Iron Maiden’s Future Past Tour landed at a sold-out Dickies Arena in Fort Worth on November 16, 2024, delivering a masterclass in heavy metal to 14,000 fervent fans. Celebrating a blend of their classic and contemporary eras, the evening reinforced Maiden’s unassailable place as one of metal’s most enduring and inventive forces.
The Future Past Tour spotlighted material from Senjutsu (2021) and the cult classic Somewhere in Time (1986), a juxtaposition of the band’s futuristic and feudal themes. As the house lights dimmed, the energy was electric. Bruce Dickinson, the charismatic frontman, bounded onto the stage with the vigor that belied his 66 years, launching into “Caught Somewhere in Time.” The futuristic guitar tones of Adrian Smith and Dave Murray set the tone, backed by Steve Harris’s galloping bass and Nicko McBrain’s thunderous drumming. But guitarist Janick Gers, 67, proved the MVP when it came to entertaining stage antics, kicking his legs in the air on resting his white trainers on anything stationary, and slinging his guitar through the air like a mad man.
Iron Maiden’s stagecraft was nothing short of breathtaking. A towering, anime-inspired Eddie loomed over the proceedings, shifting personas throughout the show. One moment, he was a cybernetic gunslinger; the next, a Samurai Taking swings at various band members at different times. The layout of the stage formed a horseshoe around the band with Dickinson sometimes stalking the walkway above. The only downside to this setup was that Nicko McBrain’s drum kit was tucked between the walls at the center making it difficult to see the 72-year-old drummer play from the sides of the stage. Which was a bummer for me, because I wanted to see McBrain shred after spending the last year and a half recovering from a stroke he had in January of 2023. He was temporarily paralyzed on his right side from the shoulder down and required months of physical therapy, but Saturday night he powered through the set like a “Trooper”!
Speaking of which, for the encore, Maiden delivered a fiery trio: “Hell on Earth,” “The Trooper,” and “Wasted Years,” The crowd, many sporting Eddie-themed shirts and waving banners, roared along until the final chord rang out.
Iron Maiden’s Fort Worth stop was more than a concert—it was a spectacle, a history lesson, and a rallying cry for heavy metal’s timeless spirit. Whether celebrating the past or championing the future, Iron Maiden proved they remain an unstoppable force, uniting generations of fans in their shared love for the genre’s most iconic band.
