Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson recently shed light on the band’s transition between drummers and offered exciting details about their upcoming “Run For Your Lives” world tour during an appearance at the Musicians Institute’s MI Conversation Series in Hollywood, California, hosted by Ryan J. Downey.
The conversation addressed the departure of longtime drummer Nicko McBrain, who played his final show with Iron Maiden last December in São Paulo, Brazil, concluding “The Future Past” world tour. The 72-year-old McBrain announced his retirement from live performances on December 7th, 2024, via the band’s official channels, confirming the São Paulo concert at Allianz Parque was his last. However, McBrain assured fans he would remain involved with Iron Maiden through various projects alongside pursuing personal and business ventures.
Taking over drum duties is Simon Dawson, previously known for his work with Maiden co-founder Steve Harris‘s side project, British Lion. Dickinson revealed that Dawson‘s integration began sooner than fans might realize, initially serving as a precaution during the last tour due to concerns over McBrain‘s physical condition.
“Well, we’ve already had a rehearsal with Simon on the last [Maiden] tour,” Dickinson explained (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “Simon was tagging along with British Lion, as Steve was doing shows [with both bands]. But it was kind of insurance for us because we weren’t sure… We were hoping Nick [Iron Maiden‘s longtime drummer Nicko McBrain] was gonna make the tour, but there were some times during the show when, not so much his drumming, but his physical body was really… We were worried. We were, like, ‘We do not want to end up with Nick in hospital, and we do need to have a backup.’”
Dickinson recounted the decision to test Dawson‘s compatibility during a tour break: “And Simon was suggested by Steve, and we all went, ‘Yeah, but how do we know it’s gonna work?’ So we said to Nick, ‘Look, in the middle of the tour, we’ve got a couple of days in Portland, Oregon. We’re gonna rent a rehearsal place and we’re gonna just give Simon a go just to see if it works, just in case.’ So we did. And a couple of us were, like, ‘I don’t know how this is gonna be, but hey…’ And honestly, I was pleasantly shocked. I was, like, ‘Wow.’ We went through the whole set without a break. And this guy had not rehearsed with anybody. He just, like, turned up with Maiden. We went through the entire set of the tour that we were on at the time, and it was all there. I thought, ‘My God, we could do a show tonight if we had to. That’s unreal.’”
Following McBrain‘s decision to retire from touring, Dawson, officially announced as the new touring drummer on December 8th, 2024, became the clear choice. Dickinson emphasized that Dawson‘s unique style was a key factor. “The incredible thing was with Simon, which, obviously, when it was suggested, after Nicko decided to retire, or retire from live playing, that Simon should take over, and there were other drummers that people thought were kind of in the frame. And one of the reasons that we didn’t pick those other type of drummers was ’cause, although they were very good drummers — nothing wrong with their drumming — they all wanted to sound like Nick. And you can’t replace Nicko. You shouldn’t even try to replace him. You don’t want a Nicko clone. You want a drummer that plays the material but plays kind of their own style.”
Dickinson expressed genuine enthusiasm for Dawson‘s feel, drawing a comparison to a former Maiden legend: “And if I’m honest, if I closed my eyes at moments during that rehearsal [with Simon], it was like having [late Maiden drummer] Clive Burr back in the band, ’cause he’s got that feel. It’s that big band swing time feel. He has all the same influences and everything. And I was just, like, ‘Oh my God. Wow.’ So I’m actually really excited.”
With rehearsals for the “Run For Your Lives” tour imminent—set to kick off May 27th in Budapest, Hungary—Dickinson is preparing eagerly. “We start [rehearsing for the tour] next — not next week. Hang on. I actually go back to Europe tomorrow. And then we’ve got, like, 10 days and then we start. So we will be going through it. I’ve got my little speaker set up in my little Airbnb at the moment. I’ve got the whole setlist on there.”
Dickinson views this transition as the beginning of “a new chapter with Simon, and I look forward to it. There’s no shame in that,” he stated, adding, “We are doing the best we can do for the music.” He also reflected on the band’s enduring philosophy: “Maiden has always been greater than the sum of any individual part, which is kind of the way it should be, really, when you’ve got something like that,” Bruce explained. “And we’re also in the semi-unique position that we’ve never really had to — well, we’ve never really been darlings of any mainstream media. [We] have got to where we are now and getting bigger and bigger and bigger without, basically, anybody taking any notice of us at all.”
Regarding the upcoming tour, Dickinson promised a unique experience for fans. “The show that we’ve designed is unlike any other Maiden show we’ve ever done,” he teased. “I should not say anymore, ’cause once we get to the first two shows in Budapest, then everyone will be all over the social media saying what they think about it and so on and so forth. But I’m really excited. It’s like a whole new chapter for us, this new show.”
He described the setlist as potentially the closest Maiden has come to a greatest hits tour. “And we’ve never really done a kind of greatest-hits tour. And if there was one, then this would certainly be it. I mean, the first 25, 30 minutes, I kid you not, is gonna blow people’s minds. They’re [gonna go], ‘I can’t believe they’re playing that, that, that.'”
Confirming the tour’s scale, Dickinson noted, “We sold a million tickets in Europe for this summer, for basically two and a bit months this summer, and we are bringing it to the USA in ’26.”
