Top 10 Iron Maiden Songs Never To Appear in a Setlist That Should

Iron Maiden could arguably be the greatest heavy metal band in history, and many would agree with that. The band also puts on some of the best shows around the world. One thing that I always thought is the let down about Iron Maiden is their setlists. Now, I do not think Iron Maiden has ever made a bad song, but I think after a nearly 40 year history at the time of writing this, and after reviewing all of their tours and setlists, it gets boring hearing the same songs on every tour. How many times do we need to hear Fear of the Dark, Hallowed Be Thy Name, Number of the Beast, and Run to the Hills live before it gets old. I know many people love these songs and some might blast me for expressing this, but Iron Maiden has many songs that nearly any fan loves that have never appeared in a setlist or maybe only once, like The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner. That is what we are going to discuss today, 10 Iron Maiden songs that deserve to appear more often in live shows.

Now I know this is probably not everyone's favorite Maiden song, but I feel this is still a good one and deserves some credit. I think the chorus of the song would make a good encore for the audience to sing to as a closing song. Its not an extravagant song, and it might not be on the top of everyone's ideal setlist, but it would be nice for this song to receive some attention every now and then on a Maiden setlist.

Like Sun and Steel, this is probably not everyone's favorite Maiden song, and most would probably be indifferent to it appearing in a setlist. Why I think this song is important, its the only one from Number of the Beast that has yet to be played, even Invaders showed up a time or two (supposedly in 1992). Additionally, Clive Burr had credit to this song, and it would be a nice tribute to him every now and then. I think the song would make a great encore as well, especially with the chorus. Easy to sing along to, and overall just a nice tune to hear every now and then.

A nice ballad that would be great to hear live every now and then. I know the Fear of the Dark album is not a priority on everyone's list, but I think no Maiden fan would be disappointed to hear this song live at least once. The message is powerful, the vocals are great, and the guitar work is very melodic.

I'm a little surprised Maiden has never used this song in a setlist, it sounds like something that would be apart of their usual catalogue. The song is adventurous, and it builds up to something epic that would make a great start to another phase within a setlist. I do not think any Maiden fan would be disappointed to hear this song live at some point.

Now, I know the Blaze Bayley era is sometimes controversial, but I like his work with Maiden and this song might top it all off. Thankfully, Blaze and his current band play this on tour at every show, but I think it would be interesting to hear Bruce tackle this song at some point. I think its strange that Maiden would dedicate this song to be a single, to never even attempt to play it live at least once. The lyrics are powerful, and are just as relevant today as the time it was written. Its also an unusual song for them, and would be refreshing to hear something different from the current lineup, especially from the Blaze era.

I have heard that this song has never appeared in a Maiden setlist, even at the time it came out, and that is very disappointing, and I think many would agree. Again, its one of those unusual sounding Maiden songs, but I think it would be cool to hear Bruce sing this as well. Not quite sure if Paul Di'Anno has done this song in his solo efforts as well, but it seems strange for this song to be neglected. I would think it would be a fairly simple and more ambient song to appear live, something different from the usual fast beats and high vocals.

I always felt a soft spot for No Prayer for the Dying, even when many may not, but I really love this album, and I think Run Silent Run Deep is the best song on the album. For a band that likes war songs in their setlists, I'm scratching my head wondering why not this song. Its quick, its catchy, its robust, what more could someone want. The topic is great, and pays tribute to merchantmen at sea, and it just plain kicks you in the face. The intro eludes to something big coming, and explodes, which I think audiences would love it.

This is my favorite Iron Maiden song of all time, and this song is definitely the sleeper on the Somewhere in Time album. I know this wouldn't make the top pick on everyone's ideal setlist, but for a song that is only 5 minutes long and relatively simple to play, it deserves some attention every now and then. The chorus of this song makes me tear up every time, and I would gladly pay a pretty penny to hear this song live in person, and I'm sure many might agree with that.

I'm lost as to why this song has never showed up in a setlist, its probably one of Maiden's most powerful songs all around. I know many would love to hear this one live and hear Bruce wail this one out. Its fast paced and melodic, seems like a song that would shake the planet if played live (maybe that's why they do not play it). This easily makes one of my top 5 Maiden songs, easily my favorite off Powerslave, and deserves to be heard live at least once. It would seem like a fitting song for Bruce since he is a fencer after all.

If Iron Maiden did a poll for one particular song to appear on their next setlist, this song would probably be the winner. One of their most epic songs, has never appeared on their setlists. I have heard The Iron Maidens mention Maiden played this once, but have no idea where and when, must have been behind closed doors (probably when they recorded it). I can not think of anyone that would deny the fact that this song needs to be on a tour at some point. I always wondered why on Somewhere on Tour they picked Rime of the Ancient Mariner again over this song, and Maiden had played all the closing songs from every album up until that point. Bruce has eluded to it before, and has mentioned maybe playing it in Greece someday, but who knows at this point. We may or may not hear this song live,but only time will tell.

So what do you think? I think everyone would agree that every Iron Maiden song needs to be played live at least once, but at this point it seems unlikely. For a band of this caliber, its hard to please everyone, but do songs like Fear of the Dark or Hallowed be Thy Name need to show up at every show on every tour? I understand the band probably has typical setlists because its what they know best and have to put little thought with performing it, since they have done it hundreds of times, and honestly, I can't blame them for feeling that way. Performing a few thousand shows I imagine gets old after awhile. If they did songs they haven't played in over 20 to 30 years, they would probably have to re-learn the songs again, and I imagine it gets to a certain point that the band is just plain not interested in that anymore. But, the fact remains, Iron Maiden probably doesn't have many more years to follow, and time is running out to hear some of these epic songs live at least once.