Another massive Iron Maiden world tour is always around the corner. To celebrate the frontman that brings the lyrics to life every night, we pick our TOP 5 most awesome live performances by the one and only Bruce Dickinson.
Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson returned from a serious cancer illness in 2015 to deliver some of his most impressive performances ever on the subsequent couple of Maiden tours. Picking his best ever is a nearly impossible task, but oh what fun.
Dickinson recently spoke about how he has worked to maintain his voice through decades of hectic touring schedules. We thought now would be a good time to celebrate one of the best singers in rock history by having a look at some of his greatest ever live performances.
We’ll also cringe at some not-so-good vocal jobs. That’s right, even the sun’s got dark spots and it makes us appreciate so much more the hard work involved in getting to the top!
(Continues below the pic!)
Bruce Dickinson on stage towards the end of Iron Maiden’s classic era in 1988.
At his age, having passed 60 years old, Dickinson’s stamina and range are simply mind-blowing. So many classic rock singers about his age have lost most of their ability, just think about hard rock icons like Paul Stanley and Geoff Tate. They are utterly unable to deliver their material like they used to do.
Dickinson’s first stint with Maiden, 1982-1993, is the stuff of metal legend. The singer’s importance to the classic era of Iron Maiden is beyond debate. But it might be even more impressive how both Iron Maiden and Bruce Dickinson have blossomed in a second golden age since reuniting in 1999.
Click here for our look at the dawn of Maiden’s classic era!
And read on now for Torgrim’s TOP 5 Dickinson live performances, and Christer’s ditto further down!
TORGRIM’S TOP 5
5) Trumpets of Jericho (Scream For Me Brazil, recorded 1999)
I was fortunate enough to witness this tour in a very intimate club setting in Oslo, Norway in 1998. At that point I had never seen Adrian Smith live before, so watching him walking on stage and belting out the colossal opening riff, followed by the energy bomb that is Bruce Dickinson, dangling from the chandelier from the get-go and singing his heart out for such a small crowd, was mesmerizing to say the least. This recording from Sao Paulo, Brazil is the sound of a metal king reclaiming his throne from the pretenders:
4) Remember Tomorrow (Nya Ullevi, recorded 2005)
The phony live version of this old gem on the B-side of the The Number of the Beast single is probably one of Bruce’s more emotional Maiden moments. In this Gothenburg, Sweden recording he is even more dynamic. There is so much passion in both his expression of the lyrics and his voice here that it’s a pity we’ll most likely never hear it again:
3) Revelations (Flight 666, recorded 2008)
In many ways Revelations is more of the same. You can tell he has an extremely inspired moment and he really shows the versatility of his voice in this song, both in terms of power and range. An old forgotten gem that has become a semi-staple in the setlist over the course of the past few Iron Maiden tours. Bruce makes it awesome:
2) Infinite Dreams (Maiden England, recorded 1988)
The passage “Even though it’s reached new heights, I rather like the restless nights / It makes me wonder, it makes me think, there’s more to this, I’m on the brink“ is probably my favorite moment of all time. The grandness of this song is just immense. And the way it builds into an epic climax is in large part thanks to Bruce’s way of phrasing the lyrics. Genius:
1) To Tame A Land (World Piece Tour, recorded 1983)
With a new-found confidence on the back of the 1982 Beast on the Road world tour, Bruce Dickinson was once and for all established as THE lead singer for Iron Maiden. And it shows. He sings with an extreme authority, but still exposes a playfulness that you haven’t seen to the same extent on later tours as he got more controlled. To Tame a Land is one of the more complex Maiden tunes to sing and he tears down the house with this one. It also ties in nicely with one of his best rants ever. “Fuck Frank Herbert, alright?”
