Bruce Dickinson

Vaenyr said:
Btw, were the three cut songs from Scream For Me Brazil (Jerusalem, Taking The Queen, Tattooed Millionaire) ever released?

I can see why the three played Maiden songs wouldn't be, but it's a shame if the three original songs didn't see the light of day.
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It would be a good opportunity to release them with the upcoming remixed album, if they go up to remix The chemical wedding for bonus tracks or the 99 live album (not that The chemical wedding needs a remix according to most fans!)
 
Jerusalem was on the Best of collection and it's leveled and mixed such that it slots in perfectly on Scream for Me Brazil, which is personally what I did in iTunes.

I believe I speculated in this thread some years ago that it was probably intended to be included but left out because the record company refused to release a CD that's longer than 74 minutes (the old maximum length, by the 90s albums were up to nearly 79 minutes though). I don't see any other reason for its exclusion since evidently it was the only missing song that was actually mixed and ready to release.
 
Just came back from Bruce's gig, in São Paulo and it was spectacular; he said he and his band will be back, next year and this will be his band for many, many years (Resurrection Man is superb, on stage!)

One thing I noticed was, by watching the gigs since the L.A. ones, and being on the gig, past night, he's not into Maiden at all, 'cos there are many difficult songs on both bands setlists and it was clear he exudes pleasure singing his material and pulling out the hard ones and with Maiden he's not 100% there, to make the effort that he can, to make the songs as they should be.
 
Jeffmetal said:
Just came back from Bruce's gig, in São Paulo and it was spectacular; he said he and his band will be back, next year and this will be his band for many, many years (Resurrection Man is superb, on stage!)

One thing I noticed was, by watching the gigs since the L.A. ones, and being on the gig, past night, he's not into Maiden at all, 'cos there are many difficult songs on both bands setlists and it was clear he exudes pleasure singing his material and pulling out the hard ones and with Maiden he's not 100% there, to make the effort that he can, to make the songs as they should be.
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I’m glad you enjoyed the show, but what you said about Bruce not giving a 100% with Maiden is complete bullshit.
 
these are two separate things. in his solo live stage he knows that he have to give his %100 every night, because everybody in the audience is there for him. in maiden, he's the frontman of the biggest british metal band but all eyes are not at him. he can disappear from the stage in the instrumentals, he can be ill or tired and not sing well but still he can get away with it, etc...
it's same with steve and british lion. steve works harder in british lion because he knows everybody is there for him.
but yes, in bruce situation, i'm sure he doesn't like some of the harris songs, the long intros, repetations etc... and he may feel alienized. but this is normal for every professional vocalist. especially at his age and experience. as long as he does his job %70-80 percent i'm ok.
 
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The fact is that Maiden is team work on stage. Every fan is here for all the band members, not only for Bruce. The fan is here for Bruce, for Steve, for Dave, for Adrian, for Janick, for Nicko, for the music, for the show and for Eddie(s). So, it's not that important for Bruce to be 100% fit every night.

With his solo band, it's a totally different thing. There is no Steve, no Dave, no Adrian, no Janick, no Nicko, no Eddie(s) and no spectacular show with pyros and stuff like that. He has no stage set, only him and his musicians, the music to offer to people in the crowd. So, he must be 100% in every night.

That's a big difference.
 
It's no shock that someone would prefer a pursuit they have 100% creative control over to one they don't.
 
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I don't agree. It depends on the individual. Some musicians are more motivated the fuller the hall is, the more attention the band they're in gets and much more.
I find this whole idea - at least as a very general assertion - even a bit insulting, because it would mean implying that almost all musicians in almost all bands don't even try to do their best.
 
Yeah, I'll echo the other comments, that characterization is absolutely bullshit. Compare any of the shows from The Future Past tour to the first shows in 2022 and you can see that he's still having a lot of fun with Maiden, when he isn't experiencing audio issues.
 
Jeffmetal said:
Just came back from Bruce's gig, in São Paulo and it was spectacular; he said he and his band will be back, next year and this will be his band for many, many years
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That's great to hear and I love that Bruce is so enthusiastic, but does that mean Roy will never play live with him again?? I think he just doesn't like touring. I hope that for the next solo album Roy will at least not be disinterested like for TMP. I mean, no/really short solos, not that many riffs, guest guitarists, Bruce solely wrote a few songs... it's a big waste and it's disappointing.
Jeffmetal said:
One thing I noticed was, by watching the gigs since the L.A. ones, and being on the gig, past night, he's not into Maiden at all, 'cos there are many difficult songs on both bands setlists and it was clear he exudes pleasure singing his material and pulling out the hard ones and with Maiden he's not 100% there, to make the effort that he can, to make the songs as they should be.
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This is not true. He's playing his solo songs for the first time in 20 years, plus he co-wrote them all, so it's normal for him to be extra excited.
And he's really involved with the tours and promo campaigns for Maiden. I don't think he doesn't like some of Steve songs (maybe lyrics; his solo songs are not easier, they don't have longer instrumental sections for breaks and he mess up lyrics from time to time in both, which is normal), he just feels more comfortable (in a way) singing his own material.
Ruflux said:
Jerusalem was on the Best of collection and it's leveled and mixed such that it slots in perfectly on Scream for Me Brazil, which is personally what I did in iTunes.
I believe I speculated in this thread some years ago that it was probably intended to be included but left out because the record company refused to release a CD that's longer than 74 minutes (the old maximum length, by the 90s albums were up to nearly 79 minutes though). I don't see any other reason for its exclusion since evidently it was the only missing song that was actually mixed and ready to release.
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Why Jerusalem and Trumpets Of Jericho were not included in the video release? I've always wondered and I've always wanted those songs on video with the classic lineup.
 
