Very scary news about Harris's health.
------------------
Tour is final voyage for Iron Maiden
HIGH-ENERGY SHOW TAKES ITS TOLL
By Jon Matsumoto
Special to the Mercury News
``Iron Maiden can't be bought / Iron Maiden can't be sold.''
This refrain captures the spirit projected by the British heavy-metal band Iron Maiden ever since it released its self-titled anthem 23 years ago. But now that all six members have reached middle age, the Iron Maiden juggernaut is showing signs of wear and tear.
Recently, the group announced that its current world tour -- which includes stops at Shoreline Amphitheatre on Thursday and Chronicle Pavilion at Concord on Aug. 29 -- will be its last extensive tour.
``We all have families, and we want to have lives apart from music,'' says Bruce Dickinson, Iron Maiden's vocalist, in a telephone interview. ``Nicko McBrain, our drummer, will be 50 on this tour. I'm the youngest guy in the band. I'm 45. But we're still performing like we were when we were 25. It's started to take its toll on everybody's body.
``Steve Harris has got a crushed vertebra from running around on stage all these years with a huge bass guitar. Some days he can hardly walk. If we go on and try to play five nights a week in arenas for months at a time, this band is going to be unable to function.''
Because of its intensely physical show, Iron Maiden tends to ``sweat buckets'' onstage, Dickinson says. But the notion of toning down performances seems alien to the group. And Dickinson insists Iron Maiden has never sounded better. ``We're on fire,'' he says.
The band experienced a musical and spiritual rebirth four years ago, when Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith rejoined the group. Smith had been away for nine years, Dickinson for six. The current lineup includes all the members who made the band a favorite during the '80s, as well as guitarist Janick Gers, who replaced Smith in 1990. It's now a three-guitar lineup with charter member Dave Murray still on board after 27 years.
In the States, Iron Maiden is one of the few metal bands still capable of headlining shows at large arenas. In Europe, where there's still a thriving metal scene in many areas, including Germany and Scandinavia, Iron Maiden's popularity is even greater.
``Europe has always been our strongest area,'' says Dickinson, adding that on a recent tour they ``played to 700,000 people in 28 days. We were outselling the Rolling Stones in Scandinavia. People want to see us because they've heard that we're the source material for metal stuff.''
In the United States, classic metal groups such as Judas Priest have been overshadowed for a decade now by hard rock-metal bands incorporating elements of rap, grunge, punk or industrial music.
``People talk about freedom here in the United States,'' says Dickinson, ``but you only have freedom if you have a choice. People over here really aren't made aware of the choices they have in terms of music because of the corporate control of the concert business and radio. Everybody is segmented. Depending on what age group you slot into, you're put into a little stall, and you have blinkers put on you.''
The new DVD ``Iron Maiden: Visions of the Beast'' is a good source for those interested in the evolution of the band since its first album in 1980. The DVD presents more than three hours of images, music and extras. The band is set to release a new album, ``Dance of Death,'' on Sept. 1. It will include the first Iron Maiden song to feature only acoustic guitars.
Dickinson's powerhouse voice earned him the nickname ``the human air raid siren.'' About 10 years ago, he took up flying as a hobby and later landed a job piloting commercially for Britain's Astraeus. Today, he flies 737s for the company when not working with Iron Maiden, and whenever possible, he also flies the band around during tours in a light, twin-engine aircraft.
------------------
Tour is final voyage for Iron Maiden
HIGH-ENERGY SHOW TAKES ITS TOLL
By Jon Matsumoto
Special to the Mercury News
``Iron Maiden can't be bought / Iron Maiden can't be sold.''
This refrain captures the spirit projected by the British heavy-metal band Iron Maiden ever since it released its self-titled anthem 23 years ago. But now that all six members have reached middle age, the Iron Maiden juggernaut is showing signs of wear and tear.
Recently, the group announced that its current world tour -- which includes stops at Shoreline Amphitheatre on Thursday and Chronicle Pavilion at Concord on Aug. 29 -- will be its last extensive tour.
``We all have families, and we want to have lives apart from music,'' says Bruce Dickinson, Iron Maiden's vocalist, in a telephone interview. ``Nicko McBrain, our drummer, will be 50 on this tour. I'm the youngest guy in the band. I'm 45. But we're still performing like we were when we were 25. It's started to take its toll on everybody's body.
``Steve Harris has got a crushed vertebra from running around on stage all these years with a huge bass guitar. Some days he can hardly walk. If we go on and try to play five nights a week in arenas for months at a time, this band is going to be unable to function.''
Because of its intensely physical show, Iron Maiden tends to ``sweat buckets'' onstage, Dickinson says. But the notion of toning down performances seems alien to the group. And Dickinson insists Iron Maiden has never sounded better. ``We're on fire,'' he says.
The band experienced a musical and spiritual rebirth four years ago, when Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith rejoined the group. Smith had been away for nine years, Dickinson for six. The current lineup includes all the members who made the band a favorite during the '80s, as well as guitarist Janick Gers, who replaced Smith in 1990. It's now a three-guitar lineup with charter member Dave Murray still on board after 27 years.
In the States, Iron Maiden is one of the few metal bands still capable of headlining shows at large arenas. In Europe, where there's still a thriving metal scene in many areas, including Germany and Scandinavia, Iron Maiden's popularity is even greater.
``Europe has always been our strongest area,'' says Dickinson, adding that on a recent tour they ``played to 700,000 people in 28 days. We were outselling the Rolling Stones in Scandinavia. People want to see us because they've heard that we're the source material for metal stuff.''
In the United States, classic metal groups such as Judas Priest have been overshadowed for a decade now by hard rock-metal bands incorporating elements of rap, grunge, punk or industrial music.
``People talk about freedom here in the United States,'' says Dickinson, ``but you only have freedom if you have a choice. People over here really aren't made aware of the choices they have in terms of music because of the corporate control of the concert business and radio. Everybody is segmented. Depending on what age group you slot into, you're put into a little stall, and you have blinkers put on you.''
The new DVD ``Iron Maiden: Visions of the Beast'' is a good source for those interested in the evolution of the band since its first album in 1980. The DVD presents more than three hours of images, music and extras. The band is set to release a new album, ``Dance of Death,'' on Sept. 1. It will include the first Iron Maiden song to feature only acoustic guitars.
Dickinson's powerhouse voice earned him the nickname ``the human air raid siren.'' About 10 years ago, he took up flying as a hobby and later landed a job piloting commercially for Britain's Astraeus. Today, he flies 737s for the company when not working with Iron Maiden, and whenever possible, he also flies the band around during tours in a light, twin-engine aircraft.
Holy shit, how does he do it, especially after what I saw tonight?