TORGRIM’S WORST EVER
From Here To Eternity (A Real Live One, recorded 1992)
You can basically throw in anything from A Real Live Dead One in this category, but I choose this song as it sums up everything that was about to go wrong with the band back then. The song itself is a bland attempt to drag Maiden in a more classic rock oriented direction as they were afraid of their own legacy in many ways. Bruce himself sounds like a cheap Brian Johnson clone and it doesn’t suit him at all. Depressing and uninspired to say the least, here’s the track as it will appear in the forthcoming Donington Live 1992 DVD:
Click here for our guide to the Maiden concert videos!
Even if this particular live recording is the nadir of many aspects of Maiden’s career, there is something good to be found there! Guest writer Adam Hansen argues that the 1992 Donington performance features one of drummer Nicko McBrain’s best moments. But there are more things to consider about Dickinson’s ups and downs…
CHRISTER’S WORST EVER
Hallowed Be Thy Name (Maiden England, recorded 1988)
As Maiden’s classic era came to a close in the late 1980s, Dickinson struggled with some of the material. He simply couldn’t sing the high registers of certain Maiden classics anymore. This had been evident since the release of the Live After Death video in 1985, and was most painfully obvious in the 1989 Maiden England video. Here’s a cringeworthy example of Dickinson’s late 80s vocal struggles:
Click here for our look at the end of Maiden’s classic era!
CHRISTER’S TOP 5
5) Gods Of War (Alive At The Marquee Club, recorded 1994)
Having ended his original stint as Maiden singer with the experimental singing of No Prayer For The Dying and Fear Of The Dark, Dickinson sounds closer to his old self on this Marquee recording with his solo band Skunkworks. The violent, shredding scream is still prominent, but the verses display an emotional depth which is delivered with pitch perfection. And then the chorus SOARS! Check out Dickinson’s Alive In Studio A album for many great performances in this transitional period.
4) Back From The Edge / Inertia (Skunkworks Live, recorded 1996)
Impossible to pick just one! This is the sound of Dickinson regaining supreme mastery of his voice after the vocal experiments of the early 1990s. He is on his way into the career-high performances of Accident Of Birth and The Chemical Wedding, still feeling his way but obviously having opened up new avenues of technique and delivery. If you don’t own the Anthology DVD set where the Skunkworks concert is found, you’re not a Dickinson fan:
3) Revelations (Flight 666, recorded 2008)
It might be argued that Dickinson’s performance of this Piece Of Mind classic was even better in the 2005 Gothenburg show, but when it comes to official releases this 2008 Sydney performance is a complete blinder, as Torgrim explains above. A perfect example of how much better the classic era tunes can sound with a modern day Dickinson.
2) The Talisman (En Vivo!, recorded 2011)
At some point his voice must eventually give in, right? Well, it seems that whenever you think it might be over, Dickinson bounces back with completely supernatural performances like this one. A new song, from a new album, with one of the most challenging registers in the band’s history. And Dickinson just fucking nails it:
1) Hallowed Be Thy Name (Beast Over Hammersmith, recorded 1982)
Back to the beginning! 1982 is really ground zero for both Maiden and Dickinson. It’s a shame that this incredible London performance was not released as a live album in the early 80s but at least it’s now in the pantheon of Maiden live DVDs, albeit in heavily edited form. What it means for Maiden to become the biggest metal band on the planet is perfectly clear in this performance, and Dickinson’s unbelievable vocals lead the charge:
You’ve probably noticed that songs off Maiden’s Live After Death masterpiece are absent from our list. The reason for this is simply that there was considerable doctoring of Dickinson’s vocals for the album version, making it difficult to treat them as LIVE performances. We also don’t think that his un-doctored performances in the video version quite match those we have mentioned here.
There is no doubt that Dickinson’s legacy is huge. The classic Iron Maiden era in the 1980s is one thing, and his solo work in the 1990s is another. But because of his truce with Steve Harris and the return to Maiden in 1999 his already impressive legacy has grown immeassurably over the past two decades.
