The UK’s Mirror is reporting that Iron Maiden scheduled their current Book Of Souls World Tour around the World Snooker Final. The German leg was halted so drummer Nicko McBrain could fly to Sheffield to watch the championship on Sunday and Monday.

He said, “My manager said to us last year when we were halfway through our tour that we’d be doing a three-month jaunt this year to finish off - with a British tour and a proper American tour and a handful of European shows,” said McBrain.

 “I said, ‘Well, all right mate, there’s one condition: I have to have the Bank Holiday weekend off - the Sunday and Monday’.”

Iron Maiden kicked off their The Book Of Souls Tour 2017 onApril 22nd in at the Sportpalais in Antwerp, Belgium. The band's setlist featured:

“If Eternity Should Fail"
“Speed Of Light"
“Wrathchild"
“Children Of The Damned"
“Death Or Glory"
“The Red And The Black"
“The Trooper"
“Powerslave"
“The Great Unknown"
“The Book Of Souls"
“Fear Of The Dark"
“Iron Maiden"

Encore:
“The Number Of The Beast"
“Blood Brothers"
“Wasted Years”

Check out the new tour intro and a selection of fan-filmed footage from the show below:

Iron Maiden’s The Book Of Souls Tour will continue into Germany, UK and Ireland, finishing with two sold-out shows at London’s 02 arena on May 27th and 28th.

The band then flies to the US for an extensive series of arena and amphitheatre shows including dates in Canada, ending with two nights in Brooklyn, New York on July 21st and 22nd.

Most shows are already sold-out. Go to ironmaiden.com/tours for dates availability.