With the Judas Priest show at the Wings Event Center only a few weeks away, I thought it would be fun to take a look back 40 years ago when both Priest & Maiden and Axe played the THEN Wings Stadium on September 26th. 1982. The tour was to support Judas Priest's Screaming For Vengeance album. Earlier in the year, Iron Maiden actually came through Kalamazoo and debuted their new singer Bruce Dickenson in front of the Kalamazoo crowd. But before they did that, they did an appearance at one of the most iconic businesses in Kalamazoo from the past 50 years, Boogie Records.

The group basically did a short Michigan tour called the Maiden Express, where the group just piled in a van and did a bunch of in-store record and memorabilia signings. Longtime Iron Maiden Manager Rod Smallwood had great things to say about Kalamazoo and Boogie Records to Capital Records Detroit:

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Well I mean truthfully I think it's one of the best in stores we've ever done. It's a hell of a lot of people in there. You probably hear the noise. The displays are quite ridiculous, I think we've got 80% of the store as far as the display goes.

Below is some rough footage of that Maiden Express tour in Kalamazoo as well as the video below it, where there's a short intro and interview with Iron Maiden at Boogie Records. Maiden may be a little too big a band to ever come back to Kalamazoo, but it's good to know Priest is glad to come back where they know they're loved.

Iron Maiden Legacy of the Beast 2019 from Chicago

Iron Maiden 08/22/19 from Tinley Park

 

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