LA Kings Share Behind-The-Scenes Video Of Bruce Dickinson’s National Anthem Performance

The Los Angeles Kings have given fans an intimate, eight-minute behind-the-scenes look at Bruce Dickinson‘s recent show-stopping appearance at the Crypto.com Arena. The new video, shared on the team’s official YouTube channel on October 27, chronicles the Iron Maiden frontman’s entire process of preparing for and delivering the U.S. national anthem. You can watch it down below.

Dickinson‘s performance took place on October 7, helping the LA Kings launch the NHL‘s regular season in a home game against the Colorado Avalanche. The game was a high-profile, nationally televised broadcast on ESPN.

This LA Kings performance marked the second time in recent months that the legendary British vocalist had been tapped to perform “The Star-Spangled Banner” for a major American sporting event. On September 14, Dickinson sang the anthem a cappella at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh for the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ NFL home opener against the Seattle Seahawks.

The singer, known for his humor and candor, openly discussed the immense pressure of the gig during his September 11 solo concert at the House of Blues in Boston. He revealed to the crowd that he was going to use them as his one and only practice session.

“So I’m gonna let you in to a dirty little secret that is gonna happen on Sunday,” Dickinson told the Boston audience. “I’ve been asked to sing the American national anthem at a Pittsburgh Steelers game. Now, I’ve never done this before in my f**king life, and I’m trying to avoid the embarrassment of reading the f**king words off the back of my hand.”

He then held up his palms to the crowd, joking: “Look, no writing on the back of my hand, or failure to read the auto cue because, f**k me, there is no auto cue, all right?!”

Dickinson explained his decision to perform the anthem that night was directly tied to the date. “It can’t have escaped your attention that today is 9/11, right?” he said. “And on this day, on that day, I was in New York City and I witnessed all the s**t that happened.”

He noted that while he usually performs an a cappella snippet of the Iron Maiden classic “Revelations,” he was making an exception to honor the day and practice for the Steelers game.

The singer also shared a crucial piece of technical advice he received from another band while touring in Brazil.

“I was talking to the punk band, mates of mine, Bad Religion,” Dickinson recalled. “And the guy went, ‘Oh, you’re gonna sing the anthem?’ He said, ‘F**king make sure you start low.'”

Dickinson had previously confirmed the Steelers gig in an interview with soprano Elizabeth Zharoff, noting his plan was to perform it “a cappella and stuff, and as long as you start at the right place, you’re good to go.”