The fact that Bruce has maintained his voice in the shape that we witnessed on the recent Legacy Of The Beast tour sets him apart from just about anyone else. Here is a great video by New York vocal coach Kevin Richards, where he explains and demonstrates how Dickinson sings and why he is still on top of his game:
Maiden Revelations 
It’s hard to choose just 5, but here it goes in no particular order…
1) Gates of Urizen. When I heard it live I burst into tears, moved by the power of Bruce’s live performance. In 1998 Bruce was at the top of his game
2) Running Free,from Live After Death. You keep saying that it’s edited and I guess that comes from somewhere (Steve has denied it though) but even so his rapport with the crowd here is phenomenal. “I want you to scream real loud, alright? I want to go to the doctor when I get back to England and I want to say “Los Angeles destroyed my hearing””. Classic!
3) Die WithYour Boots On, Maiden England. He’s just so psyched here!
4) What, no “Fear of the Dark” from A Real Live One? “Scream for me Helsinki”
5) Paschendale, from Death on the Road. Masterpiece
Please, let me add that I like his style even more these days (I like him anywhen) as he is more controlled. A decade back, when behemoths like Gillan and Plant where in their 50somethings and clearly struggled with theor voice I wondered how Bruce would sound at that age. Every tour I dread that I’ll hear him holding back. I’m happy that he’s lost none of his magic as my recent pilgrimage to Donnington reassured me!!!
Cheers!
Great choices, Marios! On the note of Live After Death: Bruce has admitted to studio fixes, and they are quite apparent to the ear in songs like The Trooper and Hallowed Be Thy Name. Just compare the album and the video! He also said some of Adrian’s guitars were redone. Steve clearly lies in the official biography.
Compare the album and video ? Weren’t those performances taken from different nights at Longbeach ? I’m not saying that fixes didn’t occur (they always do) but I found tour point strange…
sad to learn that…but on the other hand, we’ve all witnessed their actual power onstage so at the end of the day it’s ok!
Oh, and you’ll have to shoot me before I choose a “bad” performance. Although by now I can tell when some nights are better than others…!
Here’s one of the best versions (vocal wise) of “The Prisoner” I think I’ve heard Bruce sing, with maybe the exeption of the “Beast on the road” Live at Hammersmith Maiden version. Every note is spot on. Amazing performance!
That performance is incredible, Jørn!
He did sing some mean versions of ‘Flight of Icarus’ as a solo artist too. 🙂
My best Dickinson performances: 1) Where Eagles Dare (Hammersmith 1983) – The highest notes Dickinson ever reached live, at least documented…
2) Hallowed be Thy Name (Rock in Rio 2001) – The best live version even from the early days with Dickinson’s voice at it’s pick.. Also the last PERFECT maiden’s live recording imo
3) The Legacy …. anywhere… – Singing this track live needs balls and Bruce has them…
4) Silver Wings (Athens 2002) Bruce at his best once more
5) Tears of the Dragon (Live with tribuzy) Excellent version and an even better Dickinson
My worst…
1) Aces High (live Portugal 2013) – No words.. It’s like the rest of the members trolling him for putting him into such a difficult position of performing this song as a first in the encore.. Why not Infinite Dreams as a 3rd track and Prisoner instead of Aces ? So much easier and fits perfectly in the Maiden england theme
2) The Evil that Men do – or any other song (Torino 1993) If you think that in a real live dead one is bad, where he knew he was recorded … check this atrocity out and cry thankfully that he returned as great as he did… Oh my god he really wanted to leave 😛
3) Hallowed be thy Name (Maiden England) Such a strained vocal performance….
4) The number of the beast (Hammersmith 1982) I know many will disagree with me, but I find Dickinson’s voice so immature and himself still searching his style as a performer… I’ve only checked the concert more than one time to hear them with the great Clive Burr on the drums (R.I.P)
5) All the songs performed at Seffield 16-10-86… Bruce Dickinson sick as hell and still choose to perform… well If you can call this outcome a vocal performance… Poor Bruce but…. hilarious… 😛
Just two comments:
– To be fair to Bruce some cunt kept on spitting at him in Torino in 1993. That explains a lot about his performance that night. And yes, he really wanted to leave but surely did not want to be spat and did not deserve that.
