Bands I Would Like to See in Concert

Everyone has that one band or two or more they would love to see in concert. I have quite a few bands I listen to, but have never seen live, that I would love to see in concert

Black Veil Brides

Asking Alexandria

Ghost

As Lions

The Raven Age

Five Finger Death Punch

Disturbed

Dokken

Magnum

Girlschool

Godsmack

There are also some bands I would have loved to have seen live, but I either discovered their music too late, they lost a key member, they didn't come anywhere near me or if they did come to a city near me, I had no one to go with

The Rolling Stones

Motorhead

Deep Purple
Saw them 2x. I would have loved to seen them with Ritchie Blackmore

Queen

Led Zeppelin

David Bowie

Did You Ever Notice in the Lack of Rock or Metal Super Bowl Halftime Shows?

I've certainly noticed that, in years past, rock and metal acts have not played the Super Bowl Halftime Shows. Lately, it's been mostly hip hop, rap, R&B. I'm not saying anything is wrong with R&B; in fact, R&B is how music essentially got its start. But, in years past, there were all sorts of rock and metal acts playing the halftime show. Now, it's mostly rap / hip hop, pop or R&B

Now it's Latin music. Which, again, I have no problem with. I do enjoy listening to Latin music. I do, however, have a concern with this year's choice of Bad Bunny having all of these requirements for people to be a part of his show. They have to be between 5'-6', they have to be thin and be able to wear at least 40 lbs of costume of gear. No thin person is going to be able to do that unless they are strong. And even if they are strong, they may not be thin. He also seems to be using this year's show as a platform for his political views. Politics have no place in music

Once upon a time, bands like Aerosmith, U2 and The Rolling Stones have played the Super Bowl Halftime Shows. Their high energy performances made the Super Bowl even better. When The Who played back in 2010, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was only still in high school. This begs the question "What led to rock and metal not being the halftime shows?"

Insiders in the football industry state that there were various factors at play when it comes to choosing the right halftime show act. These factors include international appeal, artistic preferences. The Super Bowl is not just an American thing; it attracts millions of viewers worldwide and, as such, organizers of the event may choose to go with someone who has a broader global appeal

James Hetfield, guitarist and singer for metal band Metallica once said "I can't dance, I can't jump around. I'm not an acrobat, I'm not a variety show, you know? We are artists. We're a band. We love playing songs. We're not gonna fly through the air on a sparkly unicorn."

Dee Snider of metal band Twisted Sister also has something to say, venting his frustration. "Once again the great heavy music that rocks the stadiums week after week, game after game is completely ignored. I guess we don't shake our a-- enough!"

Even the absence of country music in recent years highlights the organizers' goal of having greater international appeal. Despite country music being widely popular in the US, it's been more than two decades since a country artist played the Super Bowl Halftime Show

Who selects the acts?

-It's typically a set of people convened by the NFL. Local representatives from the host city also play part in making the final decision. It can sometimes lead to controversy, as it did with Super Bowl 50. Carlos Santana said "I do feel compelled to point out to you that the halftime show should have included some of the local iconic bands that the world would have loved to see perform. Bands like Metallica, Steve Miller, Journey and yours truly. We would have rocked the halftime show and done the San Francisco Bay Area proud."

Steve Harris is against the concept of "pay to play"

This is a ridiculous concept where bands literally have to pay money just to play to people. Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris is strongly against it.

Recent news stated a band called The Raskins is suing Motley Crue because they had to pay $1 million dollars to join Crue's tour. This opening band stated that Motley Crue ran out on stage with monkey masks on and "sprayed water guns filled with urine" at them. This band had opened for Crue in 2014 and are also stating that, in addition to the high fee they had to "pay to play", they had to play short sets in arenas that were mostly empty when managers refused to open the doors. The PA (public address) system was turned off or messed with during their concerts. The band was not allowed to sell their own merchandise or were given dressing rooms. They were even hit with heavy equipment.

