Legendary Iron Maiden drummer, Nicko McBrain, has announced that he is stepping away from touring. He played his final show with the band on December 7 at at Allianz Parque in São Paulo, Brazil.
W.A.S.P. frontman, Blackie Lawless, has shared the following via waspnation.com:
"Nicko McBrain… A great warrior just left his drum throne live for the last time. Very few in the history of percussion have left such a distinctive mark as this man. His accolades, his rewards and trophy's have been too numerous to count. But the thing I felt when I heard last night would be his last live show all but sent me into a tail spin. Yes he's admired the world over, but for me he's my friend, and I say without reservation whatsoever... I love this man. Having been part of the same management family as Maiden for the last 40 years I can tell you first hand, Maiden is Rock's answer to the mafia... once you're in, you never leave... you are family FOREVER. They are unmatched in class with a fierce dedication to one another.
"He is beyond Blessed still, and all in our family say, Godspeed young man. - Blackie Lawless
On December 7, in between performing "Stranger In A Strange Land" and "The Writing On The Wall" at Allianz Parque in São Paulo, Brazil, Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson addressed the crowd, saying "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. 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."
Check out Dickinson's speech below, as well as McBrain's final moments on stage with the band.
McBrain issued the following statement regarding his departure before the show:
"After much consideration, it is with both sorrow and joy, I announce my decision to take a step back from the grind of the extensive touring lifestyle. Today, Sat, Dec 7th, Sao Paulo will be my final gig with Iron Maiden. I wish the band much success moving forward.
"I will, however, remain firmly part of the Iron Maiden family working on a variety of projects, my long time managers, Rod Smallwood and Andy Taylor, have in mind for me. I’ll also be working on a variety of different personal projects and focusing on my existing businesses and ventures, including The British Drum Company, Nicko McBrain’s Drum One, Titanium Tart, and of course, Rock-N-Roll Ribs!
"What can I say? Touring with Maiden the last 42 years has been an incredible journey! To my devoted fan base, you made it all worthwhile and I love you! To my devoted wife, Rebecca, you made it infinitely easier and I love you! To my kids, Justin and Nicholas, thank you for understanding the absences and I love you! To my friends that are always there for me, I love you! To my bandmates, you made it a dream come true and I love you!
"I look into the future with much excitement and great hope! I’ll be seeing you soon, may God bless you all, and, of course, “Up the Irons!”
Manager Rod Smallwood on behalf of Iron Maiden:
“And we all love you too!!
"Thank you for being an irrepressible force behind the drum kit for Maiden for 42 years and my friend for even longer. I speak on behalf of all the band when I say we will miss you immensely!
"Ever since Rock in Rio in 1985 we have had a special relationship with Brazil so to bow out of touring in front of 90,000 fans here in Sao Paulo over 2 nights is poetic and you are deserving of all the accolades I am sure these marvellous fans will give you on this last show.
"Phantom look forward to many more years of working with you on the projects you mentioned and I am sure we can find a few more special ones around the Maiden family and FC!
"The band and I all have a thousand great memories of the past 42 years, great gigs, copious platinum and gold discs and awards, love from the fans and one beer too many on too many occasions! Such a bond is forever! And, as Steve Harris says, ‘Nicko is and will always be part of the Maiden family’." - Rod, Andy, Steve, Bruce, Davey, Adrian & Jan
Iron Maiden announced their new drummer with the following message:
"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.
"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."
Find Iron Maiden's Run For Your Lives World Tour itinerary here.
