IRON MAIDEN kicked off its headlining performance at Download festival earlier tonight (Saturday, June 15) with a Spitfire flypast. The classic World War II fighter plane reportedly crossed the skies at Donington Park in Leicestershire, United Kingdom three times before the British heavy metal legends opened their show with "Moonchild", a song from their 1988 album "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son". Check out video footage below.
"We're absolutely over the moon to be headlining Donington again," IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson said last September. "The idea of returning exactly 25 years later with a show inspired by that same 1988 'Seventh Son' tour was too good an opportunity to be missed! And, thanks to modern technology, we've been able to update and improve on the original production."
He continued: "We will be bringing a huge new lightshow, stage set, various incarnations of Eddie, plenty of pyro and all kinds of other exciting stuff for the fans. And, of course, treating the fans to lots of their favorite songs from that period!
"We've had many great times at Donington and there is always a wonderful mix of bands and a really wild crowd who love their metal, all of which makes for a memorable show and fantastic party atmosphere!"
This was IRON MAIDEN's fifth time at the festival, which was known as Monsters Of Rock in its earlier incarnation. They last performed in 2007, on a bill that also included LINKIN PARK, SLAYER and MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE.
Dickinson, a commercial airline pilot and established aviation entrepreneur, last year teamed with Joe McBryan and the staff of Buffalo Airways, who star in History Television reality-TV show "Ice Pilots NWT", for an episode in which he flew a World War II–era plane to Yellowknife in Canada. The flight was even covered by a couple of journalists who were enthusiastically covering it live on Twitter.
