title: Hayao Miyazaki

text: In May 1995, took a group of artists and animators to the ancient forests of and the mountains of , taking photographs and making sketches. The landscapes in the film were inspired by . In "Princess" , revisited the ecological and political themes of "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind". supervised the 144,000 cels in the film, about 80,000 of which were key animation. "Princess" was produced with an estimated budget of ¥2.35 billion (approximately ), making it the most expensive film by Studio Ghibli at the time. Approximately fifteen minutes of the film uses computer animation: about five minutes uses techniques such as 3D rendering, digital composition, and texture mapping; the remaining ten minutes uses ink and paint. While the original intention was to digitally paint 5,000 of the film's frames, time constraints doubled this.


title: Hayao Miyazaki

text: Upon its premiere on July 12, 1997, "Princess" was critically acclaimed, becoming the first animated film to win the Japan Academy Prize for Picture of the Year. The film was also commercially successful, earning a domestic total of ¥14 billion (), and becoming the highest-grossing film in Japan for several months. Miramax Films purchased the film's distributions rights for North America; it was the first Studio Ghibli production to receive a substantial theatrical distribution in the United States. While it was largely unsuccessful at the box office, grossing about , it was seen as the introduction of Studio Ghibli to global markets. claimed that "Princess" would be his final film.


title: Hayao Miyazaki

text: In September 2001, Studio Ghibli announced the production of "Howl's Moving Castle", based on the novel by Diana Wynne Jones. of Animation was originally selected to direct the film, but disagreements between Hosoda and Studio Ghibli executives led to the project's abandonment. After six months, Studio Ghibli resurrected the project. was inspired to direct the film upon reading Jones' novel, and was struck by the image of a castle moving around the countryside; the novel does not explain how the castle moved, which led to 's designs. He travelled to Colmar and Riquewihr in Alsace, France, to study the architecture and the surroundings for the film's setting. Additional inspiration came from the concepts of future technology in Albert Robida's work, as well as the "illusion art" of 19th century Europe. The film was produced digitally, but the characters and backgrounds were drawn by hand prior to being digitized. It was released on November 20, 2004, and received widespread critical acclaim. The film received the Osella Award for Technical Excellence at the 61st Venice International Film Festival, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. In Japan, the film grossed a record $14.5 million in its first week of release. It remains among the highest-grossing films in Japan, with a worldwide gross of over ¥19.3 billion. received the honorary Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement award at the 62nd Venice International Film Festival in 2005.


title: Hayao Miyazaki

text: In March 2005, Studio Ghibli split from . In the 1980s, contacted Ursula K. Le Guin expressing interest in producing an adaptation of her "Earthsea" novels; unaware of 's work, Le Guin declined. Upon watching "My Neighbor Totoro" several years later, Le Guin expressed approval to the concept of the adaptation. She met with in August 2005, who wanted 's son to direct the film, as had wished to retire. Disappointed that was not directing, but under the impression that he would supervise his son's work, Le Guin approved of the film's production. later publicly opposed and criticized 's appointment as director. Upon 's viewing of the film, he wrote a message for his son: "It was made honestly, so it was good".


title: Hayao Miyazaki

text: In early 2009, began writing a manga called , telling the story of Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter designer . The manga was first published in two issues of the Model Graphix magazine, published on February 25 and March 25, 2009. later co-wrote the screenplay for "Arrietty" (2010) and "From Up on Poppy Hill" (2011), directed by and respectively. wanted his next film to be a sequel to "Ponyo", but convinced him to instead adapt to film. In November 2012, Studio Ghibli announced the production of "The Wind Rises", based on , to be released alongside 's "The Tale of the Princess Kaguya".


title: Hayao Miyazaki

text: In September 2013, announced that he was retiring from the production of feature films due to his age, but wished to continue working on the displays at the Studio Ghibli Museum. was awarded the Academy Honorary Award at the Governors Awards in November 2014. He developed "Boro the Caterpillar", a computer-animated short film which was first discussed during pre-production for "Princess" . It was screened exclusively at the Studio Ghibli Museum in July 2017. He is also working on an untitled samurai manga. In August 2016, proposed a new feature-length film, "Kimi-tachi wa Dō Ikiru ka" (tentatively titled "How Do You Live?" in English), on which he began animation work without receiving official approval. In December 2020, Suzuki stated that the film's animation was "half finished" and added that he does not expect the film to release for another three years. In December 2022, Studio Ghibli announced the film would open in Japanese theaters on July 14, 2023.


title: Hayao Miyazaki

text: In January 2019, it was reported that Vincent Maraval, a frequent collaborator of , tweeted a hint that may have plans for another film in the works. In February 2019, a four-part documentary was broadcast on the NHK network titled "10 Years with" , documenting production of his films in his private studio. In 2019, approved a musical adaptation of "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind", as it was performed by a kabuki troupe.


title: Hayao Miyazaki

text: Miyazaki has often criticized the current state of the anime industry, stating that animators are unrealistic when creating people. He has stated that modern anime is "produced by humans who can't stand looking at other humans… that's why the industry is full of "otaku"!". He has also frequently criticized "otaku", including "gun "otaku"" and "Zero fanatics", declaring it a "fetish", and refusing to identify himself as such.


title: Hayao Miyazaki

text: In 2013, several Studio Ghibli staff members, including Miyazaki, criticized Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's policies, and the proposed Constitutional amendment that would allow Abe to revise the clause which outlaws war as a means to settle international disputes. Miyazaki felt that Abe wished to "leave his name in history as a great man who revised the Constitution and its interpretation", describing it as "despicable". Miyazaki has expressed his disapproval of Abe's denial of Japan's military aggression, stating that Japan "should clearly say that [they] inflicted enormous damage on China and express deep remorse over it". He also felt that the country's government should give a "proper apology" to Korean comfort women who serviced the Japanese army during World War II, suggesting that the Senkaku Islands should be "split in half" or controlled by both Japan and China. After the release of "The Wind Rises" in 2013, some online critics labeled Miyazaki a "traitor" and "anti-Japanese", describing the film as overly "left-wing".


title: Hayao Miyazaki

text: Miyazaki refused to attend the 75th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles in 2003, in protest of the United States' involvement in the Iraq War, later stating that he "didn't want to visit a country that was bombing Iraq". He did not publicly express this opinion at the request of his producer until 2009, when he lifted his boycott and attended San Diego Comic Con International as a favor to his friend John Lasseter. Miyazaki also expressed his opinion about the terrorist attack at the offices of the French satirical magazine "Charlie Hebdo", criticizing the magazine's decision to publish the content cited as the catalyst for the incident. In November 2016, Miyazaki stated that he believed "many of the people who voted for Brexit and Trump" were affected by the increase in unemployment due to companies "building cars in Mexico because of low wages and [selling] them in the US". He did not think that Donald Trump would be elected president, calling it "a terrible thing", and said that Trump's political opponent Hillary Clinton was "terrible as well".


title: Hayao Miyazaki

text: Miyazaki's works are characterized by the recurrence of themes such as environmentalism, pacifism, feminism, love and family. His narratives are also notable for not pitting a hero against an unsympathetic antagonist.


title: Hayao Miyazaki

text: Miyazaki's films often emphasize environmentalism and the Earth's fragility. Margaret Talbot stated that Miyazaki dislikes modern technology, and believes much of modern culture is "thin and shallow and fake"; he anticipates a time with "no more high-rises". Miyazaki felt frustrated growing up in the Shōwa period from 1955 to 1965 because "nature — the mountains and rivers — was being destroyed in the name of economic progress". Peter Schellhase of "The Imaginative Conservative" identified that several antagonists of Miyazaki's films "attempt to dominate nature in pursuit of political domination, and are ultimately destructive to both nature and human civilization". Miyazaki is critical of exploitation under both communism and capitalism, as well as globalization and its effects on modern life. He believes that "a company is common property of the people that work there". Ram Prakash Dwivedi identified values of Mahatma Gandhi in the films of Miyazaki.


title: Hayao Miyazaki

text: Several of Miyazaki's films feature anti-war themes. Daisuke Akimoto of "Animation Studies" categorized "Porco Rosso" as "anti-war propaganda"; he felt that the main character, Porco, transforms into a pig partly due to his extreme distaste of militarism. Akimoto also argues that "The Wind Rises" reflects Miyazaki's "antiwar pacifism", despite the latter stating that the film does not attempt to "denounce" war. Schellhase also identifies "Princess Mononoke" as a pacifist film due to the protagonist, Ashitaka; instead of joining the campaign of revenge against humankind, as his ethnic history would lead him to do, Ashitaka strives for peace. David Loy and Linda Goodhew argue that both "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" and "Princess Mononoke" do not depict traditional evil, but the Buddhist roots of evil: greed, ill will, and delusion; according to Buddhism, the roots of evil must transform into "generosity, loving-kindness and wisdom" in order to overcome suffering, and both Nausicaä and Ashitaka accomplish this. When characters in Miyazaki's films are forced to engage in violence, it is shown as being a difficult task; in "Howl's Moving Castle", Howl is forced to fight an inescapable battle in defense of those he loves, and it almost destroys him, though he is ultimately saved by Sophie's love and bravery.


title: Hayao Miyazaki

text: Suzuki described Miyazaki as a feminist in reference to his attitude to female workers. Miyazaki has described his female characters as "brave, self-sufficient girls that don't think twice about fighting for what they believe in with all their heart", stating that they may "need a friend, or a supporter, but never a saviour" and that "any woman is just as capable of being a hero as any man". "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" was lauded for its positive portrayal of women, particularly the protagonist Nausicaä. Schellhase noted that the female characters in Miyazaki's films are not objectified or sexualized, and possess complex and individual characteristics absent from Hollywood productions. Schellhase also identified a "coming of age" element for the heroines in Miyazaki's films, as they each discover "individual personality and strengths". Gabrielle Bellot of "The Atlantic" wrote that, in his films, Miyazaki "shows a keen understanding of the complexities of what it might mean to be a woman". In particular, Bellot cites "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind", praising the film's challenging of gender expectations, and the strong and independent nature of Nausicaä. Bellot also noted that "Princess Mononoke"s San represents the "conflict between selfhood and expression".


