Iron Maiden’s concert at Paris’s La Défense Arena on Monday was stopped about 50 minutes in after a widespread power outage hit the city. The band had planned the show as a phone-free performance to film material for a future concert movie, but the blackout interrupted it near the end of "Minutes to Midnight." When power returned, the venue was allowed to stay loud until 11:35 p.m. instead of 11:00 p.m., but the local transport cutoff at 12:15 a.m. meant the show could not be resumed long enough to finish the set.
As a result, three songs were dropped from the setlist: "Aces High," "Fear Of The Dark" and "Wasted Years." Singer Bruce Dickinson said, "Despite everything, the crowd and atmosphere last night were fantastic," and added that the missing songs would be worked into the encore when the final film is assembled. He also said, "No one is more frustrated than the band and crew," especially because many fans had traveled long distances and waited patiently during the interruption.
The band said the Paris arena was chosen specifically for filming, after two sold-out shows there last year drew 37,000 people. Dickinson said the memory that would last most from the night was "the amazing spirit inside the arena," and thanked fans for their patience, understanding and support in what he called a particularly difficult situation.
French daily Le Figaro reported that authorities are checking whether the outage was linked to the severe heat wave. Manager Rod Smallwood said the city reached about 44 degrees Celsius that day, and the power cut also disabled the arena’s air conditioning. France24 reported that about 68,000 households in France lost power because of the extreme weather, Tuesday became the hottest day ever recorded in the country, and the Eiffel Tower and Louvre reduced visiting hours while transport was disrupted. The band had earlier told fans that the standing area would be kept phone-free for the Run For Your Lives tour film, with devices locked in pouches at entry and reopened on exit. The tour continues Wednesday in Copenhagen and ends July 11 at Knebworth House, where the group will play Eddfest.
