Iron Maiden will be inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on November 14th in Los Angeles, but the heavy metal legends will not be in attendance at the ceremony. The band will be on the Australia/New Zealand leg of the Run for Your Lives World Tour this November and do not wish to interrupt the shows.
Confirmed in an exclusive statement to Billboard, manager Rod Smallwood said the band “made it very clear to the R&R HoF that the fans always come first and that the shows will of course go on.”
Iron Maiden has been eligible for the Rock Hall honor since 2005 and have been nominated twice over the years. The band will finally be inducted in 2026, but they will not be there to accept the honor.
The news comes after comments from frontman Bruce Dickinson critiquing the Rock Hall. During a Q&A on his spoken word tour in 2018, a fan asked Dickinson if he thought Iron Maiden should be inducted into the Hall Of Fame. Dickinson said “absolutely” but added that be believes “the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is an utter and complete load of bollocks.”
But the band has emphasized the duty to their fans in skipping the ceremony. Earlier this week, in the post acknowledging the induction, Smallwood wrote, “Iron Maiden have always been about our relationship with our fans above anything else, including awards and industry accolades.” But he also wrote that “it’s always nice to be recognised and honoured for any achievements within the music industry too!”
Smallwood pointed out that it “seems appropriate for the band to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year as [they] continue [their] 50th anniversary celebrations with our Run For Your Lives World Tour.”
Highlights from the Run For Your Lives World Tour include their headline show in Knebworth which they have dubbed “EddFest” after the band’s mascot, Eddie. They will be supported at the July 11 show by The Darkness, The Hu, Airbourne and The Almighty.
The Australia/New Zealand leg of the tour begins on November 7 at the Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. They’ll be supported on the run by Megadeath. Iron Maiden head to Australia on November 11 at the Adelaide Entertainment Center and continue there until November 19. It will be the band’s eighth tour of Australia and New Zealand. And in the statement to Billboard, Smallwood assured that these shows “will remain unaffected” by the date conflict with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
Other Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2026 inductees include New Order/Joy Division, Oasis, Sade, Billy Idol, Phil Collins, Sade, Wu-Tang Clan and Luther Vandross.
Peter Hook, bassist of New Order, confirmed he’ll be attending in a thank-you video to fans after the induction announcement. He dedicated the honor to Ian Curtis and “all our fans of both bands.” He wrote in the caption “see you at the ceremony…” No other members of New Order have yet confirmed they will attend.
Liam Gallagher of Oasis also confirmed he would attend after his past comments in critique of the Rock Hall. It was on advice from his mother, he wrote on X, that he “may have been a little hasty with [his] perception of the organization.”
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2026 Induction ceremony will take place at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles on Saturday 14 November. In December, a recording will air on Disney+ and ABC.
