Iron Maiden to Board Ed Force One for World Tour

Got a calculator? Iron Maiden will once again board Ed Force One in 2011, eyeing 50,000 global miles on their continued 'Final Frontier' world tour. Starting in February, Maiden are gearing up to play 29 shows in 13 countries across spanning five continents -- with one Bruce Dickinson in the cockpit, pulling double duty and piloting the plane that carries the band.

Here's the flight plan: the first show will take place Feb. 11 in Moscow's Olympic Stadium. After that, the Boeing 757 -- which will have new designs to tie in with the new album and tour -- will fly the band to Singapore and Indonesia for Maiden's first-ever shows in the region. Then they'll arrive in Australia to headline two arena dates and five Soundwave Festivals.

Ed Force One then turns its attention briefly to the Northern Hemisphere, with the band's first show ever in South Korea and two shows in Tokyo. EF1 will then head all the way across the Pacific, in a journey that tallies 6,660 miles, for two shows in Mexico. Maiden will breeze through stadium shows in five South American countries, including their first visit to Belem, Brazil. Via Puerto Rico, the band will play the final show on this leg of the tour April 7 in Tampa, Fla.

"We were taken aback by the fantastic reaction from everyone to EF1 during the 2008/09 world tour," Dickinson said in a statement. "As our fans all know from the 'Flight 666' film, which documented the trials and tribulations we underwent in order to get the whole project literally off the ground, the end result was well worth all the effort and complex logistics we had to deal with!

"The band and crew enjoyed themselves so much traveling that way, it seemed only logical to set up this part of 'The Final Frontier' tour in the same way so we could get to see as many fans as possible all over the world, only this time, we're pushing the boundaries even further and going to more places Maiden has never been before ... in true 'Frontier' style!! We very much look forward to playing in Singapore, Indonesia and South Korea for the first time, as well as revisiting our fans everywhere else."

Dickinson also said the set list will be different for these Iron Maiden tour dates, revealing that "of course we will play more songs from the new album and some other recent material, but we will include a healthy dose of older fan favorites as we will be playing to so many new faces who we know will want to hear those songs live for the first time. We will cram into the plane as much of the production we used this year as is physically possible, including of course Eddie, and intend to replicate the spectacular light show in as many places as we are able. All in all it promises to be a fantastic trip for everyone!! So see you all soon."