[L-R] Steve Harris and Joakim Brodén of Sabaton

Iron Maiden’s Steve Harris managed to convince Sabaton to let his band British Lion play at their Open Air festival by offering to stay at any hotel they could land him.

Sabaton Open Air was founded in 2008 by the Swedish metal band, and ran until 2022. Located in their hometown of Falun at the Lugnet Ski Stadium, the event drew in thousands of people each year, and hosted a plethora of bands all picked out by Sabaton themselves.

Speaking to Metal Hammer about the festival, bassist Pär Sundström says that Harris’s offer to play at the event was a real surprise and honour for the band: “In 2017 Steve Harris’s British Lion played,” he says. “I couldn’t believe it! We toured with Iron Maiden, and Steve said he wanted to come and play the festival.

“I actually said no at first! 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.”

Vocalist Joakim Brodén adds: “The only thing he demanded was access to some sports… That’s the one thing we have plenty of here. So we closed off the swimming pool for him [at the Lugnet sports complex] and he was happy as can be!”

Sabaton released their eleventh studio album, Legends, last week. They say it “takes listeners on an epic journey through the stories of some of history’s most iconic figures”, and that it delves into the lives of “legendary characters like Jeanne D’arc, Napoleon, Julius Caesar, and the master swordsman”.

In an official statement, they explain, “With Legends, we usher in a new era – while our sound and songwriting remains intact, we are now entering into a new chapter hand-in-hand with our new record label, Better Noise Music. This is the first time in our history that every current band member has played an active role in the songwriting process on a single album.”

Sabaton head out on tour in November, and you can still grab tickets via the official Sabaton website. 

The post “I’ll stay at any hotel you offer me!”: How Steve Harris convinced Sabaton to let him play at their Sabaton Open Air festival appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.