DJ James
A coma stole my name.
Overall, I am very, very curious to see how Maiden (the Steve Harris Godhead more like) handles this situation. I really don't have much to add but I will say this: Iron Maiden making Nicko play those Somewhere in Time tracks live now borders on elder abuse. I was extremely shocked when they announced the Days of Future Past tour, and what it would entail. I only have live footage and testimony from those I know that have seen it, but from my perspective it seems like they about 80% stuck the landing. I will say that H, Murray and Harris are still at the top of their game.
When I saw Iron Maiden for the first time in 2012, my 14 brain had a very interesting thought: "This performance was great, but how much longer can they do this for?". From how good and tight that show was, I remember settling around 15~ years. At the time, there really were no big touring heavy metal bands that were playing into their 70's, metal just really hadn't been around for that long. With these "legacy" acts, I think the real test starts when the average age of the band is about 62/63. That sounds like an oddly specific number, but I've seen bands that ROCKED where the average age was around 67/68, and I've seen bands that just sounded dead even though their members were in their late 50's/early 60's.
It's miraculous Iron Maiden has lasted this long, and are also playing at a high-ish level still. It's unfathomable to me that Harris would let Nicko go, even with his age, health problems, and difficulties playing live. I think the decision has to come from Nicko himself. My brain can't comprehend Maiden without Nicko. Someone in this thread mentioned Mikkey Dee, and I love Mikkey Dee, but it would be impossible for me to see it as anything more than Iron Maiden featuring Mikkey Dee, instead of it being a cohesive unit. No good names really come to mind for me. Nicko's feel, even at 70 something years old, is just something not a lot of drummers have. It's like an X Factor (no pun intended). Some guys can drum for Iron Maiden, and some can't. The list of guys that can drum for Iron Maiden in this current age, in my head, is a one person list.
When I saw Iron Maiden for the first time in 2012, my 14 brain had a very interesting thought: "This performance was great, but how much longer can they do this for?". From how good and tight that show was, I remember settling around 15~ years. At the time, there really were no big touring heavy metal bands that were playing into their 70's, metal just really hadn't been around for that long. With these "legacy" acts, I think the real test starts when the average age of the band is about 62/63. That sounds like an oddly specific number, but I've seen bands that ROCKED where the average age was around 67/68, and I've seen bands that just sounded dead even though their members were in their late 50's/early 60's.
It's miraculous Iron Maiden has lasted this long, and are also playing at a high-ish level still. It's unfathomable to me that Harris would let Nicko go, even with his age, health problems, and difficulties playing live. I think the decision has to come from Nicko himself. My brain can't comprehend Maiden without Nicko. Someone in this thread mentioned Mikkey Dee, and I love Mikkey Dee, but it would be impossible for me to see it as anything more than Iron Maiden featuring Mikkey Dee, instead of it being a cohesive unit. No good names really come to mind for me. Nicko's feel, even at 70 something years old, is just something not a lot of drummers have. It's like an X Factor (no pun intended). Some guys can drum for Iron Maiden, and some can't. The list of guys that can drum for Iron Maiden in this current age, in my head, is a one person list.
joke aside, he is a really good drummer. Simon Dawson. and if he gets the job, he'll drum for BL and IM, so a huge minus from tour costs will make Rod happy 
