I'm not making any specific claim about this particular situation, because I'm nothing more than a fan. All I'm saying is that based on my own professional experience, it is naive to take press releases and public statements at face value and assume that all parties involved are satisfied with the outcome. That is rarely the case in my experience.
In fact, I'd argue that it's completely realistic and reasonable to assume that when a major artistic or business relationship like this comes to an end or changes in some major way, it's more likely than not that some of the parties will harbor some dissatisfaction about how things unfolded - even if the general public NEVER learns about those details.
But we aren't taking a PR statement at face value; we are taking Nicko at his word. We are interpreting his jokes as what they are: Jokes. We have close to half a century of documented interviews to analyze how he talks, how he answers questions and how he comes across. He's always been bantering and the latest interviews are just that. Furthermore, as we've seen with Paul, Bruce and Steve, Maiden are not strangers to airing dirty laundry. This is not about naivete; it's about pushing against baseless conspiracies.
Again, this is entirely subjective, it is not a "fact." I know we'll probably have to agree to disagree on this, but I'm just trying to explain to you my own point of view, which is one that I know at least some portion of the fanbase shares.
No, this is not subjective. Nicko's performance, due to health issues of course, was subpar. He couldn't keep the tempos straight. He had to simplify a lot of the parts and even then struggled. Once again, whether you like Simon's style or not, his performances on the 2025 are objectively superior to Nicko's 2023/2024 performances. Come on, that's not up for debate. Nicko was severely lacking consistency on TFP; Simon is far more depandable. If we can't be honest about something as basic and self-evident as that, there's no point in continuing this discussion.
I still prefer the way Nicko played on TFP, at least at the gigs I attended and videos I've seen. His unique sense of feel and timing, which is a huge part of the Maiden sound, still shone through even if many of the fills and more complex grooves were simplified.
Which is fine. You are entitled to like whatever you want. My previous statement wasn't about their drumming style but about their capabilities, their mistakes, their current skill level.
Also, I've seen him live with Titanium Tart since his stroke, and his playing has far more energy, syncopation, and rhythmic consistency than Simon's. Maiden is now playing some songs slower than the album tempos, whereas TT are playing them at 2008-2009 speeds. Clearly there are other forces within the Maiden camp dictating that tempos must be slower, so we can't pin that on Nicko or Simon. That said, to my ear Simon sounds like he's struggling to keep up in places, especially on more complex parts, and is often playing a bit too far behind the beat which makes the songs feel like they're dragging even further.
That's actually not true. I've seen most videos from the current tour where people were blaming Simon for mistakes and in almost all of those cases
he was the one who was playing it correctly and tried to rein the others (especially Steve) in. Steve in particular has been pretty sloppy this tour and made tons of mistakes.
As for the tempos, this is irrelevant because Simon is not the one who dictates them. They are more strict than TT because they use the screens and have to stay within specific ranges for the animations. Nicko has always been all over the place as far as tempos go, so it's not a surprise that he'd play the songs faster with TT. Subjectively one might prefer that, but this isn't what Maiden is looking for at the moment.
That's not to say that I think the band should just get someone in to just replicate Nicko's parts note-for-note, the idea of them finding someone who puts their own fresh spin on things is exciting. I just don't really feel Simon is doing that. I think he's "good enough", but those songs deserve more than that.
That's fair and valid. I think it's a bit premature to judge him this harshly before we heard what he might contribute on a potential future studio album. The fact that he's an experienced double bass drummer (he even brought the double bass pedal to the current tour) could open up some new possibilities, so I'm curious to see how the next few years will play out.
A fruitless search? That is a ridiculous idea. We're talking about one of the biggest heavy rock acts on the planet. There are scores of incredibly talented, energetic, young players out there who would surely jump at the chance to bring their own unique style to Maiden's music while still doing the songs justice
You missed the most important word in that sentence, "possibly". Just because there are scores of players that would fit the bill under your preferred criteria, doesn't mean that Maiden/Steve/Rod would like any of them. That's why I said that this process could cost them literal months, where they'd be screening different candidates, invite them to rehearsals and see if they click with the band. At the same time we already have a drummer who's been playing with Steve for a decade. Also, who's to say that even under your premise, they wouldn't end up with Simon anyway? Or with someone who plays similarly to Simon instead of another Clive, another Nicko or even someone with a very unique playing style?
I'll leave you with one question, because I think it settles the discussion quite effectively and we don't have to go back and forth on something that meddles objective and subjective experiences:
Do you disagree that all members were quite visibly having a lot of fun on stage during the 2025 tour?
maidenrevelations.com
(Just a joke.)
