On Saturday, metal fans got the surprise announcement from longtime Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain that he was stepping aside from the band’s touring lineup. The 72-year-old McBrain has been a crucial piece of Iron Maiden’s signature sound for decades, but health issues following a stroke caused him to re-evaluate his touring plans.
McBrain played his final concert with the band later on Saturday in São Paulo, Brazil. Singer Bruce Dickinson gave an emotional tribute to the drummer on stage. “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,” he said.
“For 42 years Nicko’s been in this band,” Bruce continued. “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.”
“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,” Dickinson added. “All right? And with that, on we go!”
On Sunday, Iron Maiden announced their new touring drummer, Simon Dawson. Dawson is a bandmate of Maiden bassist Steve Harris in British Lion. “As ‘The Future Past Tour’ concludes after 81 shows to over 1.4 million fans, from Ljubljana to the Coachella Valley and from Western Australia to Sao Paulo, Iron Maiden are delighted to announce that stepping in behind the kit for 2025 is a name familiar to many of our fans — Simon Dawson, a former session drummer and Steve’s rhythm section partner of the past 12 years with British Lion,” the band said in a statement.
“A native of Suffolk, England, Simon first teamed up with Steve Harris back in 2012. He debuted on three tracks on the first British Lion album and all of the second critically acclaimed ‘The Burning’, plus the many subsequent tours in the US, UK, Europe, Australia, Japan, New Zealand &, most recently, both Mexico and South America. Iron Maiden celebrate their 50th Anniversary next year with ‘The Run For Your Lives Tour’ starting in Budapest on May 27th.”
Dickinson’s tribute to McBrain can be viewed below.
