Why Iron Maiden Is Skipping Their Long-Awaited Rock And Roll Hall of Fame Induction
Fans have been waiting for decades for Iron Maiden to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and now that it's finally happening, the band is skipping the highly anticipated induction event. Here's why.
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"As the most observant have already noticed, the band will be on tour in Australia around the November date of the Induction ceremony for the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in Los Angeles," manager Rod Smallwood told Billboard in a statement on April 16.
The induction is scheduled for Nov. 14 in Los Angeles, just one week after the Australian leg of the tour kicks off on Nov. 7 in Auckland, and smack dab between the shows in Melbourne and Sydney on Nov. 13 and 15, so there was no way to make both work.
"We would like to assure all our fans in Australasia that the Australian and New Zealand dates will remain unaffected," he added. "We look forward to bringing the Run For Your Lives Tour to them on the penultimate stop of our 50th anniversary celebrations."
So, is there beef with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for not attending? Smallwood insists it's all good. "In accepting, Iron Maiden made it very clear to the R&R HoF that the fans always come first and that the shows will of course go on," he said.
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After forming in East London in 1975, it took the band-currently featuring Steve Harris, Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, Bruce Dickinson, Nicko McBrain, and Janick Gers-46 years to even be nominated for the honor. After noms in 2021 and 2023, the metal legends finally joined the inductee class of 2026.
This will only be the eighth time Iron Maiden has made the trip down under during their half-century in the music industry, so fans are surely relieved that nothing is going to derail it.
This year is a huge milestone for the band, who will also get their own documentary, Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition, released in theaters on May 7, 2026.
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This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 9:20 AM.