Footage from Iron Maiden’s Australian performance is gaining traction online after the concert was labeled a ‘snooze fest.’
On Sunday, September 1, Perth’s RAC Arena hosted thousands of metal fans who gathered to see the British band perform as part of their The Future Past Tour. However, the video reveals that the audience seemed disengaged during the band’s performance of their 2021 track “Hell on Earth.”
In heavy metal shows, it’s common to see fans moshing, crowd-surfing, and forming circle pits. However, the TikTok video from Iron Maiden’s Australian performance shows concertgoers barely moving to the rhythm of the song, even as pyrotechnics lit up the stage.
The text overlay on the clip read, ‘IRON MAIDEN in Australia wtf,’ and fans quickly took to the comments to express their surprise at the subdued atmosphere.
One commenter quipped, ‘And the crowd goes mild.’
“The energy from that crowd would be enough to power a 7W light,” remarked one viewer.
“Is that audience even alive?” questioned another.
“Everyone just standing there like meerkats. It’s Iron Maiden! Come on, people, rock out! Not even an arm in the air?” added a third commenter.
Some fans weren’t surprised, noting that previous concerts had a similar lackluster vibe.
“Saw them at Soundwave festival. It was a snooze fest,” one fan commented.
Some fans defended the subdued crowd, suggesting it was to be expected given the band’s long history—Iron Maiden has been around since 1975—and the fact that many of their fans are older.
“It’s Iron Maiden; most of the fans are 70 years old,” one user commented.
“That’s what happens when they don’t play their most popular songs,” another added.
Iron Maiden continued their Australian tour on September 6, performing at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, and had two consecutive shows at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena on September 6 and 7. They are scheduled to perform at Brisbane Entertainment Centre on September 10 and will then head to Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena for two gigs on September 12 and 13.
Earlier this year, Iron Maiden’s lead singer, Bruce Dickinson, revealed he had undergone surgery to have two titanium hips implanted, attributing the need for the surgery to his extensive years of performing on stage.
The 65-year-old metal frontman joked that he had the surgeries to keep up with his fellow rock icon Mick Jagger, who is 80, according to the Mirror.
However, he confessed that the real reason was his struggles after his recent American tour, *An Evening With Bruce Dickinson*. He revealed to the publication, “I’ve cut down a little bit because both my hips have been replaced. After all that jumping around on stage, they were f****d. I had to have it done because on the last tour in America, it was getting to the point where I couldn’t walk after a show.”
Bruce Dickinson revealed that his hip issues became so severe he struggled to climb a flight of stairs. He had his first hip replacement in 2021 and his second in 2023.
This isn’t his only significant health challenge; nearly a decade ago, he battled cancer. The band’s website noted that Dickinson was treated for a tumor on his tongue, which was discovered during a routine check-up just before Christmas 2014. He underwent a seven-week course of chemotherapy and radiotherapy to address the cancer.