Iron Maiden have performed all around the world, in among the nice venues, in opposition to the backdrop of the world’s most opulent cities. They’ve been doing it for the higher a part of 4 a long time and, regardless of the actual fact no one is getting any youthful, they present no indicators of stopping.
And in addition, they play music.
As a result of whereas the world is aware of them as heavy steel stalwarts with 17 studio albums, greater than 130 million document gross sales and hundreds of live shows through the years, they’re additionally a soccer workforce.
It began within the Nineteen Eighties and, through the years, the band have paired their world excursions with video games all around the globe, taking part in in among the world’s nice soccer cities: Barcelona, Dortmund, Rio de Janeiro, Leicester.
The workforce is comprised of band members, the crew, admin workers, mates, household — anybody loosely linked with Iron Maiden who fancies a recreation, actually.
And partly as a result of they generally must make up the numbers and partly as a result of, nicely, they’re Iron Maiden and so they can, the workforce have drafted in loads of fairly useful ringers through the years. West Ham United legend Paolo Di Canio; former Czech Republic internationals Karel Poborsky, Patrik Berger and Vladimir Smicer; former Argentina ahead Claudio Caniggia; former Brazil team-mates Djalminha and Ze Elias; former England captain Terry Butcher and plenty of extra have performed for and in opposition to Staff Maiden. However there’s one man who isn’t a lot a ringer as a stalwart now.
Colin Hendry made greater than 500 league appearances in a 20-year profession, throughout which he gained the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers and the Scottish Premier League with Rangers.
He had been going to Iron Maiden reveals for years. “I’ve nonetheless bought the programme with the ticket stub (from his first live performance) in 1980,” Hendry tells The Athletic. “We’d go to the gig, get the programme, grasp round to get an autograph from the band. I’ve bought a programme from the 1982 world tour signed by the entire band.”
He retired from the skilled recreation in 2003, however about 9 years in the past, he discovered a brand new workforce.
“I had met somebody who labored for the band in a resort and he simply mentioned, ‘If you happen to ever fancy a recreation, tell us’. I believe the primary recreation I performed was in Manchester, then I went to the live performance afterwards. Each time they might be taking part in within the UK, they might name and I’d say, ‘Yep, I’ll get there’, so I used to be travelling throughout.”
The video games themselves have been happening for nearly so long as the band have, the driving power behind them being Steve Harris, Iron Maiden’s bass participant, founder and, maybe most significantly for these functions, a fanatical West Ham fan.
“We began having correct organised video games within the early Nineteen Eighties,” he says. “We performed matches in opposition to different bands, just like the Scorpions, we beat Def Leppard 4-2 — I scored 4 targets that day so I keep in mind it very nicely.”
Harris is a helpful participant: a striker with a candy left foot, he was on West Ham’s books as an adolescent however music proved to be a extra interesting profession path. He went to his first Hammers recreation in 1965 when he was 9: Geoff Hurst scored a hat-trick in opposition to Newcastle United, they had been 3-0 up at half-time however, in “regular West Ham style”, it was 4-3 with a couple of minutes to go and so they solely simply clung on to the win.
“A lifetime of distress…” laughs Harris, in a tone that we’re all acquainted with — wishing we had made completely different decisions but in addition thanking the day we made this selection. The Maiden workforce has a West Ham-inspired package and, on stage, Harris has the membership’s emblem on his bass whereas carrying claret-and-blue sweatbands. Run to the Hills, in all probability the band’s best-known tune, is performed at half-time on the London Stadium.
Harris is 67 however normally completes the 90 minutes of the video games. “Lots of people suppose that being a musician, I’m going to be working down the wing with a beer in a single hand and a fag within the different, however I don’t drink a lot and I’ve by no means smoked.”
The way in which it usually works is that, when the small print of a tour are confirmed, Harris and a few the band’s administration workers will have a look at the itinerary and work out the place they will slot in video games. They’ll converse to native promoters and work out what kind of workforce they will organize a recreation in opposition to, then go about recruiting gamers if required. That’s the place the superstar ringers are available, usually locals; for instance, their most up-to-date tour rolled into Prague and that’s when Poborsky, Smicer and Berger performed.