title: Hayao Miyazaki

text: Miyazaki is concerned with the sense of wonder in young people, seeking to maintain themes of love and family in his films. Michael Toscano of "Curator" found that Miyazaki "fears Japanese children are dimmed by a culture of overconsumption, overprotection, utilitarian education, careerism, techno-industrialism, and a secularism that is swallowing Japan’s native animism". Schellhase wrote that several of Miyazaki's works feature themes of love and romance, but felt that emphasis is placed on "the way lonely and vulnerable individuals are integrated into relationships of mutual reliance and responsibility, which generally benefit everyone around them". He also found that many of the protagonists in Miyazaki's films present an idealized image of families, whereas others are dysfunctional. He felt that the non-biological family in "Howl's Moving Castle" (consisting of Howl, Sophie, Markl, the Witch of the Waste, and Heen) gives a message of hope: that those cast out by society can "find a healthy place to belong".


title: Hayao Miyazaki

text: Miyazaki forgoes traditional screenplays in his productions, instead developing the film's narrative as he designs the storyboards. "We never know where the story will go but we just keep working on the film as it develops," he said. In each of his films, Miyazaki has employed traditional animation methods, drawing each frame by hand; computer-generated imagery has been employed in several of his later films, beginning with "Princess Mononoke", to "enrich the visual look", though he ensures that each film can "retain the right ratio between working by hand and computer ... and still be able to call my films 2D". He oversees every frame of his films.


title: Hayao Miyazaki

text: Miyazaki has cited several Japanese artists as his influences, including Sanpei Shirato, Osamu Tezuka, Soji Yamakawa, and Isao Takahata. A number of Western authors have also influenced his works, including Frédéric Back, Lewis Carroll, Roald Dahl, Jean Giraud, Paul Grimault, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Yuri Norstein, as well as animation studio Aardman Animations (specifically the works of Nick Park). Specific works that have influenced Miyazaki include "Animal Farm" (1945), "The Snow Queen" (1957), and "The King and the Mockingbird" (1980); "The Snow Queen" is said to be the true catalyst for Miyazaki's filmography, influencing his training and work. When animating young children, Miyazaki often takes inspiration from his friends' children, as well as memories of his own childhood.


title: Hayao Miyazaki

text: Miyazaki married fellow animator Akemi Ōta in October 1965; the two had met while colleagues at Toei Animation. The couple have two sons: Goro, born in January 1967, and Keisuke, born in April 1969. Miyazaki felt that becoming a father changed him, as he tried to produce work that would please his children. Miyazaki initially fulfilled a promise to his wife that they would both continue to work after Goro's birth, dropping him off at preschool for the day; however, upon seeing Goro's exhaustion walking home one day, Miyazaki decided that they could not continue, and his wife stayed at home to raise their children. Miyazaki's dedication to his work harmed his relationship with his children, as he was often absent. Goro watched his father's works in an attempt to "understand" him, since the two rarely talked. Miyazaki said that he "tried to be a good father, but in the end I wasn't a very good parent". During the production of "Tales from Earthsea" in 2006, Goro said that his father "gets zero marks as a father but full marks as a director of animated films".


title: Hayao Miyazaki

text: Goro worked at a landscape design firm before beginning to work at the Ghibli Museum; he designed the garden on its rooftop and eventually became its curator. Keisuke studied forestry at Shinshu University and works as a wood artist; he designed a woodcut print that appears in "Whisper of the Heart". Miyazaki's niece, Mei Okuyama, who was the inspiration behind the character Mei in "My Neighbor Totoro", is married to animation artist Daisuke Tsutsumi.


title: Hayao Miyazaki

text: Miyazaki was described as the "godfather of animation in Japan" by BBC's Tessa Wong in 2016, citing his craftsmanship and humanity, the themes of his films, and his inspiration to younger artists. Courtney Lanning of "Arkansas Democrat-Gazette" named him one of the world's greatest animators, comparing him to Osamu Tezuka and Walt Disney. Swapnil Dhruv Bose of "Far Out Magazine" wrote that Miyazaki's work "has shaped not only the future of animation but also filmmaking in general", and that it helped "generation after generation of young viewers to observe the magic that exists in the mundane". Richard James Havis of "South China Morning Post" called him a "genius ... who sets exacting standards for himself, his peers and studio staff". "Paste"s Toussaint Egan described Miyazaki as "one of anime's great auteurs", whose "stories of such singular thematic vision and unmistakable aesthetic" captured viewers otherwise unfamiliar with anime. Miyazaki became the subject of an exhibit at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles in 2021, featuring over 400 objects from his films.


title: Hayao Miyazaki

text: Miyazaki has frequently been cited as an inspiration to numerous animators, directors and writers around the world, including Wes Anderson, James Cameron, Dean DeBlois, Guillermo del Toro, Pete Docter, Mamoru Hosoda, Bong Joon-Ho, Glen Keane, Travis Knight, John Lasseter, Nick Park, Henry Selick, Makoto Shinkai, and Steven Spielberg. Keane said Miyazaki is a "huge influence" on Walt Disney Animation Studios and has been "part of our heritage" ever since "The Rescuers Down Under" (1990). The Disney Renaissance era was also prompted by competition with the development of Miyazaki's films. Artists from Pixar and Aardman Studios signed a tribute stating, "You're our inspiration, Miyazaki-san!" He has also been cited as inspiration for video game designers including Shigeru Miyamoto and Hironobu Sakaguchi, as well as the television series "", and the video game "Ori and the Blind Forest" (2015).


title: Hayao Miyazaki

text: Miyazaki won the Ōfuji Noburō Award at the Mainichi Film Awards for "The Castle of Cagliostro" (1979), "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" (1984), "Laputa: Castle in the Sky" (1986), and "My Neighbor Totoro" (1988), and the Mainichi Film Award for Best Animation Film for "Kiki's Delivery Service" (1989), "Porco Rosso" (1992), "Princess Mononoke" (1997), "Spirited Away" and "Whale Hunt" (both 2001). "Spirited Away" was also awarded the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, while "Howl's Moving Castle" (2004) and "The Wind Rises" (2013) received nominations. He was named a Person of Cultural Merit by the Japanese government in November 2012, for outstanding cultural contributions. His other accolades include eight Tokyo Anime Awards, eight Kinema Junpo Awards, six Japan Academy Awards, five Annie Awards, and three awards from the Anime Grand Prix and the Venice Film Festival.


title: Bernard Arnault

text: Bernard Jean Étienne Arnault (; born 5 March 1949) is a French business magnate, investor, and art collector. He is the co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton SE, the world's largest luxury goods company. Arnault has an estimated net worth of billion as of December 2022 according to "Forbes", making him the richest person in the world.


title: Bernard Arnault

text: Bernard Jean Étienne Arnault was born on 5 March 1949 in Roubaix. His mother, Marie-Josèphe Savinel, daughter of Étienne Savinel, had a "fascination for Dior". His father, manufacturer Jean Léon Arnault, a graduate of École Centrale Paris, owned the civil engineering company Ferret-Savinel.


title: Bernard Arnault

text: Arnault was educated at the Lycée Maxence Van Der Meersch in Roubaix, and the Lycée Faidherbe in Lille. In 1971, he graduated from the École Polytechnique, France's leading engineering school, and began work for his father's company. Three years later, after he convinced his father to shift the focus of the company to real estate, Ferret-Savinel sold the industrial construction division and was renamed Ferinel. Following the acquisition of a textile company and relocation of their headquarters, the company renamed the real estate branch to the George V Group. The real estate assets were later sold to Compagnie Générale des Eaux (CGE), eventually becoming Nexity.


title: Bernard Arnault

text: Arnault began his career in 1971, at Ferret-Savinel, and was its president from 1978 to 1984. In 1984, Arnault, then a young real estate developer, heard that the French government was set to choose someone to take over the Boussac Saint-Frères empire, a textile and retail conglomerate that owned Christian Dior.


title: Bernard Arnault

text: With the help of Antoine Bernheim, a senior partner of Lazard Frères, Arnault acquired the Financière Agache, a luxury goods company. He became the CEO of Financière Agache and subsequently won the bidding war for Boussac Saint-Frères, buying the group for a ceremonial one franc and effectively took control of Boussac Saint-Frères. Along with Christian Dior, Boussac's assets included the department store Le Bon Marché, the retail shop Conforama, and the diapers manufacturer Peaudouce.


title: Bernard Arnault

text: After Arnault bought Boussac, he laid off 9,000 workers in two years, after which he acquired the nickname "The Terminator". He then sold nearly all of the company's assets, keeping only the Christian Dior brand and Le Bon Marché department store. By 1987, the company was profitable again and booked earnings of $112 million on a revenue stream of $1.9 billion dollars.


title: Bernard Arnault

text: In the 1980s, Arnault had the idea to create a group of luxury brands. He worked with Alain Chevalier, CEO of Moët Hennessy, and Henry Racamier, president of Louis Vuitton, to form LVMH in 1987.


title: Bernard Arnault

text: In July 1988, Arnault provided $1.5 billion to form a holding company with Guinness that held 24% of LVMH's shares. In response to rumors that the Louis Vuitton group was buying LVMH's stock to form a "blocking minority", Arnault spent $600 million to buy 13.5% more of LVMH, making him LVMH's largest shareholder. LVMH had been created on the premise that the conglomerate would be too large for a single hostile raider. However, the premise failed to take into account internal takeover attempts. The fault became too large to ignore when Arnault had a differing strategic vision from Henry Racamier, Louis Vuitton's president.


title: Bernard Arnault

text: In January 1989, he spent another $500 million to gain control of a total of 43.5% of LVMH's shares and 35% of its voting rights, thus reaching the "blocking minority" that he needed to stop the dismantlement of the LVMH group. He then turned on Racamier, stripped him of his power and ousted him from the board of directors. On 13 January 1989, he was unanimously elected chairman of the executive management board.


