Simon Dawson is the new drummer

Hmm, that’s a bit harsh, yeah? I’m pretty sure if a regular forum member posted the reverse of that, it would get deleted right away in that kind of situation..
 
I'm looking forward to seeing the best possible footage from this tour, especially to see how Simon handles Clive's and Nicko's parts.
But I'm not even sure if I'll watch the full show yet—maybe it's best to experience it live for myself first
 
Of course, there are quite a few Nicko fills that long-time fans will miss. Nicko was just insane in 2008's ROTAM, for example — impossible to replace. But Simon is already doing a spectacular job. The last Nicko version that can be compared to Simon's performance is, in my opinion, TBOSWT 2016–17. Since then, all the tours have had timing and consistency issues here and there, which Simon seems able to solve.
 
Of course, there are quite a few Nicko fills that long-time fans will miss. Nicko was just insane in 2008's ROTAM, for example — impossible to replace. But Simon is already doing a spectacular job. The last Nicko version that can be compared to Simon's performance is, in my opinion, TBOSWT 2016–17. Since then, all the tours have had timing and consistency issues here and there, which Simon seems able to solve.
Nicko was an absolute monster in LOTB 1 as well, especially 2018. 2022 is where he started to drop off a little bit.
 
I would say honestly, it will take more than a couple weeks of rehearsals for Simon to fit in. I'd say, by a few weeks in, and maybe even next leg, he will be killing it. It just takes time. You have to remember that Nicko has been playing some of these songs for 42 years. That's a LOT of muscle memory. And of course a bit more used to playing these massive shows. From what I gather, Simon is very experienced, but jusyt maybe not in massive settings like a Maiden gig. He will get there, 100%.

The thing with this is, Nicko is by for one of the most identifiable drummers, ever. You hear him play and it's like 'Yep, Nicko' straight away. It's weird because unlike a guitar, where you have vibrato, picking style etc., drums technically sound more neutral. Many famous drummers, I can't tell the difference just for listening. But you can with Nicko. My thoughts are that it is going to be very difficult to get used to not hearing Nicko's style. But that is a different subject than whether or not Simon is capable of keeping Maiden driving forward. I think hearing Simon on these first two gigs has been genuinely awesome. He's nailing 99% of the parts. Other parts (Like the Murders intro) will fall into place.

I really like Simons playing - no detraction from Nicko. Just a bit of a different style that might take a bit to get used to. Honestly, some of Simon's tom fills are sounding excellent - Powerslave for example.
 
Back
Top