IRON MAIDEN’s ADRIAN SMITH: ‘I Think We’re Enjoying Playing Live As Much, If Not More Than Ever’

Adrian Smith says Iron Maiden remain close and enjoy performing live as much as, or more than, at any point in their career, more than 50 years after the band was founded. He says audiences are growing younger, and the group’s current tour is bringing older songs to life for several generations of fans.

The “Run For Your Lives” tour draws on the band’s first nine albums, from their 1980 debut to 1992’s *Fear Of The Dark*. Smith says revisiting rarely played material, including “Murders In The Rue Morgue”, has come naturally through muscle memory, while the show’s demanding energy means the band must pace its schedule. Reflecting on his younger self, he says he would advise worrying less, though he believes pushing himself helped sustain his career.