Most of the members of the original Iron Maiden lineup reunited recently for the first time in more than four decades.
Band founder and bassist Steve Harris reconnected with the group's first singer, Paul Mario Day, and guitarists Dave Sullivan and Terry Rance; missing from the photo opportunity was drummer Ron "Rebel" Matthews.
“The gang almost all together since 1976, or thereabouts,” posted Day on Facebook alongside a photo of the lineup (as pictured below). “I cannot begin to tell you how good it feels. Tonight will burned in my memory for life. I may say more later after I process this evening.”
Harris formed Iron Maiden on Christmas Day in 1975 after leaving his former group, Smiler; the band rehearsed for months before making their official live debut in May of 1976.
The first member to exit Iron Maiden, Day was replaced by Dennis Wilcock, while Sullivan and Rance were gone before the end of the year as Harris temporarily disbanded the project, only to restart it with new addition Dave Murray on guitar.
The UK outfit would go through several more lineup changes before releasing their debut EP, “The Soundhouse Tapes”, in late 1979, and their self-titled album debut the following spring.
Iron Maiden will return to live action this year when they continue their Legacy Of The Beast world tour with a North American leg that will begin in Sunrise, FL on July 18.
The 2019 run will see the band appear in several cities that they haven’t performed in years – including Portland, OR where they last played in 1987 and Hartford, CT, where they last hit in 2005 – and many other places not visited since the 2012/13 Maiden England tour.
See also:
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Iron Maiden announce Legacy Of The Beast North American tour
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Search Iron Maiden at hennemusic