– Regarding Aces high in Lisbon this year, I am pretty sure you can find much worse performances than this, which is pretty good: http://youtu.be/t5y0EUT9N7c (Christer, I bet you will agree with me).
1st I didn’t know that about that show in torino but it doesn’t justify anything cause nowadays many incidents happen (like ozzfest for example) and even worse than someone that spits and still the whole show isn’t ruined maybe a part of the song but that’s it… And you can find Dickinson “performing” this way all through 1993, in not officially recorded shows and I think Steve and Nicko even used the actual words “mumbled in a microphone”
2nd I just took an example of the many, and also 2:21 in the video you sent me and the “clever thingy” he did throughout this tour of moving the scream at the finale and ending it with some kind of balady notes in order to prove that nothing went wrong and all was planed (like he needs to prove anything anymore)
Well, you have learnt something today then! 😉 I agree he should probably have continued singing as if nothing had happened, but it is probably easier said than done. I have never had anyone spitting in my face at work. I do not know what I would do if that happened…
Regarding ‘Aces high’. you are nitpicking with that performance from Lisbon (I was there that night). Sure, he did not attempt some of the high notes, but if we want to overanalyse things, he showed much more control than when singing that same song at many shows in 1985, where he was hitting even less high notes…
Again, another point where we would have to agree to disagree. 😉 Or continue arguing until the cows come home! 😆
Christer, where are you when you are needed? 😆
Ghost, I’d say that’s an OK performance of Aces High. Better than the LAD video version in my opinion, but far from the best performances in 2008-09.
Great choices, SakaRaka7! Please link to a video of the Hammersmith 1983 performance! That was truly Bruce at an incredible peak.
Regarding spiiting onstage, back in 1999 they played here in Greece and when a moron spat on Steve, Bruce lost it, stopped “2 min..” and had a go at the crowd threatening to “go home”. Obviously that was aimed at the s.o.b that spat them but his reaction came across as an insult to everyone and spoiled what was an explosive climet up till then. Later, he almost did the same when someone fired up a flare -happens all the time at outdoor and even indoor concerts. On the one hand he is a professional and should’ve kept his cool but I can see his point. First, Maiden are not punks (or even Metallica for that matter) so as to be used to onstage spitting and second, the have already had to face two deaths from safety issues back at Donnington ’88, I’m sure they’re excused to be axtra sensitive.
Although, as 1993 is concerned, I agree he just didn’t want to be there.
It is difficult to highlight just 5 performances from such a great singer, but I am pretty sure that ‘Jerusalem’ at Canterbury cathedral would probably be in my top 5. Being able to witness that live that night was one of the highlights of my 20+ years of going to gigs:
That must have been awesome!
Indeed it was. I even bumped into Bruce that night! 😆
Oh this one nearly moved me to tears. So beautiful.
your point strainge*
strange * :@
What point? I cannot follow you…
not yours 😛
SakaRaka7, concerning Live After Death: The video and album might very well be different nights at Long Beach, but it’s obvious to the ear that there are fixes on the album tracks and not the video tracks. Well, actually there are some fixes to the video tracks too: You can hear Adrian singing backing vocals when he’s nowhere near a microphone. 😉
For an example of what I’m getting at, you can listen through The Trooper and Hallowed Be Thy Name. You’ll notice that Bruce’s voice changes from strained to not strained (and the sound also changes subtly) in certain verses. Obvious studio fixes that were not applied to the video version.
And Steve would know.
There are some vocal overdubs in the material recorded at Long Beach (not that many though), and you have already pointed them out.
That being said, that album is possibly the most “live” album out of those frequently cited as classic live albums. You cannot compare it to Judas Priest’s “Unleashed in the Eastudio” or Thin Lizzy’s “Studio and dangerous”… 😆 😆
Indeed, something like KISS Alive! isn’t live at all when compared to Live After Death. But having said that, LAD is probably the least live of the Maiden live albums. Vocals are fixed in Aces High, The Trooper, Revelations, Flight Of Icarus, Rime Of The Ancient Mariner, Hallowed Be Thy Name, Run To The Hills… At least that’s obvious to my ears. And Bruce claims some guitars were fixed too.