This practice is known as "pay-to-play". According to newspaper The Berkeley Beacon, "Pay-to-play is a business strategy that some concert promoters use, claiming it as a foolproof way to get an audience to a show. It can work a couple of ways. When someone books a big name [artist], who will definitely sell out the venue, an unknown band can pay a lot of money upfront to be put on the bill as the opening act. The hope is that by playing for such a large audience, the opener will make up the difference in new fans. The other type of pay-to-play is when the promoter will only let a band onto a bill if they can sell a quota of tickets. In the past, [a company such as the] Keynote Company has required openers to sell up to $300 worth of tickets for a show, cutting them only $50 if they are successful. This can be extremely detrimental for newer artists, who inevitably end up paying for the unsold passes out of pocket. We all know most novice musicians' pockets are pretty empty to start with, so it is a high-risk scenario either way."

One person who is extremely angry and outspoken against this practice is Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris. He told The Metal Journal in an interview "I hate it when people charge bands to play with them - I hate that. I've never done that and I will never do it. To me, it's just wrong. A band should get at least some expenses to pay a gig, and they shouldn't have to pay to play. I've always been really against that. I've always tried to help people out." When he was asked why Iron Maiden continue to advocate for upcoming musicians, he said "Well, because we can. Anybody who's in a position Maiden is, any band that can potentially take another band on tour, you can help people. It doesn't take much effort to do that." Harris is also of the firm belief that it's one way to repay the music world for his "fantastic life and career. I've worked very hard, but maybe I've had a bit of luck along the way. At the end of the day it's nice to give something back."

Steve Harris on Iron Maiden / Judas Priest co-headline tour

Anyone who is a fan of both Judas Priest and Iron Maiden will probably be thinking this thought or something similar: TAKE MY MONEY NOW!! Iron Maiden bassist talks about the possibility of these two veteran metal bands doing a co-headline tour. When asked about the idea of an Iron Maiden-Judas Priest co-headline tour, Steve Harris replied "Why not?"

Harris, who has a band outside of Iron Maiden called British Lions, has released their second album, The Burning. During an interview with Eddie Trunk on Sirius XM's Trunk Nation, he admitted he had seen Rob Halford's comments on hoping for a co-headline tour. He said, with a shrug "So, I don't know. I suppose the management has gotta get their heads together and [make] something like that [happen]. But, yeah, why not? I suppose the fans can push for it to happen. But we'll see."

If this tour does happen, it would mark the first time in music history that two titans of metal would be touring together. The first time it happened in 1981 when Priest was touring in support of Point of Entry and Iron Maiden were touring in support of Killers. Looking back on those times, nearly 40 years later, Harris remarked "[I have] lots of good memories and I really love that album-Point of Entry. Some people don't think it's their favorite Priest album, but I suppose because we were on tour [with Priest at the time] really liked it."

2020 was a busy year for Harris. His side band British Lion released their second album The Burning. It was the first album they released since their 2012 debut. They'll be touring in support of it. When that concludes, it's back to all things Maiden

Iron Maiden's Nicko McBrain says he's "85-90 percent back to strength" after his stroke

Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain recently suffered a stroke and has been working with therapists to get himself back into fighting shape. He says he's "85 to 90 percent back to strength".

According to Metal Injection, this past January, Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain suffered from a stroke. It was originally posted on the band's site that he suffered a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) that left part of his right side paralyzed. Fearing his career was over, he destroyed those fears with the 2023 shows Maiden put on, showing that he's still more than capable of playing the drums

In a new interview on the Sirius XM station Trunk Nation Power Trip Special, Nicko revealed he's mostly back to his old self, but had to modify how he plays drums to accommodate this new situation. "[I'm] doing good, I'm still probably...I'd say 85 to 90 percent back to strength, but I still have a little less dexterity with speed in my fingers. My fingers are the ones that...[they're] the last thing to strengthen up. But I had to change certain drum fills. Some fills that everybody knows me for on certain songs. I've had to improvise those at rehearsals to be able to actually play those songs. So now I'm starting to actually be able to kind of embrace it a bit more. And I can't do that live. I have to wait until we start doing some rehearsals again or whatever it is. But I'm definitely getting stronger. And I've had great support from [Iron Maiden manager] Rod [Smallwood], the band, and all of the fans out there. They've been absolutely - they've showed me so much love, it's amazing."