“There’s a WhatsApp group,” says Hendry. “They listing the live shows and the international locations in there and say, ‘Which video games are you able to play in?’. I performed in six or seven of the video games this summer time. Each time I could make it, I’m there.”
And from there, a workforce is cobbled collectively. Harris’ son, George, whose band The Raven Age has supported Maiden on some current excursions, performs as nicely. Steve Harris is the one precise member of the band who performs nowadays: Bruce Dickinson used to hitch in however the worry of getting an damage was too nice for the frontman. Strive explaining to an area stuffed with expectant Iron Maiden followers that the present goes to be a bit completely different tonight as a result of the singer pulled a hamstring whereas gegenpressing.
They’re basically a cross between a veterans XI and the world’s best-travelled Sunday league workforce, if the Sunday league workforce represented one of the vital profitable rock bands of all time.
“At my age, 57, I’m moderately blissful I can nonetheless do it, nonetheless run round for 90 minutes,” says Hendry. “I simply adore it.
“It’s aggressive. We’re at it for 90 minutes. It’s gone precisely the best way I need it as an ex-pro: you put together your self the perfect you’ll be able to earlier than the sport, you play, the referee will get a little bit of stick, and it’s completed the fitting manner. It needs to be like that as a result of in any other case, what’s the purpose? It’s correct.”
Harris and Hendry crafted careers most can be jealous of, however each at the moment are dwelling one other dream with the Maiden workforce.
“Ian Bishop (the previous West Ham captain) as soon as mentioned to me, ‘You’ve performed in opposition to higher gamers and in additional incredible locations than I did’,” says Harris. “We’ve performed in opposition to, and with, some unbelievable gamers.”
The consensus appears to be that Poborsky is the ex-pro they’ve performed with who was probably the most dazzling skill-wise, however, clearly, Harris’ favorite was a former West Ham nice.
“It was an absolute dream of mine to play in the identical workforce as Paolo Di Canio. He had solely simply left West Ham at the moment — he had performed a yr for Charlton, then he went again to Italy.
“He handed to me and I scored, so it was even higher. Moments like that… they’re simply unbelievable actually. I may name-drop all day lengthy as a result of I’ve performed with or in opposition to so many superb gamers. If you’ve bought good gamers round you want that — so long as you’ll be able to entice a ball and move a ball, you’re going to look alright.”
Sometimes, some groups take it just a little too significantly, like one recreation in Eindhoven a number of years in the past. “We had been 1-0 up and after quarter-hour they subbed off the ten outfield gamers, which they did each quarter-hour,” remembers Hendry. “I used to be like, ‘What the fuck’s happening right here?’. That was a full-on, correct runaround. We bought beat 6-4, however we had been actually taking part in two groups.”
Harris’ love of the sport — and, extra particularly, West Ham — has helped recruit a number of new followers, too. “We’ve had numerous Maiden followers begin following West Ham due to us. The Scandinavian West Ham supporters’ membership made me an honorary member as a result of they bought into West Ham by way of Maiden.
“I don’t suppose they realised for a few years how a lot we unfold the gospel out into the world. We’ve individuals all around the world flip as much as gigs in West Ham colors.”
Finally, although, it’s simply nice enjoyable. Why else would they’ve been doing it for all these years? Why else would Harris hold taking part in full matches, then go and play a gig at 67? Why else would Hendry journey far and broad to hitch in?
They’ve performed at Barcelona’s coaching floor, Borussia Dortmund’s, too. Bebeto got here to look at one recreation in Brazil however couldn’t play attributable to a again damage. Harris gave a referee some stick within the Netherlands. Issues have gotten just a little spicy at some video games in Germany through the years.
“It’s the music that I like,” says Hendry, who nonetheless can’t fairly imagine he’s mates together with his favorite band. “It’s like being a giant child in a candy store and having the ability to select no matter you need. Even on the age of 57, I’m simply delighted to be concerned and to be requested alongside.”
(Prime picture: Hendry vs West Ham United, left, and Harris launches West Ham package collaboration with Pablo Zabaleta in 2019; by Jimmy Griffiths/John McMurtrie/ Iron Maiden)