SPILL LIVE REVIEW: IRON MAIDEN w/ MEGADETH @ SCOTIABANK ARENA, TORONTO

IRON MAIDEN w/ MEGADETH

@ SCOTIABANK ARENA, TORONTO

AUGUST 30, 2026

Iron Maiden has kicked off the North American leg of their Run For Your Lives World Tour in Toronto along with opener Megadeth, on the first of two nights.

Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine is the band’s longest standing member, and he came out with his trademark razor sharp guitar riffs, playing anthems such as “Peace Sells” and “Symphony Of Destruction.” Megadeth is one of ‘The Big Four’ in Thrash music and the audience was certainly reacting in a manner that honoured their place in the Heavy Metal community.

The next song we hear is “Murders In The Rue Morgue” from Iron Maiden’s second album, Killers. It is playing over the same PA system, but when the first verse kicks in, an auditory switch takes place, the house lights are turned off, and it is now Iron Maiden in the flesh playing the same song live. This was a pleasant surprise because it brought a lot of us back to the first era of the band, for those who were there back in the early 80s. The audience is relentless force of dedication with some bringing their kids and grandchildren in the hopes of a legacy preserved.

POWERSLAVE (40th ANNIVERSARY ZOETROPE VINYL EDITION) ALBUM REVIEW

A rare track was played from 1988’s Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son, “Infinite Dreams,” but it was the songs from Powerslave that were celebrated to their full extent and have been playing a major role in the band’s setlists for the past two decades. “Aces High,” “Two Minutes To Midnight,” and the title track were performed, and are big standouts from that record, but for Iron Maiden purists, it is the 13-plus-min classic, “Rime Of The Ancient Mariner,” that holds a special place in their heavy hearts. As the song plays, video animation that reflects Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s inspiration from the original same-titled 1798 classic poem, with ship and albatross visuals intact appears as a backdrop.

The triple axe attack of Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, and Janick Gers delivered classic British guitar harmony perfection, but it is the bass playing of founding member Steve Harris that makes this show a memorable. Lastly, we acknowledge the vocal abilities of an incredible Bruce Dickinson as he delivers theater into this evening’s fantastic performance. He made himself clear about his stance on fascism and how it plays out in the current events of the day with the shout-out “Scream for me Lake Ontario!” An obvious bigger picture standing out is their homeland of Britain, a framework of tradition that appears to be still working with the band and Canada. Brutal honesty, human decency, showmanship, and great songs are what played out at Scotiabank Arena tonight.

Iron Maiden Links

Megadeth Links