Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy has shared his reaction to Nicko McBrain’s decision to retire from Iron Maiden.
Portnoy shared a bunch of pictures of him and the former Iron Maiden drummer together on social media and included a message for him. “Shocked to hear the announcement of Nicko McBrain’s retirement from touring with Iron Maiden. I wish my friend all the best in his retirement… thanks for all the years of music and friendship, you’re the best Nicko,” Portnoy wrote.
In addition to Portnoy, Jeff Scott Soto also shared his thoughts on the drummer’s retirement in a separate post. “When Clive Burr exited Maiden, I was bummed as he had a unique take on Maiden’s music…when I 1st heard Nicko on ‘Piece Of Mind,’ I was convinced the band were in great hands going into the future! Thank you Nicko for your contributions and loyalty…and a hell of a nice guy to boot! Up The Irons to you sir.”
Nicko McBrain announced his decision to retire from extensive touring after 42 years on December 7. In a statement shared on Iron Maiden’s official Twitter account, McBrain confirmed that his final performance with the band would take place the same night in São Paulo, Brazil.
During the show, Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson paid a tribute to McBrain. Before starting the third song, ‘The Writing On The Wall,’ Bruce addressed the audience about the drummer’s retirement.
“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 band recently announced their new drummer, Simon Dawson. Dawson joined the band as it took shape during the creation of Harris’ 2012 solo album, also called ‘British Lion.’ He played on three tracks from the album and performed as a band member on their 2020 album, ‘The Burning.’
He will be part of Maiden’s 2025 ‘Run For Your Lives’ tour, starting in Budapest, Hungary on May 27.
