Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson recently joined an interview with Las Vegas Weekly and compared his spoken word shows to his band’s concerts. The musician stated that his spoken words shows are mentally exhausting while Iron Maiden shows are physically challenging.
Bruce Dickinson has been continuing his extensive spoken word tour, ‘An Evening With Bruce Dickinson,’ in the US and Canada. During the first part of the show, the singer reflects on his own life and career from his perspective. The first part is followed by a Q&A session in which the audience has the opportunity to ask about any subject they wish.
The tour started on January 17 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and will end on March 30 in Kitchener, Ontario. His memoir named ‘What Does This Button Do?’ was released in 2017 and inspired Dickinson to hit the road to tell his story. He then decided to turn it into a one-person show, in which he would give anecdotes from his personal and musical journey.
During a recent conversation, he was asked whether these spoken word shows are more mentally exhausting than physically challenging Iron Maiden shows. Bruce Dickinson confirmed this point by saying that he was so tired after the New York show that he immediately wanted to go to bed.
The frontman added that he has been doing five shows a week, and it requires significant mental effort. He has been out there just by himself without any supporting act, so he feels this pressure that makes him mentally exhausted and emotionally drained from time to time.
Bruce Dickinson speaking on whether his spoken word shows are mentally exhausting:
“Yes, my agent is out with me watching the shows, and after the New York show, that’s a big, pressure show because everyone has got an opinion on everything, I was sitting having a beer afterward, and he looked at me and said, ‘You look absolutely drained.’ I said, ‘Yeah that’s how I feel. I’m going to go to bed now.’
But then I got up and did it again the next day. I’m doing five shows a week, so it’s three hours onstage, plus travel and soundcheck and all the rest of it, so it’s a good chunk of mental effort. There’s no support band, no support system. It’s just you out there.”
Besides his solo acts, Bruce Dickinson will hit the road also with Iron Maiden for the ongoing ‘The Legacy of the Beast World Tour‘ that started in 2017. The band will be performing in Europe in May and July 2022 and then will be heading towards Mexico, the US, and Canada in September and October 2022.
