“I told him, ‘This is only a small town, we don’t have the infrastructure for an artist like you!’”: Why Iron Maiden’s Steve Harris was turned down after asking to play power metal stars Sabaton’s hometown festival

Sabaton initially said no when Iron Maiden bassist/founder Steve Harris asked to play at their festival.

Talking in the new issue of Metal Hammer, singer Joakim Brodén and bassist Pär Sundström reveal that Harris, who was arranging dates for his side-project British Lion, had to talk the power metal band into putting him on the bill for Sabaton Open Air in Falun, Sweden in 2017.

Sabaton turned him down at first because they worried that they wouldn’t be able to properly accommodate the heavy metal legend. However, they relented when they found out that his list of must-haves was surprisingly short.

Sundström tells us: “In 2017 Steve Harris’ British Lion played. I couldn’t believe it! We toured with Iron Maiden [in 2013 and 2016], and Steve said he wanted to come and play the festival. I actually said no at first!

He explains: “I told him, ‘This is only a small town, we don’t have the infrastructure for an artist like you!’ But he said, ‘I’ve seen the crowds, I’ll stay at any hotel you can offer me, and I’ve seen you have a Sabaton cheeseburger – I’ll eat that.’ And he came! It was an unbelievable honour for us.”

Brodén adds that the only thing Harris needed to have access to was somewhere where he could exercise. Fortunately, Falun – despite only having a population of 37,000 – is home to a large sport complex called Lugnet.

“The only thing he demanded was access to some sports,” says Brodén. “As you can see, that’s the one thing we have plenty of here. So we closed off the swimming pool for him and he was happy as can be!”

Brodén and Sundström are the covers stars of the new Hammer, and inside they give our writer a tour of Falun, their hometown, as well as their base of operations on the outskirts of the city.

The new Hammer also includes interviews with Malevolence, Trivium’s Matthew Heafy, Biohazard, Bury Tomorrow and more. New albums from Sabaton, Testament and Creeper get reviewed, and we report back from gigs by Bring Me The Horizon, Scene Queen, Limp Bizkit and more. Order your copy now and get it delivered directly to your door.

Sabaton released their new album, Legends, on October 17 via Better Noise Music. The band will embark on the Legendary Tour of Europe on November 17. The run will include their largest UK headliners to date, including stops at the 20,000-capacity O2 Arena in London and 23,500-capacity Co-op Live in Manchester. The opening act will be the Legendary Orchestra: a string collective performing classical renditions of Sabaton tracks.

Meanwhile, Iron Maiden will return to the road in spring 2026 for the second European leg of their Run For Your Lives world tour. The band have also just announced a North American leg for August and September. The shows, celebrating the veterans’ 50th anniversary, will see them exclusively play material from their first nine albums.