Iron Maiden will continue to tour throughout September 2024 when they hit Australia with Killswitch Engage

Ghost

I know some of the true, diehard, elite metal fans don't consider these guys metal or consider them even good. But there are a lot of people who are not normally metal fans who really do like these guys. Their music is not aggressive, it's very melodic, easy on the ears. Their lyrics might be a little risque because of the concept of Devil worship, Satanism and the occult and some people are bothered by lyrics of that nature. Their singer is not screaming his lungs out. Their guitars are not so aggressively played that it sounds like more distortion than talent. These guys, overall, are a good metal band. I started listening to them after their new song "Call Me Little Sunshine" was getting some serious overplay on the local Cincinnati, Ohio, heavy metal station 96.5 or 96 Rock as it's known or the local hard rock station 102.7, aka WEBN.

-The group was formed in Linkoping, Sweden by Tobias Forge. His former band was a band called Repugnant, a death metal band from Sweden. He is their front man and is backed by a band who refer to themselves as "Nameless Ghouls" while Forge dons a Pope-like costume. Prior to forming the band, he contacted a former band mate named Gustaf Lindstrom, who helped Forge record a song called "Stand by Him" in 2008. They both also recorded two additional tracks "Prime Mover" and "Death Knell". The concept of Satanism and the occult became an inspiration for Forge and he wanted the band to be anonymous, theatrical. As he hired the people who would become the backing band, they were to be dressed in black hooded robes and referred to as "Nameless Ghouls". Calling the band Ghost, Forge dressed in Pope-like regalia but painted his face to look like a skull, even going as far as to wear contacts to make his eyes look black and referring to himself as Papa Emeritus.

Vocalist Tobias Forge

-Their music is metal, but has enough of a pop melody to make it appealing to all ages. Sometimes their lyrics can be a little risque, especially considering their songs can sometimes deal with Satanism, horror imagery and the occult. As long as those who listen know that those are just lyrics about the Devil, occult and horror and don't actually start worshipping the Dark One, it shouldn't be bothersome to them

-Their debut album Opus Eponymous combined 70s hard rock and 80s hair metal to create an amazing album. 2013's Infestissumam introduced keyboards, combining pop and metal together. 2015's Meliora introduced New Wave of British Heavy Metal and new wave rock but with Ghost's personal stamp of approval on it. Their 2018 album Prequelle had a lot of ABBA influences on it in addition to heavy inspiration from Judas Priest and King Diamond. Their most recent album, Impera, topped charts internationally with songs like "Hunter's Moon", "Call Me Little Sunshine".

-In the beginning, Tobias Forge wanted to play lead guitar. He auditioned four singers: Messiah Marcolin, Mats Leven, Krister Goransson, J.B. Christofferson. All took a hard pass on it and, by default, Forge accepted the role. In March 2010, it only took two days after he posted three songs by Ghost on MySpace to start getting calls from managers and record labels. Initially, this band played underground shows and had to play a lot of shows to get their name around. With their concerts looking like occult rituals, metal fans in their home country took to them almost instantly. Their popularity exploded. 2010 saw the release of a three track demo along with a single called "Elizabeth" following close behind. Their debut album was 2010's Opus Eponymous and was released on Rise Above Ltd.