For the record, I think they should have fixed stuff on Maiden England too! When the vocals are below-par I’m all for studio fixes. 🙂
I’m not nitpicking I just wrote my opinion on his worse performances… And yes I consider the 2012 2013 aces high versions as their weakest ever especially as dickinson’s worst on this song, but not cause he sucks cause it’s quite hard song anyways and they decided to play it so late and in a not related tour, instead of many other rare classics… I just pointed out some examples as to the date (portugal) and the parts I really disliked.. You may wanna hear that maiden are better than ever live now but you’ll not hear that from me, or from any other objective person… Maybe in official Maiden forums… I too think that this lineup achieved perfectness live, but not on the last few tours, and it’s only natural for them to lose some of their dynamics in this day and age… They still can kick ass live but it’s only normal to admit that some bad performances occurred on recent tours, more frequently than other recent ones
OK, each to his own…
I think that Maiden live were probably at their best 5 years ago. Certainly not during the 80s.
now this we can agree too … 1999-2009 my fav live maiden 🙂
Finally! 😆
Agreed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bM0eXiwd_yU 😉
That was great (apart from the scream at the end).
??????????????????????????????????????? I consider it a highlight my friend ….
Shouting an ear-piercing scream has never been a highlight of Bruce’s singing for me. 😉
Great performance by a very young and somewhat over-excited Dickinson! 🙂
If you listen carefully bruce also did a scream in the beginning that didn’t sound well cause his mic was off and then he redid it brilliantly 😀
I agree that it is Hallowed but for me it’s this version, easily:
While the whole performance by Bruce is unbelievable in this, especially the part from 3:00-3:40 is out of this world and makes me wonder does the guy even need oxygen like the rest of us. Apparently not! 😀
6:00…… no..
While not as strong as the 2008-onward versions of Aces High, looks like Bruce left it all on the line that night; MASSIVE scream about 55 seconds in and he seems to be able to sing it without straining too much, although the scream at the end is horrible.
It just never ceases to amaze me how Bruce’s voice degenerated from 1981 onward. On the Killers tour he used the Samson-style vocals and his voice sounded unbelievable. While his voice still sounded amazing on the Beast on the Road, his performances started to suffer a little toward the end of the tour; it was obvious that he was pushing himself HARD in the final Japan shows on the tour.
Then on the World Piece tour his voice had great nights (Hammersmith) decent nights (Ipswich and Nassau Coliseum) and really bad nights (Clermont-Ferrand and Stockholm, although supposedly he had the flu that night). So basically more good than bad.
By the time the World Slavery Tour rolled around, it was the reverse, with more bad nights than good. Listening to the first show from the tour in Warsaw, Poland is painful:
It’s obvious he’s trying to let loose like he did on the previous tour(s), but his voice simply does not have the strength to hit or sustain those high notes. If you get a chance, hunt down the Hammersmith show (“Back in the Village” is the bootleg), the August 22 Italy show (from which the first Aces HIgh link is from) or the Chicago 1984 show. Bruce’s voice sounds really good on those shows.
By the time Somewhere on Tour rolled around…. yikes.
George, thanks for that input! Brilliant examples! I really do wish interviewers would quiz him a little harder on this issue. It doesn’t have to be mean, since the angle can always be how incredibly good he became from about the mid-90s and onward.
Please forgive me, but I’m very sure Paul was on the Killers tour and was dismissed afterwards. You may be thinking of Beast.
As for Bruce’s voice, it’s never been fully stable — and it’s not subtle, either. When hes on, he shakes the heavens but when he’s off, the Gods are cringing (and so’s everyone else). Though his performances on the World Slavery Tour were energetic, it’s painfully hard not to notice how horribly flat he was most of time. I actually heard great improvements in the Brave New World show and even as recently as just this past September in Austin where we were all astounded and enthralled when he hit and held the Number of the Beast intro scream. It was a beautiful thing…
So, to me, his issues with his consistency have always been a challenge and I don’t think it has so much to do with his age as it has to do with varying levels of exhaustion.