title: Bernard Arnault

text: After assuming leadership, Arnault led the company through an ambitious development plan, transforming it into one of the largest luxury groups in the world, alongside Swiss luxury giant Richemont and French-based Kering. In eleven years, annual sales and profit rose by a factor of 5, and the market value of LVMH increased by a factor of 15. In July 1988, Arnault acquired Céline. That same year, he sponsored French fashion designer Christian Lacroix in order to advertise the company's luxury clothing line. LVMH acquired Berluti and Kenzo in 1993, the same year Arnault bought out the French economic newspaper "La Tribune". La Tribune never achieved the desired success, despite his 150 million euro investment, and he sold it in November 2007 in order to buy a different French economic newspaper, "Les Échos", for €240 million. In 1994, LVMH acquired the perfume firm Guerlain. In 1996, Arnault bought out Loewe, followed by Marc Jacobs and Sephora in 1997. Five more brands were also integrated into the group: Thomas Pink in 1999, Emilio Pucci in 2000 and Fendi, DKNY and La Samaritaine in 2001. In the 1990s, Arnault decided to develop a center in New York to manage LVMH's presence in the United States. He chose Christian de Portzamparc to supervise this project. The result was the LVMH Tower that opened in December 1999. That same year, Arnault turned his eyes on Gucci, an Italian leather goods company, which was run by Tom Ford and Domenico De Sole. He discreetly amassed a 5 percent stake in the company before being detected. Gucci responded hostilely, and called it a "creeping takeover." Upon being noticed, Arnault upped his stake to 34.4 percent while insisting he wanted to be a supportive and unassertive stakeholder. De Sole proposed that in return for board representation, Arnault would stop increasing his stake in Gucci. However, Arnault refused to accept these terms. De Sole discovered a loophole that allowed him to issue shares with only board approval, and for every share LVMH bought, he created more for his employees, diluting Arnault's stake. The fight dragged on until settlement in September 2001. After the legal ruling, LVMH sold its shares and walked away with $700 million in profit.


title: Bernard Arnault

text: On 7 March 2011, Arnault announced the acquisition of 50.4% of family-owned shares of the Italian jeweler Bulgari, with the intention to make a tender offer for the rest, which was publicly owned. The transaction was worth $5.2 billion. In 2011, Arnault invested $641 million in establishing LCapitalAsia. On 7 March 2013, "National Business Daily" reported that mid-priced clothing brand QDA would open stores with the assistance of Arnault's private equity firm LCapitalAsia and Chinese apparel company Xin Hee Co., Ltd. in Beijing. In February 2014, Arnault entered into a joint venture with the Italian fashion brand Marco De Vincenzo, taking a minority 45% stake in the firm. In 2016, LVMH sold DKNY to G-III Apparel Group. In April 2017, Arnault announced the acquisition of Christian Dior haute couture, leather, both men and women's ready-to-wear, and footwear lines, which integrated the entire Christian Dior brand within LVMH.


title: Bernard Arnault

text: By January 2018, Arnault had led the company to record sales of €42.6 billion in 2017, 13% over the previous year, as all divisions turned in strong performances. That same year, the net profit increased 29%. In November 2019, Arnault planned to acquire Tiffany & Co. for approximately US $16.2 billion. The deal was expected to close by June 2020. LVMH then issued a statement in September 2020 indicating that the takeover would not proceed and that the deal was "invalid" because of Tiffany's handling of the business during the COVID-19 pandemic. Subsequently, Tiffany filed suit against LVMH, asking the court to compel the purchase or to assess damages against the defendant; LVMH planned to counter sue, alleging that mismanagement had invalidated the purchase agreement. In mid-September 2020, a reliable source told "Forbes" that the reason for Arnault's decision to cancel the Tiffany purchase was purely financial: Tiffany was paying millions in dividends to shareholders despite a financial loss of US$32 million during the pandemic. Upon examination of financial records, Arnault discovered that some US$70 million had already been paid out by Tiffany, with an additional US$70 million scheduled to be paid in November 2020. LVMH filed a counterclaim against the court action commenced by Tiffany; a statement issued by LMVH blamed Tiffany's mismanagement during the pandemic and claimed that it was "burning cash and reporting losses". In late October 2020, Tiffany and LVMH agreed to the original takeover plan, though at a slightly reduced price of nearly $16 billion, a minor reduction of 2.6% from the aforementioned deal. The new deal reduced the amount paid per share by LVMH from the original price of $135 to $131.50. LVMH completed the purchase of Tiffany in January 2021.


title: Bernard Arnault

text: Under Arnault's leadership, LVMH has grown to become the largest company by market capitalization in the eurozone, with a record of 313 billion euros ($382 billion) as of May 2021. Arnault has promoted decisions towards decentralizing the group's brands as a business strategy. As a result of these measures, brands under the LVMH umbrella such as Tiffany are still viewed as independent firms with their own history.


title: Bernard Arnault

text: In 1998, with businessman Albert Frère he purchased Château Cheval Blanc in a personal capacity. LVMH acquired Arnault's share in 2009 to add to the group's other wine property Château d'Yquem.


title: Bernard Arnault

text: From 1998 to 2001, Arnault invested in a variety of web companies such as Boo.com, Libertysurf, and Zebank through his holding Europatweb. Groupe Arnault also invested in Netflix in 1999.


title: Bernard Arnault

text: In 2007, Blue Capital announced that Arnault owns jointly with the California property firm Colony Capital 10.69% of France's largest supermarket retailer and the world's second-largest food distributor Carrefour.


title: Bernard Arnault

text: In 2008, he entered the yacht business and bought Princess Yachts for 253 million euros. He subsequently took control of Royal van Lent for an almost identical amount.


title: Bernard Arnault

text: Arnault's collection includes work by Picasso, Yves Klein, Henry Moore, and Andy Warhol. He was also instrumental in establishing LVMH as a major patron of art in France. The LVMH Young Fashion Designer was created as an international competition open to students from fine-arts schools. Every year, the winner is awarded a grant to support the creation of the designer's own label and with a year of mentorship.


title: Bernard Arnault

text: From 1999 to 2003, he owned Phillips de Pury & Company, an art auction house, and bought out the first French auctioneer, Tajan. In 2006, Arnault started the building project of the Louis Vuitton Foundation. Dedicated to creation and contemporary art, the building was designed by the architect Frank Gehry. The Foundation's grand opening at the Jardin d'Acclimatation Paris was held on 20 October 2014.


title: Bernard Arnault

text: In 1973, he married Anne Dewavrin, together having two children, Delphine and Antoine. They separated in 1990. In 1991, he married Hélène Mercier, a Canadian concert pianist, together having three children, Alexandre, Frédéric, and Jean. Arnault and Mercier live in Paris. All five children — Delphine, Antoine, Alexandre, Frédéric and Jean — have official roles in brands controlled by Arnault, along with his niece Stephanie Watine Arnault.


title: Bernard Arnault

text: Alexandre is the EVP of Tiffany & Co, Frédéric is the CEO of TAG Heuer, and Jean is the Director of Marketing and Development at Louis Vuitton. Since 2010, Arnault's daughter Delphine has been the partner of Xavier Niel, a French billionaire businessman active in the telecommunications and technology industry.


title: Bernard Arnault

text: In April 1999, he became the richest person in fashion, topping Zara's Amancio Ortega. In 2016, Arnault was paid €7.8 million as the CEO of the LVMH group. In July 2019, Arnault became the second-richest man in the world, with a net worth of $103 billion. Arnault briefly surpassed Jeff Bezos to become the richest person in the world in December 2019, and again for a short time in January 2020. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Arnault saw his wealth shrink by $30 billion as sales of luxury goods plummeted.


title: Bernard Arnault

text: On 5 August 2021, he regained the status of wealthiest man in the world, with his net worth climbing to $198.4 billion. This occurred as sales of LVMH's luxury goods surged in China and other parts of Asia. He is listed as "Bernard Arnault & Family" on the Forbes Billionaires list. "Forbes" estimates the Bernard Arnault & Family fortune to be $158 billion in 2022, positioning him ahead of Bill Gates.


title: Bernard Arnault

text: Arnault owned the converted research vessel "Amadeus", which was sold in late 2015. His current yacht "Symphony" was built in the Netherlands by Feadship. Arnault and his family have an estimated net worth of billion as of December 2022 according to "Forbes", making him the richest person in the world, surpassing Elon Musk, whose fortunes took a hit after his handling of his Twitter purchase.


title: Bernard Arnault

text: In 2013, it was disclosed that Arnault planned to apply for Belgian citizenship and was considering moving to Belgium. In April 2013, Arnault said that he had been misquoted and that he never intended to leave France: "I repeatedly said that I would stay as a resident in France and that I would continue to pay my taxes... Today, I decided to remove any ambiguity. I withdraw my request of Belgian nationality. Requesting Belgian nationality was to better protect the foundation that I created with the sole purpose of ensuring the continuity and integrity of the LVMH group if I were to disappear."


title: Bernard Arnault

text: On 10 April 2013, Arnault announced he had decided to abandon his application for Belgian citizenship, saying he did not want the move to be misinterpreted as a measure of tax evasion, at a time when France faced economic and social challenges. Arnault also stated several employees requested to leave France for tax purposes but he declined their requests, explaining "the 75% tax would not raise a lot of revenue but should prove less divisive, as now it was set to be levied on firms rather than people, and only due to stay in place for two years."


title: Bernard Arnault

text: In October 2022 Arnault stated that LVMH sold its private jet after a Twitter user began to track its flights and stated he began renting private aircraft for his personal and business flights instead. The aircraft was a Bombardier Global 7500 which was registered F-GVMA.


title: Bernard Arnault

text: In the second round of the 2017 French presidential election, Arnault supported Emmanuel Macron. Brigitte Macron was the French teacher of Arnault's sons Frédéric and Jean when they were students at the Lycée Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague.


title: Iron Maiden

text: Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harris, lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson, drummer Nicko McBrain, and guitarists Dave Murray, Adrian Smith and Janick Gers. The band have released 41 albums, including 17 studio albums, 13 live albums, four EPs and seven compilations. They have also released 47 singles and 20 video albums. Two electronic games have been released with Iron Maiden soundtracks, and the band's music is featured in a number of other video games.


title: Iron Maiden

text: As pioneers of the new wave of British heavy metal movement, Iron Maiden achieved initial success during the early 1980s. After several lineup changes, the band went on to release a series of UK and US Platinum and Gold albums, including 1980's eponymous debut album, 1981's "Killers", 1982's "The Number of the Beast", 1983's "Piece of Mind", 1984's "Powerslave", 1985's live release "Live After Death", 1986's "Somewhere in Time", 1988's "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son", 1990's "No Prayer for the Dying" and 1992's "Fear of the Dark". In 1982, the band released "The Number of the Beast" – its first album with Bruce Dickinson, who replaced Paul Di'Anno as lead singer – which was a turning point in their career, helping establish them as one of heavy metal's most important artists. "The Number of the Beast" is among the most popular heavy metal albums of all time, having sold almost 20 million copies worldwide.


title: Iron Maiden

text: Since the return of lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith in 1999, the band has undergone a resurgence in popularity, with a series of new albums and highly successful tours. Released in 2006, "A Matter of Life and Death", their 14th studio album, reached top sales in dozens of countries, initiating the series of Iron Maiden's highest-ranked albums. Their 2010 album, "The Final Frontier", peaked at No. 1 in 28 countries and received widespread critical acclaim. Their 16th studio album, "The Book of Souls", was released on 4 September 2015 to similar success, debuting at No. 1 in the album charts of 24 countries with physical sales and summary in 43 territories with physical and digital sales. Most recently, their 17th studio album, "Senjutsu", was released on 3 September 2021 and eventually reached No. 1 in 27 countries.


