Why IRON MAIDEN Turned To Japan Before Chasing The American Dream, According to ROD SMALLWOOD

Iron Maiden’s first real step onto the global stage came in 1981, the same year the band dropped Killers and hit the road for their first world tour.

That tour included early North American dates opening for Judas Priest and UFO.

A year later, the group expanded their reach with The Beast on the Road tour, which, according to Iron Maiden’s official site, kept them busy in the U.S. and Canada from May through October 1982.

Still, North America wasn’t the first market they wanted to break into.

Before chasing success in the United States, the band set its sights elsewhere: Japan. In 1981, Iron Maiden played for the first time in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya, not by chance or coincidence, but with a plan in mind.

The band’s longtime manager, Rod Smallwood, said the goal wasn’t just to go international—it was to go everywhere. Speaking with Classic Rock (via Guitar.com), he explained the reasoning behind the Japanese strategy:

“Metal is a global thing, and I always wanted Maiden to be a massively successful international band. I wanted us to grow in multiple places at the same time. We loved Japan. It was such a different culture to experience.”

Smallwood wanted Iron Maiden to establish a presence in multiple countries simultaneously, not just wait around for the U.S. market to catch on. Japan, with its dedicated rock fans and strong physical media market, made for a smart early move.

Even Maiden’s official biography points to those early Japan and U.S. gigs as evidence of the band’s growing global appeal:

“The enthusiastic response to the 1981 album Killers confirmed suspicions that Maiden was a band apart, and the tours that followed in Japan, the United States, the U.K., and Europe underlined both their international reach and their relentless drive to connect with fans wherever they were.”

What Maiden’s Up to Now

In May, Iron Maiden launched their latest tour, “Run for Your Lives,” celebrating five decades of music. The setlist focuses entirely on the years between their 1980 debut and 1992’s Fear of the Dark, giving fans a tightly curated blast of their early catalog.

This time, though, they’ve added a new rule: less filming, more watching.

Just before the tour started, Rod Smallwood issued a statement asking fans to ease up on the cellphone use. His message: stop watching through your screens.

According to him, phones are “an unnecessary distraction” and “a problem especially for the band.” The idea is to help the audience experience the show more directly, without filtering it through a 6-inch display.

So far, the tour only includes European dates and marks the live debut of drummer Simon Dawson (British Lion), who stepped in after longtime drummer Nicko McBrain left the lineup at the end of 2024.