Bruce was in the band for the last 6 dates on the Killers tour, I’m sure that’s what George is referring to. They were tagged on as a sort of introduction for Bruce. His vocals on those dates were indeed incredible.
Actually Ms. Ray, I don’t think there have been issues with his consistency post-1995, to be honest. 🙂 Exhaustion would certainly play a big part in the 1980s, but I can’t help but think that vocal technique must have had something to with it as well. I’m always bothered that journalists don’t ask him about this in some more depth, but I guess not everyone cares as much as we do…
I’ve never seen any mention of the last 6 Killer dates, even in documentaries. Seems an odd thing to do…
I absolutely agree that the consistency issues were not as pronounced after 1995, but they’re still there. As I stated before, I think he’s improved with age (like a good cheese?) Technique may play a part, sure. I’m also sure that the reason why journalists don’t want to bring up the subject is because there’s a high risk that it may be a touchy subject for him. He’s not the guy you want to piss off. I mean, we’ve all witnessed his public “Brucifictions,” right…?
But, it would be a great subject to discuss on a more personal level, though. I don’t think there’s one simple explanation.
I was discussing Bruce’s vocal technique with an opera trained singer some time ago. We were comparing live versions of ‘Children of the damned’, recorded in 1986 and in 2009. His comments were than Bruce is a much better singer nowadays, being able to master some techniques he was merely exploring but did not really know how to use during the 80s.
That being said, the relentless touring schedule from the 80s was bound to take some toll on Bruce’s voice. Doing year long tours with 4 to 5 shows on consecutive nights was probably not the best idea Rod ever had to keep Bruce’s voice at his best during the 80s…
you think that the problem was just that he didnt rest his voice? the problem was from 1983 to 1989 and it became worst over the years. But suddenly 1990… excellent strong voice with great range of full voice.. so i think that something happened there.. he did something with his voice… I have never read a journalist asking him about that…
Good point. The lack of rest was bound to hurt him, but I’ve always thought there was something else about it too. Timbre changes that necessitated a change of technique. The difference between 1988 and 1990 is something that a good journalist should have asked him about long ago.
Journalists are afraid to be “Bruceifyed”, as he seems to be man with a temper ( which is good btw) as we all Maiden-fans knows.
@Ms.Ray: It’s nothing odd really, the gigs are just technically lumped in with the Killers tour since there was no new release and it was the same production and setlist.
Proper Killers tour ended on September 10, Bruce got the Maiden gig that same month, and then the band played 5 gigs in Italy in October and one at London’s Rainbow in November. At the latter gig they performed 22 Acacia Avenue and Children Of The Damned for the first time.
You’ll find the info in the Maiden bio or on Wikipedia. 🙂
@ Christer – yes, the “KIllers” shows I was referring to with Bruce were the 5 in Italy and the 2 “secret” shows at the Rainbow and Ruskins Arms. I have bootlegs of all those shows and to hear Bruce do all the Killers material is amazing; if I’m not mistaken, they prerformed every song off the Killers album except “Prodigal Son”.
It’s also great to see him work out the kinks on the Number of the Beast material, especially “Run To The Hills”; he nails the high notes in the chorus effortlessly, something that he couldn’t do for the most part on the Beast on the Road Tour (except for the tail end of the tour; if you can find any of the Japan shows he nails the chorus perfectly).
@ Ms. Ray – dug these up just for you. Enjoy!
Great stuff! Funny to hear how he uses vibrato on almost every long note in both verses in The Prisoner.
Oh my Goddess, these are better than flowers and candy — thank you, Mr. George!!
Will all due respect, I personally never trust anything that starts with Wiki, so I dismissed that reference. But, so far, Maidenrevelations hasn’t steered anyone in the wrong direction so…and it’s great! These are real treasures right here.