title: Iron Maiden

text: As of 2022, Iron Maiden have sold over 130 million copies of their albums worldwide, despite minimal radio and mainstream media support. As of 2021, the band's catalogue's sold over 200 million copies worldwide, including albums, singles, compilations and videos. By 2022, their releases have been certified Silver, Gold and Platinum around 600 times worldwide. Iron Maiden have become one of the most influential and revered rock bands of all time, and is credited with influencing countless bands and genres. Critics have stated that the band elevated heavy metal to an art form, proving that academic and musical inspirations can coexist. The band is also hailed as one of the greatest live acts of all time.


title: Iron Maiden

text: The band and its members have received multiple industry awards, including the Grammy Awards and its equivalents in other countries. Other accolades the band has received include Brit Awards, Silver Clef Award, Nordoff-Robbins Award, Ivor Novello Awards, Juno Awards, Guinness Book of World Records, Public Choice International, Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards, ECHO Awards, Top.HR Music Awards, Žebřík Music Awards, honorary doctorates, State Prizes, sales recognition, charity and sport awards among many others. Iron Maiden were inducted into the Hollywood RockWalk, BPI Hall of Fame and Kerrang! Hall of Fame. The band is also a part of permanent exhibitions of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, British Music Experience, Rock in Rio Wall of Fame and Wacken Open Air Hall of Fame.


title: Iron Maiden

text: Iron Maiden's lyrics cover such topics as history, literature, war, mythology, society and religion. Many of their songs are based on history, classic literature and film. , the band have played some 2500 live shows, performing for tens of millions of fans. For over 40 years, the musicians have been supported by their famous mascot, "Eddie", who has appeared on almost all of their album and single covers, videos and merchandise. Originally designed by Derek Riggs, Eddie became the main attraction of Iron Maiden live shows, which feature theatrical elements like coloured backdrops, inflatables, pyrotechnics, elaborate lighting rigs, props and stage sets.


title: Iron Maiden

text: Iron Maiden were formed on Christmas Day, 25 December 1975, by bassist Steve Harris shortly after he left his previous group, Smiler. Harris attributed the band's name to a film adaptation of "The Man in the Iron Mask" from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, the title of which reminded him of the iron maiden torture device. They originally had the name Ash Mountain, but most of the band members preferred the name Iron Maiden anyway, so that name was chosen shortly after the band formed. After months of rehearsal, Iron Maiden made their debut at St. Nicks Hall in Poplar on 1 May 1976, before taking up a semi-residency at the Cart and Horses Pub in Maryland, Stratford. A few decades later, the pub was officially named "The Birthplace of Iron Maiden" and turned into a music pub with many mementos of the band's early years as part of London's rock music history.


title: Iron Maiden

text: The original lineup was short-lived, with vocalist Paul Day being the first casualty as, according to Harris, he lacked "energy or charisma on stage". He was replaced by Dennis Wilcock, a Kiss fan who used makeup and fake blood during live performances. Wilcock's friend, guitarist Dave Murray, was invited to join, much to the dismay of the band's guitarists Dave Sullivan and Terry Rance. Their frustration led Harris to temporarily disband Iron Maiden in 1976, though the group reformed soon after with Murray as the sole guitarist. Harris and Murray remain the band's longest-standing members and have performed on all of their releases.


title: Iron Maiden

text: Iron Maiden recruited yet another guitarist in 1977, Bob Sawyer, who was sacked for embarrassing the band on stage by pretending to play guitar with his teeth. Tension ensued again, causing a rift between Murray and Wilcock, who convinced Harris to fire Murray, as well as original drummer Ron Matthews. A new lineup was put together, including future Cutting Crew member Tony Moore on keyboards, Terry Wapram on guitar and drummer Barry Purkis (better known today as Thunderstick). After a single gig with the band in January 1978, Moore was asked to leave as Harris decided that keyboards did not suit the band's sound. Dave Murray rejoined in late March 1978, which Terry Wapram disapproved of, so he was sacked. A few weeks later, Dennis Wilcock decided to leave Iron Maiden to form his own band, V1, with Wapram, and drummer Barry Purkis left, as well. Doug Sampson was at Dennis and Thunderstick's last gig and so joined the band afterwards.


title: Iron Maiden

text: Harris, Murray and Sampson spent the summer and autumn of 1978 rehearsing while they searched for a singer to complete the band's new lineup. A chance meeting at the Red Lion, a pub in Leytonstone, in November 1978 evolved into a successful audition for vocalist Paul Di'Anno. Steve Harris stated, "There's sort of a quality in Paul's voice, a raspiness in his voice, or whatever you want to call it, that just gave it this great edge". At this time, Murray would typically act as their sole guitarist, with Harris commenting, "Davey was so good he could do a lot of it on his own. The plan was always to get a second guitarist in, but finding one that could match Davey was really difficult".


title: Iron Maiden

text: On New Year's Eve 1978, Iron Maiden recorded a demo, consisting of four songs, at Spaceward Studios in Cambridge. Hoping that the recording would help them secure more gigs, the band presented a copy to Neal Kay, who, at the time, was managing a heavy metal club called "Bandwagon Heavy Metal Soundhouse", located in Kingsbury Circle, northwest London. Upon hearing the tape, Kay began playing the demo regularly at the Bandwagon, and one of the songs, "Prowler", eventually went to No. 1 in the Soundhouse charts, which were published weekly in "Sounds" magazine. A copy was also acquired by Rod Smallwood, who soon became the band's manager, and, as Iron Maiden's popularity increased, they released the demo on their own record label as "The Soundhouse Tapes", named after the club. Featuring only three tracks (one song, "Strange World", was excluded as the band were unsatisfied with its production), all 5,000 copies sold out within weeks.


title: Iron Maiden

text: In December 1979, the band secured a major record deal with EMI and asked Dave Murray's childhood friend, Adrian Smith of Urchin, to join the group as their second guitarist. Due to his commitment to Urchin, Smith declined and Dennis Stratton was hired instead. Shortly afterwards, Doug Sampson left due to health issues and was replaced by ex-Samson drummer Clive Burr at Stratton's suggestion on 26 December 1979. Iron Maiden's first appearance on an album was on the "Metal for Muthas" compilation (released on 15 February 1980) with two early versions of "Sanctuary" and "Wrathchild". The release led to an ensuing tour that featured several other bands linked with the new wave of British heavy metal (NWoBHM) movement. According to different sources, between May 1976 and December 1979, the band played about 200 shows in Great Britain.


title: Iron Maiden

text: Iron Maiden released their self-titled album in 1980, which debuted at No. 4 in the UK Albums Chart. The album includes other early favourites such as "Running Free", "Transylvania", "Phantom of the Opera" and "Sanctuary" – which was not on the original UK release, but appeared on the US version and subsequent remasters. The band embarked on a headline tour of the UK, before opening for Kiss on their 1980 Unmasked Tour's European leg as well as supporting Judas Priest on select dates. Iron Maiden also appeared, to much acclaim, at the Reading Festival 1980 with almost 40,000 in attendance. They were second to top of the bill on the Saturday, with UFO headlining. After the Kiss tour, Dennis Stratton was dismissed from the band as a result of creative and personal differences, and was replaced by Smith in October 1980. In Europe, Iron Maiden played 28 shows to about 400,000 people (mainly Kiss fans). In December, the band played at the Rainbow Theatre in London, where their very first live video was filmed. "Live at the Rainbow" was released in May 1981, and the cuts "Iron Maiden" and "Wrathchild" from this video received heavy rotation on MTV during its first hours on the air as the first metal videos ever.


title: Iron Maiden

text: Their eponymous debut album achieved critical acclaim in Japan, where Iron Maiden were named "The Best Newcoming Foreign Band" by readers of "Music Life" magazine and received their very first Gold certification. Four decades later, Iron Maiden's debut album was ranked No. 13 of "The Greatest Hard Rock & Metal Albums Ever" published by journalists of opinion-forming "Rolling Stone" magazine and also named the third-most important metal debut album of all time. "Iron Maiden" is ranked at the similar positions in many other polls worldwide.


title: Iron Maiden

text: In 1981, Iron Maiden released their second studio album, "Killers". Containing many tracks written prior to their debut release, it had only two new songs written for the record: "Prodigal Son" and "Murders in the Rue Morgue" (the latter's title was taken from the short story by Edgar Allan Poe). The leitmotif of the lyrics was a murder contemplated from different perspectives. Unsatisfied with the production on their debut album, the band hired veteran producer Martin Birch, who would continue to work with Iron Maiden until his retirement in 1992. The record was followed by the band's first world tour, which included their debut performance in the United States, opening for Judas Priest at The Aladdin Casino in Las Vegas. Iron Maiden played 45 shows in North America to several hundreds of thousands of fans, including two headline gigs in Canada. "Killers" made the band's USA album charts debut, reaching No. 78 on the "Billboard" 200, and they booked 132 shows to promote the album. The musicians played the small or mid-size venues using standard type of stage equipment including 200 lamps, smoke machines, two backdrops with Eddie and four members of the crew wearing Eddie masks when the song "Iron Maiden" was played live.


title: Iron Maiden

text: The band's second album featured the single "Twilight Zone/Wrathchild" (released as a double A-side) and speed metal opus "Purgatory", as well as two instrumental songs – "The Ides of March" and "Genghis Khan" – and the proto-thrash title track. The music style of the album inspired generations of thrash, speed and power metal bands. The cover illustration by Derek Riggs became the first of many more iconic covers in the history of the genre. "Killers" sold much better worldwide than the debut album, hitting the one million mark a year after launch, earning the group Gold certificates in Germany, Japan, Canada, Belgium, Denmark, France (double Gold) and in the United Kingdom. The album debuted at No. 12 in the UK and reached the Top 10 and Top 20 in many countries around the world.


