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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Mark Beaumont

Vodka, kilos of caviar and a Russian minder: Iron Maiden’s 1984 World Slavery tour behind the Iron Curtain

Maiden Bruce Dickinson Iron Maiden Steve Harris Rod Smallwood the Iron Curtain Russia Slavery Joseph
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There were bathtubs’ worth of caviar. Vodka that turned the world pink. Secret swastikas, impromptu wedding gigs and, everywhere they went, Maiden-mania. When Iron Maiden became the first Western rock band to take a full production show behind the Iron Curtain on the 1984 World Slavery tour, they stepped into a world of hysteria, celebration and “eye-opening” poverty and oppression. Their mission? To rock away the hardship.

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