Incidentally, I’m sure some of you have noticed but LiveWire is doing another “best of” challenge for Best Frontman and right now (11/19/13), Bruce is in the semi-final rount against Ronnie James Dio. It seems that in the Maiden camp for the most part, there seems to be a very uniform consensus that if the contest was for “Best Vocalist,” the votes would unabashedly go to Dio. But, because this for “Best Frontman,” as far as the Rivetheads are concerned (and in my opinion, rightfully so) there is no contest. Right now, Ronnie is in the lead by 1 little tiny percent.
Very interesting…
http://loudwire.com/ronnie-james-dio-vs-bruce-dickinson-greatest-metal-frontman-semifinals/
And please pardon my horrific grammar. Not done with coffee yet… 🙂 \m/
@Ms. Ray: I’m sure you noticed that I also referred you to the official Maiden biography. 😉 And for a third source, the Number Of The Beast 1998 remaster booklet also lists Bruce’s first shows with Maiden in late 1981. These are really well known and well documented facts about their history. No mystery. 5 shows in Italy, 1 show in London, then a couple of secret gigs around Christmas, all of it before The Number Of The Beast.
Bruce’s first few shows with them are simply tagged on to the Killers tour for the sake of cataloging, since it was the same year, production and setlist as the rest of the Killers tour. It’s completely true. And yet completely unimportant. 😀
Yes, I did notice. I have been amply re-directed and corrected. Thank you. 🙂
Don’t mention it! I like to sound like an insufferable know-it-all! 😀
LOL — Not at all! You sound like a very likeable Know-A-Lot! 😉
I do appeciate you. Cheers!! \m/
Just thought I would attach these here; pictures of Bruce on the Killers tour are rare but I was able to find a few
Cheers, George! That’s very cool! I remember seeing the first two of them in some official publication at some point, but I can’t remember where or when…
I dedicate this one to Ms. Ray. 🙂
As far as I know this is the only video footage of Iron Maiden from the Killers tour with Bruce; poor guy seems to get lost on Running Free as he comes in on the wrong spot in the middle of the song. 😛
Amazing! How do you find these things, George? 😀
Rock. On. GEORGE — THANK YOU!! 😀
Fluffs up Purgatory a bit, too — but, that voice…wow!
He also brutalizes the second verse in “Murder in the Rue Morgue”. It’s funny how he keeps the melody going on the vocal line though.
Well, in his defense, he probably had about 5 minutes to rehearse…
Totally agree! He had 2 albums worth of material to learn in a relatively short amount of time so I guess a couple of brain farts here and there are excusable 😛
Agreed! \m/
@Ghost: Interesting! All trained singers I’ve ever talked to about it says the same thing – that Bruce is a much better singer these days than back in the 80s. I’m a singer myself, although not professionally trained, and it frankly seems obvious to me that he is. But the raw guts of his singing back in 81/82 is awesome too.
I agree that the raw Bruce from 1981 to 1984 rocks, but if I had to choose I would pick the older (and wiser) Dickinson. 🙂
I guess some of you might be interested in listening to Bruce’s vocals as recorded in some Maiden classics. The following Youtube channel has many to drool over:
http://www.youtube.com/user/magicsfive5/videos
Enjoy!
While we’re on the subject of WORST Dickinson performances…
I feel for poor Bruce. He just doesn’t seem to be able to project his voice at all.
Love the outfit, though; Christer, maybe you could make a “Best and Worst Bruce Dickinson outfits” at some point….? 😛
The pants of the 80s will definitely come in for scrutiny in a future article! 😀
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I’m in utter awe of Bruce Dickinson. His vocals would challenge any young singer; the fact he’s able to sing very solid versions live to this day is a rare combination of talent, discipline, determination and hard work. The man still leaps about on stage like a teen ager…..he’s simply awe-inspiring.
And if he returns on top form next year, it will be his biggest triumph yet.