Former IRON MAIDEN singer Blaze Bayley says he is hoping to attend the band's induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame's Class Of 2026, even as the current lineup is set to miss the ceremony entirely.
Speaking with Uros Veljkovic of the "Denim And Leather" podcast, Bayley — who fronted MAIDEN for five years and appeared on two studio albums, 1995's "The X Factor" and 1998's "Virtual XI" — addressed his inclusion among the inductees. "At the moment, I have some free days in November," he said. "So I'm trying to work it out that I get there for the ceremony. I don't know yet."
The induction is scheduled for November 14, 2026 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. IRON MAIDEN's current members, however, are expected to be absent: the band has Australian tour dates booked around the same window, with shows on November 13 in Melbourne and November 15 in Sydney that make a Los Angeles appearance impossible.
For Bayley, the recognition carries weight less for himself than for the fans who have championed his tenure. "Musicians don't do it for awards," he reasoned, "but for a lot of my fans, it's important. They think, 'Yes, he should be recognized.' And so that's really, really cool."
The Class Of 2026 honors a sweeping cross-section of MAIDEN's history. Alongside current members Bruce Dickinson, Steve Harris, Adrian Smith, Dave Murray and Janick Gers, the Hall is inducting former members Paul Di'Anno — the band's original frontman, who died in 2024 — Dennis Stratton, longtime drummer Nicko McBrain, and Clive Burr, the drummer who powered MAIDEN's early-'80s classics before his death in 2013. Bayley's potential attendance would make him one of the few inductees on hand to accept the honor in person.