Subjects Bruce was wrong about or took his mouth too full

I won't post any other comment than this one in this thread... :D

EDIT : except the one where I wrote that I've edited my previous post... :p
 
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Iron Lurker said:
I could be wrong but it seemed to me Ozzfest may have helped reintroduce Maiden to America again. The band seemed to take off in the U.S. again after that. My perception anyway.
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This.

Even though the reunion had gone down a storm in Europe and South America, the States were slow to catch on with the band playing to some half empty venues on the BNW cycle. And they barely toured DOD over there.

Ozzfest definitely boosted their profile and paved the road for the success of SBIT. And the EggFest incident generated a lot of publicity (not to mention inspiring the song These Colours Don't Run).

In short, yes, it was the right thing to do at the time.
 
TaaviMaiden said:
I was so baffled by the Brexit thing. As someone who has a degree in modern history, I would have been convinced that Bruce knows more about how the EU works than an Average Joe who doesn't care.
But no - zero. You can clearly tell when you read how he talks about it.
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If you put it in the context of a national rebranding strategy - a lot of businesses did - it makes more sense. I don't genuinely think Bruce is great at business, he's just a publicity man
 
Perun said:
On the other hand, I remember having a very strong aversion to the idea of Maiden touring with Ozzfest at the time. I felt that This was the wrong venue for them, and that supporting another band, even if it was Black Sabbath, was degrading. I've always wondered if Bruce felt the same way, and that this is what triggered his rants. Earlier that year, Maiden had sold out major venues in Europe such as Ullevi and Parc de Princes, and headlined Rock am Ring, and now they were being forced into the Ozzfest corset. Maybe it was the right move business-wise, but maybe that's also what upset Bruce, that Maiden's status was determined by corporate considerations. I remember ranting all day when I lost my own office and got moved to a desk in the basement once, this sort of thing hurts.
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Good point and I've felt the same.
Well the IM management tried to sell it as co-headlined but we all knew what was about. In any case, Bruce had no excuse as this was a decision made by the band not the fault of Ozzy in any way.
And don't forget that Steve Harris apologised to Ozzy at some point, I think right after the egg-fest. That speaks a ton.
 
Perun said:
I'm on the fence here. In a way, yes, Sharon's actions weren't unprovoked. They were childish and unprofessional, and, I'd say, disproportionate, but she didn't act without pretext.

On the other hand, I remember having a very strong aversion to the idea of Maiden touring with Ozzfest at the time. I felt that This was the wrong venue for them, and that supporting another band, even if it was Black Sabbath, was degrading. I've always wondered if Bruce felt the same way, and that this is what triggered his rants. Earlier that year, Maiden had sold out major venues in Europe such as Ullevi and Parc de Princes, and headlined Rock am Ring, and now they were being forced into the Ozzfest corset. Maybe it was the right move business-wise, but maybe that's also what upset Bruce, that Maiden's status was determined by corporate considerations. I remember ranting all day when I lost my own office and got moved to a desk in the basement once, this sort of thing hurts.
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I think your word "disproportionate" is key here, and the reason why so many Maiden fans overlook that Bruce started it all. Sharon went with the nuclear option instead of fining them or outright kicking them off the tour. There had to have been some verbiage in the contract that covered onstage misconduct that Bruce's speeches would have fallen under.

I never thought about Bruce possibly taking umbrage with playing second-fiddle to Sabbath after their recent successes, provoking him to run his mouth in an ill-conceived attempt to prove they're above whatever Rod had booked for them. Certainly possible from Mr. "We're Bigger than Metallica."

Anyway, I don't want to turn this into an Eggfest thread, as I'm sure one already exists. Just the first thing that came to mind about Bruce being wrong in doing something rather major.
 
____no5 said:
Good point and I've felt the same.
Well the IM management tried to sell it as co-headlined but we all knew what was about. In any case, Bruce had no excuse as this was a decision made by the band not the fault of Ozzy in any way.
And don't forget that Steve Harris apologised to Ozzy at some point, I think right after the egg-fest. That speaks a ton.
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Didn’t Steve say that Sharon made it look like he had apologised? Either way, that happened before they were pelted with eggs, not after.
 
Spaldy said:
This.

Even though the reunion had gone down a storm in Europe and South America, the States were slow to catch on with the band playing to some half empty venues on the BNW cycle. And they barely toured DOD over there.

Ozzfest definitely boosted their profile and paved the road for the success of SBIT. And the EggFest incident generated a lot of publicity (not to mention inspiring the song These Colours Don't Run).

In short, yes, it was the right thing to do at the time.
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DoD, if I recall, was a shorter tour because of Steve's spinal compression issues he was having leading up to the tour, hence why he said they'd start doing live albums on every major tour, because "every show from that point on was precious," or some statement like that. The reason they really only hit a few major markets in the US is likely because of what you mentioned, that the States weren't quite as receptive sales-wise to the reunion as the rest of the world was, so why waste those precious shows there. I imagine Steve had surgery after the DoD tour, which obviously turned out to be successful, since we never really heard about those spinal problems again.

Booking Ozzfest got them in front of mainstream American audiences, and I'd agree it was the right thing to do, despite how it all ended.
 
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TaaviMaiden said:
I was so baffled by the Brexit thing. As someone who has a degree in modern history, I would have been convinced that Bruce knows more about how the EU works than an Average Joe who doesn't care.
But no - zero. You can clearly tell when you read how he talks about it.
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AND as a business professional. The whole Brexit thing complicated e.g. Maiden Tshirt sales (and exchanges due to wrong sizes!) in an unnescessary way. Customs and all that.
 
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Dick Brucinson said:
AND as a business professional. The whole Brexit thing complicated e.g. Maiden Tshirt sales (and exchanges due to wrog sizes!) in an unnescessary way. Customs and all that.
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This. I have a feeling that Brexit killed off a lot of FC goodies. At the moment, the only good thing about the FC are the pre-sales (I have also given up with FTTB, unless they allocade numbers to winners via RNG).
 
GhostofCain said:
Didn’t Steve say that Sharon made it look like he had apologised? Either way, that happened before they were pelted with eggs, not after.
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www.loudersound.com

“I believe we’ve made a huge leap forward this time. This is our Radiohead moment!”: how Iron Maiden made a 21st century masterpiece with A Matter Of Life And Death

In this classic Metal Hammer interview, Bruce Dickinson and Steve Harris reveal the story behind Iron Maiden’s 2006 album A Matter Of Life And Death
www.loudersound.com www.loudersound.com

But, did Harris personally apologise to Ozzy and Sharon, because of Bruce’s alleged behaviour?

“No I didn’t. What I actually said was that, if there was anything to apologise for, then I’d do it. But that was twisted round to make it seem like I’d said sorry – that never happened!”
 
Poto said:
www.loudersound.com

“I believe we’ve made a huge leap forward this time. This is our Radiohead moment!”: how Iron Maiden made a 21st century masterpiece with A Matter Of Life And Death

In this classic Metal Hammer interview, Bruce Dickinson and Steve Harris reveal the story behind Iron Maiden’s 2006 album A Matter Of Life And Death
www.loudersound.com www.loudersound.com

But, did Harris personally apologise to Ozzy and Sharon, because of Bruce’s alleged behaviour?

“No I didn’t. What I actually said was that, if there was anything to apologise for, then I’d do it. But that was twisted round to make it seem like I’d said sorry – that never happened!”
Click to expand...

A very British apology. A bit like when one says “I do not mean to be rude” before being rude. :lol:
 
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