title: Iron Maiden

text: The UK tour included the band's headline performance at the Hammersmith Odeon. However, Paul Di'Anno's addiction problems led to the cancellation of several German dates. In some of those cities, local fans reacted with street riots. Iron Maiden then toured Japan for the first time in seven shows. All tickets were sold out in record time, but further problems with Di'Anno forced the band to cancel two shows. The concert recordings from Nagoya were used on the mini-album "Maiden Japan" ("Heavy Metal Army" in Japan), which was released in September 1981. The band visited Yugoslavia as a headliner of the Belgrade festival with 50,000 people in attendance. It was the first time the band had played behind the Iron Curtain and also a groundbreaking performance for a new generation of heavy metal artists in the so-called Eastern Bloc. During the summer, Iron Maiden played several festivals in Europe, including appearances as "very special guests" at the Golden Summernights 1981 festival series held at Zeppelinfeld in Nuremberg with 100,000 people, but also in Stuttgart and Darmstadt in front of an audience of tens of thousands.


title: Iron Maiden

text: By 1981, Paul Di'Anno was demonstrating increasingly self-destructive behaviour, particularly due to his drug usage, about which Di'Anno comments, "It wasn't just that I was snorting a bit of coke, though; I was just going for it non-stop, 24 hours a day, every day ... the band had commitments piling up that went on for months, years, and I just couldn't see my way to the end of it. I knew I'd never last the whole tour. It was too much". With his performances waning, Di'Anno was immediately dismissed following the Killer World Tour, at which point the band had already selected his replacement.


title: Iron Maiden

text: After a meeting with Rod Smallwood at the Reading Festival, Bruce Dickinson, previously of Samson, auditioned for Iron Maiden in September 1981 and was immediately hired. The following month, Dickinson went out on the road with the band on a small headlining tour in Italy, as well as a one-off show at the Rainbow Theatre in the UK. For the last show, and in anticipation of their forthcoming album, the band played "Children of the Damned" and "22 Acacia Avenue", introducing fans to the sound towards which they were progressing.


title: Iron Maiden

text: In 1982, Iron Maiden released their third studio album, "The Number of the Beast", which became the band's first No. 1 record on the UK Albums Chart, was a Top 10 hit in many other countries and reached No. 33 on the "Billboard" 200. At the time, Dickinson was in the midst of legal difficulties with Samson's management and was not permitted to add his name to any of the songwriting credits, although he still made what he described as a "moral contribution" to "Children of the Damned", "The Prisoner" and "Run to the Hills". For the second time, the band embarked on a world tour, dubbed The Beast on the Road, during which they visited North America, Japan, Australia and Europe, including a headline appearance for 40,000 people at the Reading Festival. Iron Maiden played 188 shows in 10 months. For the very first time, they presented a conceptual setting, including specially designed stage and lighting with almost 400 lamps. Also for the first time in the history of the band, a movable, three-meter-tall Eddie was presented on stage during the performance of the song "Iron Maiden".


title: Iron Maiden

text: The Beast on the Road's US leg proved controversial when an American conservative political lobbying group claimed that Iron Maiden were Satanic because of the new album's title track and "demonic" cover art, to the point where a group of Christian activists destroyed Iron Maiden records in protest. In recent years, Dickinson stated that the band treated this as "silliness" and that the demonstrations in fact gave them "loads of publicity". An American professor, Bryan A. Bardine, referring to the visual aspect of the band's third album, stated the authors' message seems to be understandable: "This album evokes power, passion and music that present darker themes and images".


title: Iron Maiden

text: The band played over 100 dates in North America, supporting Scorpions, Judas Priest and Rainbow. Iron Maiden headlined some Canadian dates, New York, Chicago free show and solo stops. They also performed at the biggest American festivals – Day on the Green, SuperFest, Pacific Jam, Rock Fest – which were held at big stadiums such as Rich Stadium, Anaheim Stadium, Oakland Alameda Coliseum or Comiskey Park, among many others. Iron Maiden were quickly promoted to the hard rock extra-league and avant-garde of heavy metal. "The Number of the Beast" is considered to be the groundbreaking album for modern heavy metal and has been back on the album sales charts and the all-time heavy metal albums polls constantly. The album's crowning track, titled "Hallowed Be Thy Name", is considered one of the few most important in the history of the genre. It has repeatedly held leading positions in various polls. After the first year of its release, 2.5 million copies were sold. A new and hugely successful chapter in Iron Maiden's future was cemented: by 2010, the album had sold over 14 million copies worldwide. The "Golden Era" in the band's history had begun. Today, "The Number of the Beast" is considered one of the major albums of all time (Top 3, Top 5) in heavy music, and by December 2021 it had sold almost 20 million copies worldwide. In December 1982, drummer Clive Burr was fired from the band and replaced by Nicko McBrain, who previously played for Trust. Although Harris stated that his dismissal took place because his live performances were affected by offstage activities, Burr objected to this and claimed that he was unfairly ousted from the band.


title: Iron Maiden

text: Soon afterwards, the band journeyed for the first time to the Bahamas to record the first of three consecutive albums at Compass Point Studios. In 1983, they released their fourth studio album, "Piece of Mind", which reached the No. 3 spot in the UK and No. 14 on the "Billboard" 200. "Piece of Mind" features the successful singles "The Trooper" and "Flight of Icarus", the latter being notable as one of the band's few songs to gain substantial airplay in the US. Other notable songs of the album are "Where Eagles Dare" (named after the Clint Eastwood movie), "Revelations", "Die with Your Boots On" and the epic "To Tame a Land", which is based on Frank Herbert's "Dune". Iron Maiden played 151 concerts in Europe and North America as a part of the World Piece Tour. For the very the first time, they booked a massive North America tour as headliners. Nearly 90 shows took place in 10,000+ capacity arenas, and the band sold out Madison Square Garden with a crowd of 20,000. In London, they played four consecutive nights at the Hammersmith Odeon, then toured many large venues across western Europe, including an extensive German leg. The World Piece Tour was concluded by two headlining performances at the Rock & Pop Festival at the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund. The show was broadcast live to 300 million people with the exception of the song "Iron Maiden" due to the band's "violent behaviour on stage".


title: Iron Maiden

text: The setting of the tour was the next step in the visual development of the band's concerts. Iron Maiden used, "inter alia", a 100,000-watt sound system, a first for any group, designed specially for large sports arenas. The lighting equipment, in addition to the standard ramps with spots, included four movable, triangular ramps, rising to different heights above the stage and illuminating the audience from different angles. These were the first ramps of this type in the world, and their construction became a significant step forward as a starting point for the creation of mobile, extensive lighting systems used on subsequent tours. The lighting platform was based on over 520 lamps. As with the previous tour, the band had a conceptual set design with a number of props referring to the image of the promoted album, the movable Eddie and his big head emerging from behind the stage, also more use was made of pyrotechnics.


title: Iron Maiden

text: UK magazine "Kerrang!" summed up the passing year, and readers were asked to select 100 best metal albums of all time, resulting with "Piece of Mind" ranked first, followed by "The Number of the Beast", and the band's other releases were all in the Top 50. The rankings in other regions of the world looked similar. Iron Maiden became the most serious contenders for the title of "the biggest heavy metal formation in the world". In the year of the premiere, the circulation of the fourth album exceeded 2 million copies sold. In September 1983, the band released a video compilation, "Video Pieces", which contained official clips from "The Number of the Beast" and "Piece of Mind".


title: Iron Maiden

text: Soon after the success of "Piece of Mind" and its supporting tour, the band released their fifth studio album, "Powerslave", on 9 September 1984. The album features the singles "2 Minutes to Midnight" and "Aces High", an emotional title track, as well as "Rime of the Ancient Mariner", which is based on Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem of the same name and has a runtime of over 13 minutes. "Powerslave" was another chart success, reaching No. 12 on the "Billboard" 200 and No. 2 in the UK as a result of band's record company EMI's third "Now That's What I Call Music!" pop compilation, which should not be listed.


title: Iron Maiden

text: The tour following the album, dubbed the World Slavery Tour, was the band's largest to date, consisting of 193 shows in 28 countries over 13 months, playing to an estimated three and a half million people. The most elaborate tour to date was famous for using custom-made props, such as extensible golden sarcophagi, a 33-foot Eddie appearing as a big and mummified walking phantom, the conceptual stage set with an Ancient Egyptian motifs and extensive pyrotechnics. The band's own equipment travelled in six 45-foot articulated trucks, and touring needed three buses for 60 road crew and two more for the musicians. The PA front system power had 153,000 watts and an additional 21,000 for stage monitors. A custom-built and flexible lighting rig held nearly 800 lamps in vast triangular ramps of moving aluminium. The band's 2008–2009 tour, Somewhere Back in Time World Tour, featured a stage set that largely emulated the World Slavery Tour.


title: Iron Maiden

text: The tour started in August 1984 with five shows in Poland. Iron Maiden were the first Western artists who brought full-scale production behind the Iron Curtain. Average attendance in Poland was estimated as 12,000 people, plus a few thousand outside each night. The inaugural show in Warsaw, held at Torwar Arena, gathered over 14,000 people and 5,000 more listened outside. In Budapest, some 50,000 fans filled a parking lot. Iron Maiden played to full-capacity crowds all over Europe and the UK. 105 dates in North America were massive successes. Many shows were played back to back in the same city, such as in Long Beach, California, where the band played four consecutive concerts at Long Beach Arena for a combined audience of 54,000 fans. In New York City, the band played five nights at Radio City Music Hall, and only Dickinson's falling ill prevented the five scheduled shows from becoming seven.


title: Iron Maiden

text: The band's third official video, entitled "Behind the Iron Curtain", was released in October 1984. The World Slavery Tour documentary brought footage of the band touring eastern Europe in 1984, performing shows in the countries visited, and additionally portrayed the musicians as playing at a Polish wedding in Poznań. The video contained two promotional clips for songs from the "Powerslave" album, brand-new live tracks, and special interviews with musicians and members of the road crew. "Behind the Iron Curtain" was the first documentary published by a Western artist that pictured them touring the countries of Eastern Bloc. MTV broadcast an expanded version (about one hour long) of the documentary, which became a part of the "Live After Death DVD" released in February 2008.


title: Iron Maiden

text: Iron Maiden also made their debut appearance in South America, where they co-headlined the Rock in Rio festival with Queen for an estimated 350,000–500,000 in attendance. The tour was physically gruelling for the band, who demanded six months off when it ended (although this was later reduced to four months). This was the first substantial break in the group's history, including the cancellation of a proposed supporting tour for the new live album, with Bruce Dickinson threatening to quit unless the tour ended. In October 1985, Iron Maiden published their first double live album, "Live After Death", which was a critical and commercial success, peaking at No. 19 on the "Billboard 200" and No. 2 in the UK. The album was recorded at Long Beach Arena and also features additional tracks from four nights at London's Hammersmith Apollo. "Live After Death" is widely regarded as one of the greatest live albums of all time and has been described by "Classic Rock" as "the last great live album of the vinyl era" and a seminal heavy metal live release. Along with the album, an official video with the same name was released, and it debuted at No. 1 in the UK charts and topped music video charts worldwide. "Live After Death" live video was digitally remastered and released in 2008 as a part of the "History of Iron Maiden" series. In November 1985, Iron Maiden were named the best rock and metal band in the world and awarded at Public Choice International. This recognition sealed their status as the biggest heavy metal band in the world.


