Apart from beating Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, which played to just short of that figure in 2003, it will be the first time any act has played both of Sweden’s major outdoors – Stockholm Stadium and Gothenburg Ullevi Stadium – during the same Scandinavian run.

Johansson and his Nordic colleagues in Denmark, Finland and Norway expect the shows to sell out, although he’s not prepared to estimate how long it will take.

“We’re going into Trondheim Lerkendalstadium in Norway and Horsens Gods Bane Pladsen in Denmark, which are both something of an unknown for us with Iron Maiden. In that respect we’re taking something of a risk but Iron Maiden is the sort of act that gives promoters the confidence to take risks,” Johansson explained.

The band’s Scandinavian career shows nearly three decades of steady growth since it started out supporting KISS in 1979.

The July 16-27 run is part of the act’s Somewhere Back In Time World Tour.

Johansson has also been quick to ensure his company’s progress hasn’t been too much interrupted by bringing in Richard “Sejka” Ardermark and promoting Martin Nielsen to replace Dave Maloney and Mikael Tillman, who both defected to Live Nation’s major international rival and set up an AEG Live Scandinavian office in Stockholm.

Ardermark and Nielsen took up their new positions November 5.

Apart from the Iron Maiden onsale November 12, upcoming Live Nation autumn and winter tours include Kaiser Chiefs, Bullet For My Valentine, Shakira, Korn, The Cure, Enrique Iglesias, Gogol Bordello, Porcupine Tree, Motorhead, Starlight Express and Riverdance.