Nicko McBrain retires

Iron Lurker said:
Nicko is the GOAT. This is hitting me pretty hard though I had suspicions it was coming. Glad to hear he is still going to be involved with the band in some capacity. I'm so thankful I made it to Charlotte so I could see him play one last time. Thanks Nicko for all the great years in Iron Maiden! You're the best!
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I think he will keep working with Maiden like Glenn Tipton does with Priest.
 
Tipton's statement was more precise than Nicko's statement. Glenn straightforwardly said:
“I'm not ruling out the chance to go on stage when I feel up to playing Priest! So at some point in the not-too-distant future I'm really looking forward to seeing all of our wonderful metal maniacs again.”
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Nicko, on the other hand, mentions some unspecified projects, and I think he's referring rather to things like a documentary or some interviews for the fanclub. There's probably a chance of him playing a song or two at a concert in Florida or London, but I'm not expecting too much.
 
No, Nicko will not be Maiden's drummer on any future studio material. His ability to perform at the level he and the band require and are accustomed to has been affected by both age and the effects of his stroke. Those chops will not return. There are patterns and strokes he simply cannot play any longer at tempo.

Read the announcement again; Rod clearly says how much the band will miss him and that he'll always be part of the family. You don't miss someone whom you plan on spending time with in the studio. It's done.

As for future guest appearances at any live shows, doubtful. Leaving the band after forty-two years is like leaving a marriage. You don't want to see your ex getting along with the new guy...and in the case of the band, they're going to want to make the new drummer as comfortable as possible so he can give his best performance. Having the musician you replaced hanging around isn't conducive to fostering such an environment.

Its time for Nicko to enjoy his family and his life. Once you break that routine of recording/rehearsing/performing/traveling/practicing/exercising to stay fit and in his case, intensive therapy to try to regain your ability, it's impossible to just get up onstage at a show as coordinated as is Maidens and just bash out "The Trooper" for old times' sake when you couldn't play it properly when you left.

I don't think Maiden is stopping anytime soon. The band is still playing at a very high level live. What I am surprised by is that obviously Steve and Rod knew this day was coming and prepared for it by already have a new drummer in place. When I saw them in November I thought that Nicko was the one member that Steve would not replace when he retired. The band can most easily survive the loss of a guitarist; any combination of two of them can carry on (despite criticism of Janick yes, the man can play). Adrian already left once. I'm sure that Steve wouldn't want to lose Davey but I don't think his departure would end the band. Bruce has stated that if he couldn't carry on, he would want them to continue and would help in finding a great replacement singer. That leaves Nicko. With this news, apparently it is a whole new world as far as retirement goes. I don't think Steve has any consideration of doing so any time soon.
 
malfeitor said:
Tipton's statement was more precise than Nicko's statement. Glenn straightforwardly said:

Nicko, on the other hand, mentions some unspecified projects, and I think he's referring rather to things like a documentary or some interviews for the fanclub. There's probably a chance of him playing a song or two at a concert in Florida or London, but I'm not expecting too much.
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If you want to see Nicko playing maiden live, go to his restaurant....He said he will keep doing titanium tart.
 
I'm both surprised and not really surprised. On one hand, for a while I did believe like many others that Maiden would rather call it quits than start replacing members and that Steve in particular probably wouldn't tolerate a replacement drummer after 42 years.

On the other, Nicko was struggling badly throughout the TFP run and for some songs he never really found any sort of groove that worked for him. So when you have the 50th anniversary tour announced, with RTTH explicitly confirmed by the title of the damn thing, and knowing that's a song he specifically can't really play anymore, it probably should've been obvious.

Kinda crazy how some people called him bowing out in December months ago since it definitely felt like a long shot even after the 2024 leg of TFP got underway. But since it seems like Nicko's own personal decision, I guess all the stubbornness in the world from Steve or Maiden in general couldn't have altered it.

Sad to see him go, but at the same time, his career with Maiden is so legendary and incredible that there aren't really words for it. The best heavy metal drummer, bar none. Whoever's replacing Nicko has some massive boots to fill, that's for sure.
 
Gutted, absolutely gutted. Reading all the comments and posts everywhere makes me incredibly sad. I could cry.

Only seen Maiden live twice but I'm so grateful for those 2 times! I wish I became a fan sooner so I could've seen Nicko on so many more great tours and adventures! Next year will be very strange seeing Maiden live without him. It's weird but I'm not as excited anymore as I was when I bought tickets a while ago. Maiden just won't be the same without Nicko.

He was my favorite member of the band. I've watched Flight 666 over a dozen times but every time Nicko spoke he made me smile. He was truly the sunshine in the band.

Wishing him the absolute best in his future endeavors!
 
What about Giovanni Durst as a replacement for Nicko ? He played in the UK NWOTHM band Monument... He's free too for now, even if he's in Benediction and Omicida. So, why not ? Added to the fact that his former band Monument played a heavy metal directly inspired by Iron Maiden, with the twin guitars and stuff, and did a cover of "Deja Vu"...
 
Paul White and Mark Rumble, both former drummers in Steve Grimmett's Grim Reaper, could also be the names for new Maiden drummer...
 
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