title: Iron Maiden

text: Returning from their time off, the band adopted a different style for their 1986 studio album, "Somewhere in Time." For the first time in the band's history, synthesised bass and guitars were featured to add textures and layers to the sound. The release charted well across the world, particularly with the single "Wasted Years", but notably included no writing credits from Dickinson, whose material was rejected by the rest of the band. While Dickinson was focused on his own music, guitarist Adrian Smith, who typically collaborated with the vocalist, was "left to [his] own devices" and began writing songs on his own, coming up with "Wasted Years", "Sea of Madness" and "Stranger in a Strange Land", the last of which would be the album's second single. The album was the band's biggest American chart success to date, reaching No. 11 on the "Billboard 200" and No. 2 in the UK charts. It almost immediately reached Gold status in the UK and Platinum in the US, where it eventually went Double Platinum, according to band's official biography, "Run to the Hills". The Somewhere on Tour production was the most ambitious to date. "Somewhere in Time" features "Caught Somewhere in Time" as an opening track, the anthemic "Heaven Can wait" and the progressive epic opus "Alexander the Great" crowning the album. Band used seven or eight 45-foot articulated trucks packed with over 100 tons of equipment, three crowd buses for 60 people and two nightliners for five musicians. The band-owned, customised Turbosound system was probably the biggest in the world used indoors. Total power (PA and stage monitors) was estimated at 180,000 watts. The vast and flexible lighting rig held over 1,100 lamps hung over a futuristic stage set, including flying space ships, inflatable props, laser guns, pyrotechnics, hydraulic stands, backdrops and monumental Eddie's appearance.


title: Iron Maiden

text: Somewhere on Tour was a big success everywhere. The band played 157 shows for two and a half million fans. Eighty-one shows in North America were spectacular success, and the musicians booked the bigger indoor arenas and some stadiums, too. Once again, Iron Maiden visited Poland, Hungary and Yugoslavia to play for tens of thousands fans in each country. A massive UK leg, including six nights at Hammersmith Odeon, was sold out in advance. In October 1987, Iron Maiden released the "12 Wasted Years" video documentary, focusing on the history of the band from 1975 to 1987. It included several rare videos and interviews from the band's career, some of which were later included on the 2004 documentary "". In March 2013, Iron Maiden included the full documentary in a reissue of their 1989 concert film, "Maiden England".


title: Iron Maiden

text: The experimentation evident on "Somewhere in Time" continued on their next album, "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son", which was released in 1988. A concept album recorded at Musicland Studios in Munich and based on the 1987 novel "Seventh Son" by Orson Scott Card, it was the band's first record to include keyboards, which were performed by Harris and Smith. After his contributions were not used for "Somewhere in Time", Dickinson's enthusiasm was renewed as his ideas were accepted for this album. Another popular release, it became Iron Maiden's second album to hit No. 1 in the UK charts and reached No. 12 on the "Billboard 200." It initially only achieved a Gold certification in the US, in contrast to its four predecessors. The album incorporated many progressive rock influences and spawned three hit singles – "Can I Play with Madness", "The Evil That Men Do" and "The Clairvoyant" – along with the expressive "Moonchild", "Infinite Dreams", an epic title track, "The Prophecy" and "Only the Good Die Young", which was inspired by Aleister Crowley's works.


title: Iron Maiden

text: After the blockbuster tour in North America, Iron Maiden were headliners of the Monsters of Rock festivals in Europe for the first time. They headlined stadiums and festivals in the UK, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Czechoslovakia and Hungary. During the following tour, the band headlined the Monsters of Rock festival at Donington Park for the first time on 20 August 1988, playing to the largest crowd in the festival's history, with an estimated 107,000 in attendance. Also included on the bill were Kiss, David Lee Roth, Megadeth, Guns N' Roses and Helloween. The festival was marred, however, by the deaths of two fans in a crowd-surge during Guns N' Roses' performance; the following year's festival was cancelled as a result. The tour concluded with several headline shows in the UK in November and December 1988, with the concerts at the NEC Arena, Birmingham, recorded for a live video, entitled "Maiden England". The video debuted at top spots of worldwide music videos charts.


title: Iron Maiden

text: To promote the album, the band hosted an evening of television, radio and press interviews at Castle Schnellenberg in Attendorn, Germany, prior to the record's release, before holding a small number of "secret" club shows under the name "Charlotte and the Harlots" at Empire, Cologne and L'Amour, New York. In May, the group set out on a supporting tour, which saw them perform 103 shows to well over two million people worldwide over seven months. To recreate the album's keyboards onstage, the group recruited Michael Kenney, Steve Harris' bass technician, to play the keys throughout the tour, during which he would perform the song "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" on a forklift truck under the alias of "The Count" (for which he would wear a black cape and mask). Kenney has acted as the band's live keyboard player ever since, also performing on the band's four following albums before Harris took over as the group's sole studio keyboardist on 2000's "Brave New World". Stage set and equipment, which has been taken by band, was transported in dozens of trucks and was the most elaborate to date and one of the biggest in the world, including over 200,000 watts of PA and over 1,500 spot lamps. Iron Maiden was included in the Guinness Book of World Records Museum for its performance at the Monsters of Rock festival in 1988.


title: Iron Maiden

text: During another break in 1989, guitarist Adrian Smith released a solo album with his band ASAP, entitled "Silver and Gold." Vocalist Bruce Dickinson began work on a solo album with former Gillan guitarist Janick Gers, releasing "Tattooed Millionaire" in 1990, followed by a tour. At the same time, to mark the band's 10-year recording anniversary, Iron Maiden released a compilation collection, "The First Ten Years", a series of 10 CDs and double 12-inch singles. Between 24 February and 28 April 1990, the individual parts were released one by one, each containing two of Iron Maiden's singles, including the original B-sides. The band also released the career-spanning video compilation entitled "" (in 1992 re-issued as ""). The 1980s were closed by the group with over 25 million albums sold, 10 million of which were in the US, along with over 5 million videos sold in the States, which gave Iron Maiden six of 120 Gold and Platinum certificates received worldwide. "The Number of the Beast" became the band's best-selling album, achieving sales 6 million copies in the eight years since its release. All the achievements sealed the group's status as the largest representative of the heavy metal genre at the time. Iron Maiden set new records in the UK: six singles in the Top 5, 10 double maxi-singles in the Top 10, the highest position ever for a debut single from a rock band, the most albums in the Top 10 for a British performer (excluding The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and Queen) and 20 singles consecutively released on the charts.


title: Iron Maiden

text: Soon afterwards, Iron Maiden regrouped to work on a new studio record. During the pre-production stages, Adrian Smith left the band due to differences with Steve Harris regarding the direction the band should be taking, disagreeing with the "stripped down" style that they were leaning towards. Janick Gers, having worked on Dickinson's solo project, was chosen to replace Smith and became the band's first new member in seven years. The album, "No Prayer for the Dying", was released in October 1990. It contained the hit singles "Holy Smoke" and "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter", the band's first – and, to date, only – UK Singles Chart No. 1, originally recorded by Dickinson's solo outfit for the soundtrack to "". The song was banned by the BBC, and only a 90-second live clip on Top of the Pops was shown. In 1990, Bruce Dickinson received the Golden Raspberry Awards in category "The Worst Original Song" for the band's most successful single in Great Britain. Dickinson's composition was nominated to an American Music Award in category "Best Rock Song". In 1992, "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter" received another nomination to Brit Awards in category "Best British Single". Iron Maiden's eighth studio album debuted at No. 2 in the UK albums chart and No. 17 on the "Billboard 200". "No Prayer for the Dying" signalled the return of Iron Maiden to the roots of their musical style, in particular in its simplicity of composition and raw sound.


title: Iron Maiden

text: The No Prayer on the Road tour was booked for 120 shows in Europe, North America and Japan. The main support act for Iron Maiden were an American thrash metal band called Anthrax. The tour started with 20 dates in British music theatres and was continued in European and American arenas. Thirty-three shows in continental Europe were sold out to 530,000 fans. In 1991, Iron Maiden played North America, Japan and outdoors in France, Denmark and Switzerland. For the first time, the band headlined Roskilde Festival for 60,000 fans. Following large-scale stage shows the band played in the '80s, musicians opted for a less elaborate production, including only mobile and the big Eddie, traditional lighting rig and large backdrops. Once again, Iron Maiden played for some two million fans.


title: Iron Maiden

text: After another extensive tour and some more time off, the band recorded their next studio album, "Fear of the Dark", which was released in 1992. The title track is now a regular fixture in the band's concert setlists. Achieving their third No. 1 in the UK albums chart and No. 12 on the "Billboard 200", the release also included the No. 2 single "Be Quick or Be Dead", the No. 21 single "From Here to Eternity", "Wasting Love" and pacifistic anthem "Afraid to Shoot Strangers", which is based on the 1990–91 Gulf War. The album featured the first songwriting by Gers, and no collaboration at all between Harris and Dickinson on songs. The extensive worldwide tour that followed included their first-ever Latin American leg (12 stadium and arena shows after a single concert during the World Slavery Tour), and headlining the Monsters of Rock festivals in seven European countries: UK, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland and Sweden. Iron Maiden's second performance at Donington Park, for a sold-out audience of 75,000 (the attendance was capped after the incident in 1988), was filmed for the audio and video release "Live at Donington" and featured a guest appearance by Adrian Smith, who joined the band to perform "Running Free". Christian organisations prevented Iron Maiden from performing in Chile and accused musicians of being "emissaries of satanic propaganda".


title: Iron Maiden

text: Fear of the Dark Tour 1992 included 66 concerts played on five continents for well over a million fans. The band presented a powerful and elaborated lighting rig (over 1000 lamps and lasers) and scenery partly reminiscent of the 1980s. The setting of the Monsters of Rock concerts was completed by the huge Eddie crowning the stage and screens. Iron Maiden made their first appearance in Iceland and returned to Oceania after a seven-year hiatus. The tour in Japan was the largest in the history of the group. The tour witnessed the personal conflicts between Bruce Dickinson and rest of the band.


