IRON MAIDEN Singer Wants To Avoid Being Labeled a Nostalgia Act

August 22, 2003

IRON MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson recently admitted to The Arizona Republic that the band skirt dangerously close to the nostalgia circuit.

"In the States, most of the audience comes to the show expecting nostalgia," said Dickinson, 45. "Only about half of the crowd is familiar with our newest work. We have a difficult balancing act satisfying both audiences."

Although MAIDEN still play such classics as "The Number of the Beast" and "Aces High", the band favor more recent, less well-known, material. Fans going to the band's concerts can expect plenty of songs from MAIDEN's comeback album, 2000's "Brave New World", and even tunes from the poorly received Blaze Bayley era.

"I see people in the audience scratching their heads when we play 'Clansman' (from 1998's 'Virtual XI'),but it's part of MAIDEN's history, even if I didn't originally sing it," Dickinson said.

He hopes the casual fan will leave with renewed interest in the revitalized band.

"People who come to the show looking for the good old days aren't the kind of people who will keep our music alive," he said.

With countless metal bands name-dropping MAIDEN as an influence, the group wants to focus more on recording.

"We actually have a very young fan base worldwide. It's the younger fans and the active fans that we care about the most. They're the ones we're making music for now." Read more.

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