Ruskin Arms

Reference[7]

Festivals and other miscellaneous performances
A Five songs from this show, namely "Running Free", "Remember Tomorrow", "Killers", "Innocent Exile" and "Wrathchild" were recorded and released in the Maiden Japan EP
B This show was in support of Judas Priest
C This concert was a part of Summerfest
D This show was in support of UFO
E This concert was a part of The 4th Golden Summernight Concert (Sunrise Festival)
F This concert was a secret show under the name "Genghis Khan"[8]

Cancelled and rescheduled dates

The tour was subject to a number of cancellations due to problems with Paul Di'Anno's voice, causing four German dates to be cancelled and several Scandinavian dates to be rescheduled.[9] According to band manager Rod Smallwood, the reason for the vocal issues were brought about by adopting a "rock star" lifestyle, which Di'Anno states was because he "couldn't see [his] way to the end of" the band's heavy schedule and that he believed that this was "what you were supposed to do in a big, successful rock band."[10] On the other hand, Steve Harris, the band's bassist, has since said that he did not "know whether he was seeking attention or what", arguing that having to cancel shows because of personal problems was intolerable[4] and ultimately cemented Di'Anno's dismissal.[11] The full list of cancelled dates are as follows:

* 27 April 1981: Winschoten, Netherlands, De Klinker [nl] (Poor ticket sales)
* 30 April 1981: Offenbach am Main, West Germany, Stadthalle Offenbach
* 1 May 1981: Hamburg, West Germany
* 2 May 1981: Dortmund, West Germany
* 3 May 1981: West Berlin, Neue Welt
* 7 May 1981: Lund, Sweden, Olympen (Rescheduled to 9 September)
* 8 May 1981: Stockholm, Sweden, Göta Lejon (Rescheduled to 8 September)
* 9 May 1981: Oslo, Norway
* 10 May 1981: Copenhagen, Denmark, Odd Fellows Mansion (Rescheduled to 10 September)
* 22 August 1981: Baarlo, Netherlands, Sportpark De Berckt [nl][12]

## References

[edit]

### Citations

[edit]

1. ^ Wall 2004, p. 250.
2. ^ Bushell & Halfin 1985, p. 91.
3. ^ Wall 2004, p. 189.
4. ^ a b Wall 2004, p. 193.
5. ^ Wall 2004, p. 219.
6. ^ Bushell & Halfin 1985, p. 96.
7. ^ Bushell & Halfin 1985, p. 97.
8. ^ "Iron Maiden – Genghis At The Ruskin". Discogs. Beaverton, Oregon: Zink Media. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
9. ^ Bushell & Halfin 1985, p. 90.
10. ^ Wall 2004, p. 194.
11. ^ Wall 2004, p. 192.
12. ^ "Sport Park – Baarlo". Maiden France. Retrieved 25 March 2025.

### Sources

[edit]

* Bushell, Garry; Halfin, Ross (1985). Running Free, The Official Story of Iron Maiden (2nd ed.). Zomba Books. ISBN 0-946391-84-X.
* Wall, Mick (2004). Iron Maiden: Run to the Hills, the Authorised Biography (3rd ed.). Sanctuary Publishing. ISBN 1-86074-542-3.

## External links

[edit]

* Killer World Tour dates

* v
* t
* e

Iron Maiden

* Steve Harris
* Dave Murray
* Adrian Smith
* Bruce Dickinson
* Nicko McBrain
* Janick Gers

* Paul Mario Day
* Thunderstick
* Tony Moore
* Doug Sampson
* Paul Di'Anno
* Dennis Stratton
* Clive Burr
* Blaze Bayley

Studio albums|

* Iron Maiden
* Killers
* The Number of the Beast
* Piece of Mind
* Powerslave
* Somewhere in Time
* Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
* No Prayer for the Dying
* Fear of the Dark
* The X Factor
* Virtual XI
* Brave New World
* Dance of Death
* A Matter of Life and Death
* The Final Frontier
* The Book of Souls
* Senjutsu

Live albums|

* Live After Death
* A Real Live One
* A Real Dead One
* Live at Donington
* Maiden England
* A Real Live Dead One
* Rock in Rio
* BBC Archives
* Beast over Hammersmith
* Death on the Road
* Flight 666
* En Vivo!
* The Book of Souls: Live Chapter
* Nights of the Dead: Live in Mexico City

Compilations|

* Best of the Beast
* A Real Live Dead One
* Ed Hunter
* Best of the 'B' Sides
* Edward the Great
* The Essential Iron Maiden
* Somewhere Back in Time
* From Fear to Eternity

Box sets|

* The First Ten Years
* Eddie's Head
* Eddie's Archive

Extended plays|

* The Soundhouse Tapes
* Live!! +one
* Maiden Japan
* No More Lies

Singles|

* "Running Free"
* "Sanctuary"
* "Women in Uniform"
* "Twilight Zone"
* "Purgatory"
* "Run to the Hills"
* "The Number of the Beast"
* "Flight of Icarus"
* "The Trooper"
* "2 Minutes to Midnight"
* "Aces High"
* "Wasted Years"
* "Stranger in a Strange Land"
* "Can I Play with Madness"
* "The Evil That Men Do"
* "The Clairvoyant"
* "Infinite Dreams"
* "Holy Smoke"
* "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter"
* "Be Quick or Be Dead"
* "From Here to Eternity"
* "Wasting Love"
* "Fear of the Dark"
* "Hallowed Be Thy Name"
* "Man on the Edge"
* "Lord of the Flies"
* "Virus"
* "The Angel and the Gambler"
* "Futureal"
* "The Wicker Man"
* "Out of the Silent Planet"
* "Wildest Dreams"
* "Rainmaker"
* "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg"
* "Different World"
* "El Dorado"
* "Satellite 15... The Final Frontier"
* "Speed of Light"
* "Empire of the Clouds"
* "The Writing on the Wall"

Video albums|

* Live at the Rainbow
* Video Pieces
* Behind the Iron Curtain
* Live After Death
* 12 Wasted Years
* Maiden England
* The First Ten Years (From There to Eternity)
* Donington Live 1992
* Raising Hell
* Classic Albums: Iron Maiden – The Number of the Beast
* Rock in Rio
* Visions of the Beast
* The History of Iron Maiden – Part 1: The Early Days
* Death on the Road
* Flight 666
* En Vivo!
* The Book of Souls: Live Chapter

Tours|

* Metal for Muthas Tour
* Iron Maiden Tour
* Killer World Tour
* World Slavery Tour
* Somewhere on Tour
* Seventh Tour of a Seventh Tour
* Fear of the Dark Tour
* Real Live Tour
* Virtual XI World Tour
* Brave New World Tour
* Dance of Death World Tour
* Eddie Rips Up the World Tour
* A Matter of Life and Death Tour
* Somewhere Back in Time World Tour
* The Final Frontier World Tour
* Maiden England World Tour
* The Book of Souls World Tour
* Legacy of the Beast World Tour
* The Future Past World Tour
* Run for Your Lives World Tour

Related articles|

* Discography
* Songs
* Awards and nominations
* Band members
* Eddie
* Metal for Muthas
* Tribute albums
* Urchin
* Gogmagog
* Psycho Motel
* Samson
* The Entire Population of Hackney
* The Iron Maidens
* Maiden uniteD
* Derek Riggs
* Rod Smallwood

* Category

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