Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson is a big fan of Ghost banning mobile phones from their concerts.
During an interview with Metal Hammer last year, the vocalist revealed that he attended one of Ghost’s twin concerts at The Forum in Los Angeles in September 2023, where the occult metal band filmed footage for their 2024 concert movie and live album Rite Here Rite Now.
During the shows, mobile phones could be kept on attendees’ person, but had to be placed in magnetically sealed pouches that could only be unlocked by security guards as they left the auditorium. The band will bring the practice back for their impending world tour, which kicks off in April.
Dickinson lauded the mobile phone ban when talking to Hammer, saying he noticed more human interaction and enjoyed being recognised by fans more as they weren’t clamouring for selfies.
“Everybody was talking to each other like human beings!” he said. “I’m sat there, in the normal seats, and the lights are on and people are going past going, ‘Hey, it’s the guy from Iron Maiden!’ They’re waving at me. ‘Hi!’ ‘Cool, hey!’ Job done!
“Had they had a mobile phone, they would have been climbing over old-age pensioners [to take a picture]. The evidence of that was, after the show, everybody got their phones back and the backstage suddenly was like Animal House. Everybody was focussed on the show.”
Dickinson went on to voice his distaste for selfies in general. When asked if he’d rather take a selfie with a fan or sign an autograph, he answered, “Oh, sign an autograph! 100 percent. I find selfies intrusive. You know that old bit about certain tribes used to hate having their picture taken [because they believe] you’re taking part of their soul? I think they have a good point.”
In a recent interview with Planet Rock, Ghost singer/mastermind Tobias Forge explained why the mobile phone ban is returning for their new tour.
“I don’t wanna turn this into an ageist thing where I’m gonna tell 14-year-olds everything was better back then,” he said (via Blabbermouth). “But I swear that the experience of shows and the making of memories, the making of magic, was much more powerful [at the phone-free Los Angeles concerts].
“Some of the best shows I’ve ever been to, I have maybe not even seen a picture from that because they all live here [in my head]. They live in my core. That’s the memory I have of that. And that is an experience I wish for.”
Ghost’s 2025 tour, their first entirely phone-free world tour, will mark the debut of their ‘new’ frontman Papa V Perpetua, again portrayed by Forge. See dates and details below. They’ll release new album Skeletá on April 25 and lead single Satanized is currently streaming.
Maiden are also gearing up for a world tour. Their 50th-anniversary Run For Your Lives shows will kick off with a European leg in the summer. Dates on other continents should be announced soon, with the tour set to extend into 2026. See all confirmed dates and get tickets via the band’s website.
Run For Your Lives will be Maiden’s first tour since 1982 without longtime drummer Nicko McBrain. McBrain, who suffered a mini-stroke in January 2023, retired from the stage late last year and will be replaced live by Simon Dawson, who also plays in bassist Steve Harris’ solo band British Lion.
Ghost 2025 tour dates:
UK:
Apr 15: Manchester AO Arena
Apr 16: Glasgow OVO Hydro
Apr 19: London The O2
Apr 20: Birmingham Utilita Arena
Europe:
Apr 22: Antwerp Sportpaleis, Belgium
Apr 23: Frankfurt Festhalle, Germany
Apr 24: Munich Olympiahalle, Germany
Apr 26: Lyon LDLC Arena, France
Apr 27: Toulouse Zenith Metropole, France
Apr 29: Lisbon MEO Arena, Portugal
Apr 30: Madrid Palacio Vistalegre, Spain
May 03: Zurich AG Hallenstadion, Switzerland
May 04: Milan Unipol Forum, Italy
May 07: Berlin Uber Arena, Germany
May 08: Amsterdam Ziggo Dome, Netherlands
May 10: Lodz Atlas Arena, Poland
May 11: Prague O2 Arena, Czech Republic
May 13: Paris Accor Arena, France
May 14: Oberhausen Rudolph Weber Arena, Germany
May 15: Hannover ZAG Arena, Germany
May 17: Copenhagen Royal Arena, Denmark
May 20: Tampere Nokia Arena, Finland
May 22: Linköping Saab Arena, Sweden
May 23: Sandviken Göransson Arena, Sweden
May 24: Oslo Spektrum, Norway
USA:
Jul 09: Baltimore CFG Bank Arena, MD
Jul 11: Atlanta State Farm Arena, GA
Jul 12: Tampa Amalie Arena, FL
Jul 13: Miami Kaseya Center, FL
Jul 15: Raleigh PNC Arena, NC
Jul 17: Cleveland Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, OH
Jul 18: Pittsburgh PPG Paints Arena, PA
Jul 19: Philadelphia Wells Fargo Center, PA
Jul 21: Boston TD Garden, MA
Jul 22: New York Madison Square Garden, NY
Jul 24: Detroit Little Caesars Arena, MI
Jul 25: Louisville KFC Yum! Center, KY
Jul 26: Nashville Bridgestone Arena, TN
Jul 28: Grand Rapids Van Andel Arena, MI
Jul 29: Milwaukee Fiserv Forum, WI
Jul 30: St Louis Enterprise Center, MO
Aug 01: Rosemont Allstate Arena, IL
Aug 02: Saint Paul Xcel Energy Center, MN
Aug 03: Omaha CHI Health Center, NE
Aug 05: Kansas City T-Mobile Center, MO
Aug 07: Denver Ball Arena, CO
Aug 09: Las Vegas MGM Grand Garden Arena, NV
Aug 10: San Diego Viejas Arena, CA
Aug 11: Phoenix Footprint Center, AZ
Aug 14: Austin Moody Center ATX, TX
Aug 15: Fort Worth Dickies Arena, TX
Aug 16: Houston Toyota Center, TX
Mexico:
Sep 24: Mexico City Palacio De Los Deportes