title: Iron Maiden

text: In 1993, Bruce Dickinson left the band to further pursue his solo career, but agreed to remain for a farewell tour and two live albums (later re-released in one package): the first, "A Real Live One", was released in March 1993 and featured songs from 1986 to 1992, and the second, "A Real Dead One", was released after Dickinson had left the band and featured songs from 1980 to 1984. The tour did not go well, with Steve Harris claiming that Dickinson would only perform properly for high-profile shows, and that at several concerts, he would only mumble into the microphone. Dickinson denied that he was under-performing, stating that it was impossible to "make like Mr. Happy Face if the vibe wasn't right", and that news of his exit from the band had prevented any chance of a good atmosphere during the tour. On 1 May 1993, the band performed at the "Primo Maggio Free Festival" in Rome, Piazza San Giovanni. According to different sources, the crowd was estimated between 500,000 and 1 million people. The band toured an extensive Italian leg and visited Russia for the very first time, playing three consecutive nights at Moscow's Olympic Stadium. Bruce Dickinson played his farewell show with Iron Maiden on 28 August 1993. The show was filmed, broadcast by the BBC and released on video under the name "Raising Hell".


title: Iron Maiden

text: In 1994, the title track from "Fear of the Dark" album received a Grammy Awards nomination for "Best Metal Performance", a first for Iron Maiden. The band listened to hundreds of tapes sent in by vocalists before convincing Blaze Bayley, formerly of the band Wolfsbane, who had supported Iron Maiden in 1990, to audition for them. Harris' preferred choice from the outset, Bayley had a different vocal style from his predecessor and ultimately received a mixed reception among fans.


title: Iron Maiden

text: After a three-year hiatus from studio releases – a record for the band at the time – Iron Maiden returned in 1995. Releasing their next studio album, "The X Factor", the band had their lowest chart position since 1981 for an album in the UK (debuting at No. 8). The album would go on to win "Album of the Year" awards in France, Spain and Germany. After more than 10 years of Iron Maiden's constant domination in the readers' polls of Kerrang! magazine, the band's founder Steve Harris received the prestigious "Kerrang Kreativity Award". The record included the 11-minute epic "Sign of the Cross", the band's longest song since "Rime of the Ancient Mariner", as well as the singles "Man on the Edge" (based on the film "Falling Down") and "Lord of the Flies", based on the novel of the same name. The release is notable for its "dark" tone, inspired by Steve Harris' divorce. The band toured for the rest of 1995 and 1996, playing for the first time in Israel and South Africa; Malta, Bulgaria, Romania in Europe; and ending in the Americas. The biggest show of the whole tour was a headline appearance for 60,000 people at the Monsters of Rock festival in São Paulo, Brazil.


title: Iron Maiden

text: Generally, Iron Maiden booked smaller venues, including clubs, theatres and mid-size arenas, especially in the States. The band played in stadiums and large arenas in South America and resurged with mainstream popularity in Greece. The stage production was smaller than previous years but included many elements Iron Maiden were famous for: two Eddies, mobile lighting rig, conceptual stage set or backdrops. "The X Factor" sold 1.3 million copies, the lowest sales result since 1981. After the tour, Iron Maiden released a compilation album, "Best of the Beast". The band's first compilation, it included a new single, "Virus", in which the lyrics attack the critics, who had recently written off the band. Initially, the musicians planned to release a video compilation but quit due to the unsatisfying quality of available video remastering.


title: Iron Maiden

text: In 1998, Iron Maiden released "Virtual XI", whose chart scores were the band's lowest to date, failing to score 1 million worldwide sales for the first time in the band's history. The album peaked at No. 16 in the UK, the band's lowest for a new studio record. At the same time, Steve Harris assisted in remastering the band's entire discography, up to and including "Live at Donington" (which was given a mainstream release for the first time). "Virtual XI" features the singles "The Angel and the Gambler" and "Futureal", as well as epic opus entitled "Clansman" and the power ballad "Como Estais Amigos", which is dedicated to all of the people who died in Falklands War. "Futureal" stood for two weeks at the first position on US Metal Radio charts.


title: Iron Maiden

text: Prior to the album's release, the band organised a publicity tour in which they held football matches in different European countries with some guest musicians and pro-footballers from the UK and Europe. Following the more "back to the basics" stage sets that they had been using following 1988's Seventh Tour of a Seventh Tour, they returned to a conception of an elaborate stage set. The musicians and management stated Virtual XI World Tour would bring a "massive show, with huge production, including stadium-levelling amounts of pyro". They also announced the participation of Dave Lights, who did their lighting and effects in the 1980s. Management booked more mid-size arenas and stadiums in Latin America, including a headline show at the Monsters of Rock festival in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as the final show of the tour. Finally, the band used bigger backdrops, more elaborate lighting rigs, a conceptual stage set and an inflatable Eddie head and hands, which embraced both sides of the stage. Fans did not see pyrotechnics and the kind of production comparable with '80s monumental stage sets as it was previously announced. The tour was a big disappointment, both to the band and the fans.


title: Iron Maiden

text: Bayley's tenure in Iron Maiden ended in January 1999 when he was asked to leave during a band meeting. The dismissal took place due to issues Bayley had experienced with his voice during the Virtual XI World Tour, although Janick Gers stated that this was partly the band's fault for forcing him to perform songs pitched outside the natural range of his voice.


title: Iron Maiden

text: While the group were considering a replacement for Bayley, Rod Smallwood convinced Steve Harris to invite Bruce Dickinson back into the band. Although Harris admitted that he "wasn't really into it" at first, he then thought, "'Well, if the change happens, who should we get?' The thing is, we know Bruce and we know what he's capable of, and you think, 'Well, better the devil you know.' I mean, we got on well professionally for, like, eleven years, and so ... after I thought about it, I didn't really have a problem with it."


title: Iron Maiden

text: The band entered into talks with Dickinson, who agreed to rejoin during a meeting in Brighton in January 1999, along with guitarist Adrian Smith, who was telephoned a few hours later. With Gers, Smith's replacement, remaining, Iron Maiden now had a three-guitar line-up (called "The Three Amigos"), and embarked on a hugely successful reunion tour. Dubbed The Ed Hunter Tour, it tied in with the band's newly released greatest hits collection, "Ed Hunter", whose track listing was decided by a poll on the group's website, and also contained a computer game of the same name starring the band's mascot. The 1999 reunion tour was the biggest enterprise in terms of production since Fear of the Dark Tour 1992. The band visited North America and several European countries to present the conceptual show inspired by scenes from the game. Iron Maiden used a two-part stage related to graphics from the promoted game, three movable screens surrounded by light ramps, projectors, huge backdrops, pyrotechnics (for the first time since 1988), colourful props, visuals and two types of Eddie in the version known from the game. The equipment travelled in seven huge trucks.


title: Iron Maiden

text: One of Dickinson's primary concerns on rejoining the group "was whether we would in fact be making a real state-of-the-art record and not just a comeback album," which eventually took the form of 2000's "Brave New World". Having disliked the results from Harris' personal studio, Barnyard Studios located on his property in Essex, which had been used for the last four Iron Maiden studio albums, the band recorded the new release at Guillaume Tell Studios in Paris, France in November 1999 with producer Kevin Shirley. New release was promoted by two singles "The Wicker Man" and "Out of the Silent Planet", both of them achieving success on the UK singles chart. Thematic influences continued with "The Wicker Man" – based on the 1973 British cult film of the same name – and "Brave New World" – a title taken from the Aldous Huxley novel of the same name. The album furthered the more progressive and melodic sound present in some earlier recordings, with elaborate song structures and keyboard orchestration. The album was a commercial and an artistic success and is considered a modern classic alongside the band's releases from the '80s. "Brave New World" charted at No. 7 in the UK Album Charts and No. 39 on the "Billboard 200" and Top 5 in many other territories, and eventually went Gold and Platinum in a dozen other countries worldwide. The album re-established the band as a "metal powerhouse".


title: Iron Maiden

text: The reunion world tour that followed consisted of well over 100 dates (including 31 shows of the 1999 tour), and culminated on 19 January 2001 in a show at the Rock in Rio festival in Brazil, where Iron Maiden played to an audience of over 250,000. While the performance was being produced for a CD and a highly successful DVD release in March 2002, under the name "Rock in Rio", the band took a year off from touring, during which they played three consecutive shows at Brixton Academy in aid of former drummer Clive Burr, who had recently announced that he had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The band performed two further concerts for Burr's MS Trust Fund charity in 2005, and 2007, before his death in 2013.


title: Iron Maiden

text: During the 2000–2002 tour, Iron Maiden played 91 shows for over two million people in 33 countries. The band visited big arenas, stadiums and performed at the biggest festivals. The world tour dubbed "Metal 2000 Tour" was a great undertaking, the main aim of which was to restore the concert glory of the band from the '80s. Iron Maiden used a huge lighting rig with moving parts and 600 lamps, pyrotechnics, a walking Eddie and a large wicker Eddie with dancers in the center, a burning cross lifting Bruce Dickinson up, alongside backdrops and conceptual scenery related to the "Brave New World" album cover illustration. In addition to their touring success, the band were nominated twice for the annual Grammy Awards and received the International Achievement Award at the 2001 Ivor Novello Awards, in recognition of Maiden's reign as one of Great Britain's biggest musical exports Iron Maiden was hailed as the most successful British metal group on British Channel 4, and "The Number of the Beast" album was included in the prestigious Eagle Vision's "Classic Albums" series. In 2001 the band won a gong at the "Online Music Awards Germany" in the category, "Best Artist Website".


title: Iron Maiden

text: In November 2002, Iron Maiden released their third "best of" compilation "Edward the Great", and a limited edition of a very special collector's metal casket entitled "Eddie's Archive". The special box included three double CDs: "BBC Archives", "Beast over Hammersmith" and "Best of the 'B' Sides" with unique live recordings from Reading Festivals 1980 and 1982, Donington's Monsters of Rock Festival 1988, BBC Rock Friday 1979, songs from B-sides of particular singles and a live recording of London's Hammersmith Odeon 1982 in its entirety. As special fan souvenir, the box included a parchment scroll with the band's family tree (by Pete Frame), a customised shot glass and a metal ring.


