Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson paid a heartfelt tribute to drummer Nicko McBrain after he announced his retirement from touring following 42 years with the band.
The musician revealed his decision on December 7 in a statement on Iron Maiden’s website and social media. He confirmed that his show at Allianz Parque in São Paulo, Brazil, would be his last performance with the band.
Before starting the third song, ‘The Writing On The Wall,’ during Maiden’s set at Allianz Parque, Bruce addressed the audience about Nicko’s retirement.
“Tonight is a very special night, as some of you, I think probably all of you, will know, because this morning we announced, Nicko announced that he was stepping back for playing live drums with Iron Maiden,” the frontman explained his bandmate’s decision. “For 42 years Nicko’s been in this band. He was a drummer before I was a singer, he was a pilot before I was a pilot, and now he’s not leaving the band, but he’s just not playing live with us anymore.”
He added: “So, we have a lot more music to get to tonight, and I want the rest of the night to be a celebration of Nick, a celebration of the joy that he’s brought to everybody around the world, not just here in Brazil. All right? And with that, on we go!”
The drummer announced his retirement in a statement, saying he made his decision ‘after much consideration’ but would still remain a part of the Iron Maiden family. The rocker thanked his fans, family, friends, and fans.
Iron Maiden’s manager, Rob Smallwood, said the band has ‘already chosen’ a new drummer, and the identity will be revealed ‘very soon.’
