BRUCE DICKINSON On His Guest Appearance With BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG's THE COVERUPS: 'It's Preserved On YouTube In All Its Awful, Awful Splendor'

In an interview with On The Red Carpet, IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson spoke about joining forces on stage in San Diego with the rock and roll cover band THE COVERUPS, fronted by GREEN DAY's legendary Billie Joe Armstrong. THE COVERUPS were headlining Fandom and Z2's annual party on July 23 that kicked off San Diego Comic-Con when Dickinson joined them to play the MOTT THE HOOPLE classic "All The Young Dudes", written by David Bowie, which Bruce had previously recorded on his 1990 solo album "Tattooed Millionaire".

Dickinson said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "I'd done the song before. I actually… I did the song as ... It was a single off my very first solo album. It was 6:00 o'clock in the morning for me [after landing in San Diego from Europe]... 6:00 o'clock in the morning and I'd not been to bed all night because I was obviously jet-lagged and all the rest of it. But Billie Joe had asked if I could get up and do 'All The Young Dudes'. And I was, like, 'Yeah, I could probably do that.' So hopefully I did. Not too sure I remember much about it, really, but it's all preserved on YouTube in all its awful, awful splendor."

The annual Fandom party took place at FLOAT in the Hard Rock Hotel and was presented by Xbox's "Halo: Campaign Evolved". Additional sponsors included official spirits partner Suntory -196 Vodka Seltzer and Z2, presenting the graphic novel and film "...And Out Comes The Wolf".

Fronted by the legendary Billie Joe Armstrong, THE COVERUPS have earned a reputation for explosive, high-energy performances that celebrate the songs that inspired generations of rock fans. Rather than performing GREEN DAY hits, the band tears through a handpicked set of classic punk, power pop, new wave and rock favorites from artists they love, delivering a loose, electrifying club-show atmosphere packed with surprises, deep cuts, and crowd-pleasing singalongs.

This past April, Bruce revealed that he recorded 16 songs for his new solo album over a three-week period earlier this year.Bruce's next LP, which won't arrive before 2027, will be the follow-up to "The Mandrake Project", which came out in March 2024 via BMG.

Dickinson's eighth solo album was recorded this past January and February at Dave Grohl's Studio 606 in Northridge, California.

Dickinson's upcoming album was recorded with his touring band, consisting of keyboardist Mistheria, drummer Dave Moreno, bassist Tanya O'Callaghan, and guitarists Chris Declercq and Philip Näslund.

Bruce and his long-term co-writer and producer Roy "Z" Ramirez recorded "The Mandrake Project" largely at Los Angeles's Doom Room, with Roy Z doubling up as both guitarist and bassist. The recording lineup for "The Mandrake Project" was rounded out by Mistheria and Moreno, both of whom also featured on Bruce's previous solo studio album, "Tyranny Of Souls", in 2005.

Dickinson's reworked version of his classic 1994 album "Balls To Picasso", now titled "More Balls To Picasso", arrived in July 2025.

Dickinson made his recording debut with IRON MAIDEN on the "Number Of The Beast" album in 1982. He quit the band in 1993 in order to pursue his solo career and was replaced by Blaze Bayley, who had previously been the lead singer of the metal band WOLFSBANE. After releasing two traditional metal albums with former MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith, Dickinson rejoined the band in 1999 along with Smith.

Photo credit: Bryan Beasley (courtesy of Z2 / The Syndicate)