title: Iron Maiden

text: In June 2003 Iron Maiden released a double DVD promo-video compilation entitled "Visions of the Beast," which went multi-platinum worldwide. At the same period, the band began a promotional tour for the new DVD and forthcoming album. The summer leg of the tour's run was entitled the Give Me Ed... 'Til I'm Dead Tour and included 57 shows in Europe and North America. They played indoor arenas, stadiums, American amphitheaters and headlined large festivals such as Roskilde, Heineken Jammin' Festival, Rock am Ring and Rock im Park (combined attendance of 130,000) and the first Download Festival held at Donington Park as a successor to Monsters of Rock. The Spanish leg of the 2003 tour spanned nine shows, with 160,000 fans in attendance. This was the most successful attendance record for the band in that territory in band's career. 28 more shows were played in Europe to 720,000 fans and Iron Maiden visited the US and Canada to play 29 shows for the hundreds of thousands of people. Fans were treated to classic material, alongside the brand new song "Wildest Dreams", the first promotional single from the forthcoming studio album. The tour was another visual attraction, the stage set and theme referring to the most popular incarnations of Eddie along with all the lighting effects and pyrotechnics fans had come to expect. There was also a public lobotomy of the group's mascot taking place during the song "Iron Maiden".


title: Iron Maiden

text: Following their Give Me Ed... 'Til I'm Dead Tour in the summer of 2003, Iron Maiden released "Dance of Death", their thirteenth studio album, which was met with worldwide critical and commercial success. The album reached No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 18 on the "Billboard 200". Produced by Kevin Shirley, now the band's regular producer, many critics felt that this release matched up to their earlier efforts, such as "Killers", "Piece of Mind" and "The Number of the Beast". As usual, historical, and literary references were present, with "Montségur" in particular, focussing on the Cathar stronghold conquered in 1244, and "Paschendale" relating to the significant battle which took place during the First World War. The album features the successful singles "Wildest Dreams" and "Rainmaker", alongside the epic title track and live favourite "No More Lies". No More Lies was released as an EP on 29 March 2004 and featured the track alongsided an orchestral version of Paschendale and an 'electric' version of the song "Journeyman". "Journeyman", a departure for the band, featured on the album as a mostly acoustic ballad, something that had not been attempted since the song "Prodigal Son" had appeared on "Killers" in 1982. The album also touted the first ever song composed by drummer Nicko McBrain entitled "The New Frontier". The band recorded the album at London's Sarm West Studios which they used again for the following album in 2006.


title: Iron Maiden

text: The Dance of Death Tour 2003–04 began in September 2003 and was the band's most theatrical tour to date. The stage portrayed a medieval castle with an opening gates, Grim Reaper statues on either side of the stage, large towers, and two versions of Eddie as the ominous Grim Reaper character. Bruce Dickinson used many props and costumes, such as a sinister black coat, carnival masks, a throne, and a World War I uniform and helmet. During the performance of "Paschendale", fans witnessed the stage being transformed into a battlefield, with deceased soldier mannequins, trenches, barbed wire and barricades, and the lighting system imitating flashes of explosions that echoed through the powerful sound system. Iron Maiden played 53 shows visiting European indoor arenas, North America, Latin American stadiums and Japan. During the tour, members of the band took a part in charity football events called Music Soccer Six. In 2004 Iron Maiden received the Special Achievement Award at the Nordoff-Robbins Silver Clef awards. During the album tour, the band's performance at Westfalenhalle, in Dortmund, Germany, was recorded and released in August 2005 as a live album and DVD, entitled "Death on the Road".


title: Iron Maiden

text: In 2005, the band announced the Eddie Rips Up the World Tour, which, tying in with their 2004 DVD entitled "", only featured material from their first four albums and was the first of three retrospective tours in the "History of Iron Maiden" series referring to the '80s. As part of this celebration of their earlier years, "The Number of the Beast" single was re-released and went straight to No. 3 in the UK Chart. The tour included many headlining stadium and festival dates, including a performance at Ullevi Stadium in Sweden to an audience of almost 60,000. This concert was also broadcast live on satellite television all over Europe to approximately 60 million viewers. The tour was the first step in transforming the reborn Iron Maiden into a stadium-size band. The stage production was larger than ever before and reflected the visual elements from the tours promoting the group's first four albums. The band used more backdrops, several incarnations of Eddie, and a more powerful lighting rig with triangular ramps, trusses and pyrotechnics.


title: Iron Maiden

text: Following this run of European shows, the band co-headlined the US festival tour, Ozzfest, with Black Sabbath. An average Ozzfest concert attendance was estimated at 30,000 people. The San Bernardino show before 50,000 fans earned international press coverage after it was sabotaged by singer Ozzy Osbourne's family, who took offence to Dickinson's remarks about reality television, in what became known as "The Eggfest Incident". The band completed the tour by headlining the Reading and Leeds Festivals on 26–28 August, and the RDS Stadium in Ireland on 31 August. For the second time, the band played a charity show for The Clive Burr MS Trust Fund, which took place at the Hammersmith Apollo. That same year, the band were inducted into the Hollywood RockWalk on Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles. In the same period, Iron Maiden were inducted into the "Kerrang! Hall of Fame".


title: Iron Maiden

text: At the end of 2005, Iron Maiden began work on "A Matter of Life and Death", their fourteenth studio album, released in autumn 2006. While not a concept album, war and religion are recurring themes in the lyrics, as well as in the cover artwork. The release was a critical and commercial success, earning the band their first top ten on the "Billboard" 200 and debuting at number one in the album charts of 13 countries The new effort featured the singles, "Different World" and "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg", but the album itself grabbed critical attention for its focus on dark themes and reflections on the futility of war. It was also noted for progressive compositions such as "Brighter Than a Thousand Suns", "The Longest Day", "For the Greater Good of God" and "The Legacy". Among many accolades, Maiden's fourteenth album received the Album of the Year award at the 2006 "Classic Rock" Roll of Honour Awards.


title: Iron Maiden

text: A supporting tour followed, during which they played the album in its entirety; response to this was mixed. Iron Maiden played in North America, Japan and Europe selling out indoor arenas everywhere. They played multiple shows in venues such as the Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London, Forum di Assago in Milano, and Globen Arena in Stockholm or Hartwall Arena in Helsinki. The setting of the 2006–07 tour was an extension of the ideas accompanying the presentation of the song "Paschendale" from the Dance of Death tour. The stage set resembled a battlefield fortification featuring sand bags, barricades, trenches and the like. Movable light ramps were covered with camouflage netting and khaki fabric. There were also uniformed paratrooper mannequins woven into the scene. Additional lighting was also used, and at the climax of the show, the set turned into a huge moving tank.


title: Iron Maiden

text: The second part of the "A Matter of Life and Death" tour, which took place in 2007, was dubbed "A Matter of the Beast" to celebrate the 25th anniversary of "The Number of the Beast" album's release, and included appearances at several major festivals and stadiums worldwide. The tour opened in the Middle East with the band's first ever performance in Dubai at the Dubai Desert Rock Festival for 25,000 people, after which they played to over 40,000 people at the Bangalore Palace Grounds, marking the first concert by any major heavy metal band in the Indian sub-continent.


title: Iron Maiden

text: The band went on to play a string of European dates, including an appearance at Download Festival, their fourth headline performance at Donington Park, to approximately 80,000 people. Iron Maiden performed at Olympic Stadium (Rome) in Rome, Bazaly Stadium in Ostrava, Lokomotiv Stadium in Sofia, Sudweststadion in Ludwigshafen, Fair Arena in Belgrade, Bezigrad Stadion in Ljubjana, and played shows in the big indoor arenas of Düsseldorf and Athens. Finally, the band headlined the BBK Live Festival in Bilbao, Graspop Metal Meeting in Dessel, Fields of Rock Festival in Biddinghuizen, and the Heineken Jammin Festival in Venice. On 24 June they ended the tour with a performance at London's Brixton Academy in aid of The Clive Burr MS Trust fund.


title: Iron Maiden

text: The four consecutive world tours, two successful studio albums and three DVD releases cemented Iron Maiden's status as the one of the most relevant and successful metal bands in the world. During the period of 2003–2007, Iron Maiden released two studio albums and played 215 shows to combined audience estimated at five million people.


title: Iron Maiden

text: On 5 September 2007, the band announced their Somewhere Back in Time World Tour, which tied in with the DVD release of their "Live After Death" album. The setlist for the tour consisted of successes from the 1980s, with a specific emphasis on the "Powerslave" era for set design. The first part of the tour, commencing in Mumbai, India on 1 February 2008, consisted of 24 concerts in 21 cities, travelling nearly 50,000 miles in the band's own chartered aeroplane, named "Ed Force One". They played their first ever concerts in Costa Rica and Colombia and their first shows in Australia and Puerto Rico since 1992.


title: Iron Maiden

text: The tour led to the release of a new compilation album, entitled "Somewhere Back in Time", which included a selection of tracks from their 1980 eponymous debut to 1988's "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son", as well as several live versions from "Live After Death". The tour turned out to be the biggest concert undertaking in the group's history so far. Iron Maiden have performed in huge stadiums and arenas in every corner of the world. Only seven concerts in Scandinavia saw over 250,000 viewers gathered at such venues as Ullevi Stadion, Olympiastadion in Stockholm and Helsinki, Ratina Stadion in Finland and Valle Hovin in Oslo. According to Live Nation Scandinavia, the band attracted the largest audience ever for a rock artist in this region of Europe. In 2008–09 in Latin America, the musicians gave as many as 27 concerts for about a million people in total. It was a record for a heavy rock performer.


title: Iron Maiden

text: The Somewhere Back in Time World Tour continued with two further legs in the US and Europe in the summer of 2008, during which the band used a more expansive stage-set, including further elements of the original "Live After Death" show. With the sole UK concert taking place at Twickenham Stadium, this would be the first time the band would headline a stadium in their own country. The three 2008 legs of the tour were remarkably successful; it was the second highest-grossing tour of the year for a British artist.


title: Iron Maiden

text: The last part of the tour took place in February and March 2009, with the band, once again, using "Ed Force One". The final leg included the band's first ever appearances in Peru and Ecuador, as well as their return to Venezuela and New Zealand after 17 years. The band also played another show in India (their third in the country within a span of 2 years) at the Rock in India festival to a crowd of 20,000. At their concert in São Paulo on 15 March, Dickinson announced on stage that it was the largest non-festival show of their career, with an overall attendance of 100,000 people. The final leg ended in Florida on 2 April after which the band took a break. Overall, the tour reportedly had an attendance of over two and a half million people worldwide over both years. At the 2009 Brit Awards, Iron Maiden won the award for best British live act. Voted for by the public, the band reportedly won by a landslide.