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After the last Brazil show in Sao Paulo, it looks like Bruce will rotate Urizen and Jerusalem (and maybe Gods Of War) and Road To Hell will also be in rotation for the #3 spot in the set with Laughing and Starchildren. If only the setlist was a few songs longer. I'm really surprised that Road To Hell is a song for rotation. Speaking of it, it sounds much better earlier in the set:


...

And another tour video trailer:

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MCA Concerts on Instagram: "Estamos no último show da The Mandrake Project Tour Brazil, mas enquanto isso, bora matar saudade do show no Rio de Janeiro? A The Mandrake Project World Tour no Brasil é uma realização MCA Concerts"

972 likes, 30 comments - mcaconcerts on May 4, 2024: "Estamos no último show da The Mandrake Project Tour Brazil, mas enquanto isso, bora matar saudade do show no Rio de Janeiro? A The...".
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I hope Bruce will release all songs he played during the Brazil shows.
 
Echoing the sentiment that “Bruce not being into Maiden” is bullshit. Not to mention nonsensical considering he seems to be firmly in the camp within the band that wants them to keep going despite being a cancer survivor, having plenty of non-Maiden and non-music opportunities and just getting older in general. I also think he and the rest of Maiden took on a really demanding setlist with Future Past and for the most part delivered (with the expected off nights/weaker songs). On the whole he is sounding a lot better with Maiden than he did in 2022 though. It’s also just a different live situation and he’s playing songs in lower tunings/more comfortable keys than in Maiden.
 
I find it totally understandable if he’s more into his own stuff than Maiden at this particular point. He’s just revived his solo career, it’s his baby, it’s more personal. But being more into it doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about Maiden anymore. Even if the enthusiasm is not entirely the same, you can’t say he’s phoning it in with Maiden.
 
Jeffmetal said:
Just came back from Bruce's gig, in São Paulo and it was spectacular; he said he and his band will be back, next year and this will be his band for many, many years (Resurrection Man is superb, on stage!)

One thing I noticed was, by watching the gigs since the L.A. ones, and being on the gig, past night, he's not into Maiden at all, 'cos there are many difficult songs on both bands setlists and it was clear he exudes pleasure singing his material and pulling out the hard ones and with Maiden he's not 100% there, to make the effort that he can, to make the songs as they should be.
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I just came back from São Paulo and yes, the show was actually mindblowing.

In my opinion, the highlights were:

1) Darkside of Aquarius;
2) Book of Thel;
3) Many Doors To Hell;
4) Afterglow of Ragnarok (!).

Look, I know many people here got very high expectations about TMP and then when it was released people were like: "hmm, ok, good, but not even close to TCW and AOB". And that's right - this is also my opinion.

But hey, don't miss this tour!

Bruce is in great shape. He seemed very healthy and very excited during the whole night. Also, all songs from TMP work very well live. When Afterglow was released, I said it was 7/10 and I still maintain this opinion, maybe 7.5/10 now. However, it sounded immense last night. Very anthemic chorus, very good crowd participation. One of the highlights of the night for sure.

Maybe it was my excitement, but I don't think Bruce missed a note last night. You know that high note/high scream he used to do on TNOTB and Wrathchild (RIR 2001)? He did that twice on Rain On The Graves and it was amazing. He nailed Darkside of Aquarius and Book of Thel. The crowd participation on Darkside was simply amazing. The only song that he suffered a little bit was The Tower, but that's completely understandable as it was the last song of the set.

The only mistake I can remember was when he mixed up the lyrics a bit on Navigate.

Now let me dive into the controversy whether he's 100% into Maiden or not.

Look, Bruce was the responsible for the 'marketing campaign' about TWOW and Senjutsu as a whole, wasn't he? Based on the amount of interviews on the last years, I could argue Bruce seems more enthusiastic about Maiden stuff than Steve Harris. Did Harris say anything about Senjutsu at all? I mean, I know they have different personalities and things like that, but I don't think Bruce can be accused of not being into Maiden.

However, there is indeed something to argue against Bruce in that regard. It's the fact that, apparently, he hasn't been putting enough effort into singing the lyrics of the songs the way they are (especially those written by Harris). It took 20 shows until he got the lyrics of Hell On Earth right (and he kept fucking up here and there during the 1st leg of TFP). However, I wouldn't go as far as to say that it's intentional. I think it's just Bruce getting old and being a bit lazy. Plus, Bruce's performances last year were very solid, especially on the beginning-middle of the tour (which is where we are now, so it's kinda expected).

Anyway, I hope they release a DVD from last night, because the performance of the whole band was top notch.
 
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