Metal fans finally got their wish last week when Iron Maiden, global icons of the genre, were finally inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. Maiden, Phil Collins, Billy Idol, Joy Division/New Order, Oasis, Sade, Luther Vandross and Wu-Tang Clan were announced as this year’s main honorees.
“Induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame is music’s highest honor,” John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, said in a statement. “We look forward to celebrating these remarkable artists at this year’s ceremony — it’s going to be an unforgettable night.”
Maiden fans were quick to point out, however, that the band will be on tour in Australia when the November 14 ceremony takes place in Los Angeles, and band manager Rod Smallwood confirmed in an e-mail to Billboard that the metal legends will be unable to attend.
“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 & Roll Hall Of Fame in Los Angeles,” Smallwood wrote. “In accepting, Iron Maiden made it very clear to the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame that the fans always come first and that the shows will, of course, go on. We would like to assure all our fans in Australasia that the Australian and New Zealand dates will remain unaffected and we look forward to bringing the ‘Run For Your Lives’ tour to them on the penultimate stop of our 50th-anniversary celebrations.”
