Bruce Dickinson is currently on his first extensive North American solo tour in thirty years, in support of The Mandrake Project.
After the success of a limited run of sold-out shows last year, Bruce Dickinson announced earlier this year that he’d be doing a more extensive tour. The last time he had a solo tour of this length was before re-joining Iron Maiden. Rather than taking a break in between tours, he’s embarked on one of his own.
We’ve often remarked on what makes a great frontman, and basically we could have summed it all up in two words – Bruce Dickinson. This man doesn’t just hold the audience’s attention, he commands it. Like a master of ceremonies, he walked the audience through each song, setting the scene from The Madrake Project story. At 67 years old, he is showing no sign of slowing down, and is a ball of energy from the moment he walks onto the stage to when the very last note rings out. Whether he’s singing, interacting with the crowd and the other band members, playing the drums, or the theremin, he is on the go throughout. And last but certainly not least, he has the voice! It’s like watching a metal operatic singer. It’s incredible to experience live.
As if having one of the greatest singers/entertainers of our time on the stage in front of us wasn’t enough, he has put together a group of musicians of the highest caliber. We’re sure drummer Dave Moreno’s middle name must be metronome. Bassist Tanya O’Callaghan was locked in tight with Moreno. She, along with guitarists Philip Naslund and Chris Declercq, interacted with those audience members lucky enough to be up close. As is the case with Iron Maiden, and most metal bands to be honest, you can never have enough guitars. The dual guitars of Declercq and Naslund were in sync with each other. Added to the mix was Mistheria on keyboards and keytar to round out the sound.
The setlist comprised of songs primarily from Dickinson’s solo career, with only one song making it on the list of Iron Maiden. Laughing as he introduced “Flash of the Blade,” he said it was one of the songs he wrote, but that they never perform live.
There’s only a small handful of scheduled shows left on this tour. Trust us when we say you need to get yourself along to one of them if you can. It’s not every day you get to experience this incredible voice in a more intimate setting compared to the arenas you would usually have to see him in. On top of that, you just never know when he will be back around again.
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