To prepare for the band's upcoming Rock in Rio performance, Iron Maiden have extended their 'Maiden England' tour to include some 2013 U.S. dates. After a brilliant string of North American shows last summer, Maiden will return to American soil once again in September with special guest Megadeth.

Iron Maiden's U.S. fans have stumbled on some incredible luck with the announcement of the legendary group's new tour dates, as Maiden's live schedule only brings the band to the U.S. once every couple of years. The handful of 2013 shows will begin on Sept. 3 in Raleigh, N.C., which will mark Iron Maiden's first-ever trek to the city in the act's near-40-year history. Iron Maiden's Sept. 13 show in San Bernardino, Calif., is even more special, as Anthrax, Testament, Sabaton and Overkill will join Megadeth to open for Maiden at the 'Battle of San Bernardino' concert.

"As Maiden fans know, we're going back to Brazil to headline Rock In Rio again," says singer Bruce Dickinson, "so we thought that on our way down south we should certainly stop off and do a few more shows in the U.S. if we possibly could. We especially wanted to try and play some more cities we've not visited for a while, so we're really excited about seeing our fans again in places we've not been to in over a decade, and in some cases over two decades, and for our first-ever visit to Raleigh! We'll be bringing with us the same full production we had on the Maiden England tour in North America last year so fans can expect to see the huge lightshow, stage set, various incarnations of Eddie, plenty of pyro and all kinds of other exciting stuff."

Adds bassist Steve Harris, "We know how popular the history of Maiden tours are with fans of all ages and we love visiting cities we haven't been to in many years as it gives us a chance to play to new audiences. We had a huge amount of fun with the setlist for this 'Maiden England' tour when we opened in North America last year as we got to play songs we had not played in a very long time, like 'Seventh Son','The Prisoner' and 'Afraid To Shoot Strangers', as well as fan favorites like 'The Trooper', 'Aces High', 'The Clairvoyant', 'The Number Of The Beast', 'Wasted Years' and 'Run To The Hills'. That opening leg of the tour was so enjoyable for the whole band, we're really looking forward to coming back to see our fans again and a lot of new faces too!"

Check out the full list of Iron Maiden's 2013 U.S. tour dates below, along with when tickets go on sale for each gig.

Iron Maiden 2013 U.S. Tour Dates with Megadeth:

09/03 - Raleigh, N.C. @ Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion (On sale April 13)
09/05 - Nashville, Tenn. @ Bridgestone Arena (On sale April 13)
09/07 - Kansas City, Mo. @ Sprint Center (On sale April 17)
09/08 - St Louis, Mo. @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre (On sale April 13)
09/10 - Austin, Texas @ Austin 360 Amphitheater (On sale April 13)
09/12 - Las Vegas, Nev. @ Mandalay Bay Events Center (On sale April 12)
09/13 - San Bernardino, Calif. @ San Manuel Amphitheatre (On sale April 12)

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