Steve Harris has personally booked Blaze Bayley to headline the Friday night Maidenville Stage at EddFest, the Iron Maiden 50th anniversary festival taking place at Knebworth Park on July 11 and 12.
Harris spoke about putting together the festival’s own stage, saying the opportunity to celebrate 50 years of Iron Maiden at Knebworth gave him the chance to bring together friends past and present. He added that he is pleased Blaze is able to join them and perform some of the songs they wrote and recorded together in the 90s, noting that Bayley has been a big part of Iron Maiden‘s career. Harris also revealed that having Gypsy’s Kiss, the very first band he formed back in 1974, on the Maidenville Stage is something that means a great deal to him personally.
Bayley, the voice behind The X Factor and Virtual XI, said he is proud of his two albums with the band and cannot wait to play some of those songs on the hallowed grounds of Knebworth.
The Maidenville Stage Friday lineup is stacked with deep Maiden heritage. Stray, the hard rock and early heavy metal band formed in the late 60s, are on the bill. Their track ‘All in Your Mind’ was famously covered by Iron Maiden and included on the 1995 reissue of No Prayer for the Dying. Maiden United, a Dutch-British project that reinterprets Iron Maiden‘s catalogue in acoustic and progressive styles, will also perform, alongside Airforce, the band formed by original Iron Maiden drummer Doug Sampson. Tony Moore’s Awake, led by early Iron Maiden keyboardist Tony Moore, brings melodic, keyboard-driven rock to the stage, while Hair Metal Glamageddon close out the night with a late set of 80s glam metal singalongs.
Planet Rock will be broadcasting live from Knebworth on Friday and Saturday, with special fan activities throughout the weekend.
A weekend camping ticket is required to access all Friday night entertainment, and also unlocks early access to the Infinite Dreams Museum, Eddie’s Ultimate Dive Bar, the Unfair Funfair, and Eddie’s Emporium and Maidenville Market. Campsites open from midday on Friday July 10.
For anyone who grew up on those 90s Maiden albums or wants to experience the full depth of the band’s history before the main event on Saturday, Friday night at EddFest is looking unmissable.