Opus Eponymous

-No one knew what to expect with this album. But when people listened to it, they heard an amazingly melodic sound, combining 60s psychedelic rock, doom-laden hard rock and the short-lived phase of New Wave of British Heavy Metal. The band's multi-genre approach worked beautifully and was in heavy contrast to their sinister appearance. This music started growing internationally and was gaining the band fans all over the world. Some metal fans found it difficult to listen to their music while progressive music fans jumped right on it. The band toured internationally and it allowed them nomination for a Swedish Grammis award. Not long after, they were successfully signed to Universal's Loma Vista Records

-International touring lasted at least two years. Their single, "Secular Haze", was released and followed by the album Infestissumam in January of 2013. This album was recorded by producer Nick Raskulinecz and done in Nashville. Vocalist Tobias Forge employed the use of a backing choir to help fill out the vocals. Because of the heavy Satanic, occult themes in the lyrics and the band's reputation for occult activity, almost every choir in the region boycotted these sessions. The chorus vocals had to be done in Hollywood, out of the Bible Belt area of Nashville. Even the artwork was coming under fire. It was, as some put it "basically a 16th century orgy". Infestissumam topped Swedish rock charts and gained the band fans internationally. The band won the Grammis Award and P3 Guild Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Album for 2013. They even started gaining fans who were not traditional metal fans because of their easy on the ears sound, their keyboards and amazing vocals. Later that same year, they released If You Have Ghost, which was an album of covers produced by Dave Grohl.

Infestissumam

If You Have Ghost

-May 2015 seen the demise of Forge's alter ego, Papa Emeritus II. That role went to Forge's brother, who was three months younger than him, and assumed the role of Papa Emeritus III. Ghost released the single "Cirice" as a free download, where it went high on charts in nine countries. That following August saw the introduction of Meliora. This album, under the production of Klas Ahlund, who produced Katy Perry, Usher, Kesha and Madonna, offered a sound like no other for Ghost. This album offered pop rock combined with 70s hard rock from sources of inspiration like Blue Oyster Cult, Alice Cooper and even the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. This album is what introduced the band to the international hard rock and metal market. "Cirice" won them a Grammy for Best Metal Performance in 2016 and this album took home another Swedish Grammis award while topping the charts in 13 other countries. They even did a small album called Popestar which had a mix of covers. These include: "Missionary Man" by Eurythmics

Meliora

-In 2017, legal issues had hit the band hard. The identities of the musicians in Ghost remained a secret, but Forge was sued by former band mates Simon Soderberg, Mauro Rubino, Martin Hjertstedt and Henrik Palm over royalties relating to the songs and the "anonymous" nature of the band members disappeared. The case was dismissed and when the live album Ceremony and Devotion was released, Forge moved on with a new cast of band mates.

Ceremony and Devotion

-2018 saw not only a new album, Prequelle, but a new identity: Cardinal Copia. This album, produced by Tom Dalgrin, and left the eerie Satanism and occult lyrics behind. They wanted to move more mainstream and become the type of band that filled arenas. According to Forge, he wanted the band "...to sound like the best 1970s band you never heard...". This album has that hard rock feel in addition to a heavy funky feel on the bass but also be radio friendly with disco beats and synthesizers thrown in for good measure. As for lyrics, the Bubonic Plague and the Dark Ages were the sources here. This album topped charts in several countries. It claimed the top spot on the US Top Rock Albums chart and made the Top Three on the Billboard 200 charts. To this day, this is their highest charting album. One of the singles, "Rats" was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Song

Prequelle

-During their punishing tour schedule, Forge was constantly writing. Out of those sessions came Seven Inches of Satanic Panic, a two song EP featuring the eerie-sounding songs "Mary On A Cross" and "Kiss the Go-Goat". In 2021, they did a one-off occurrence and recorded Metallica's "Enter Sandman" for The Metallica Blacklist tribute album and Ghost's own song "Hunter's Moon" appeared on the soundtrack for the film Halloween Kills.

Seven Inches of Satanic Panic

-2022 seen the release of one of the band's most successful tracks, "Call Me Little Sunshine" from their Impera album. When the video for "Call Me Little Sunshine" debuted, it received almost eight million views. The band re-enlisted the aid of Klas Ahlund and native New Yorker Andy Wallace to produce the album. Forge brought in his love of Blue Oyster Cult, very early Judas Priest, Queen and New Wave of British Heavy Metal bands Def Leppard and Tygers of Pan Tang. He also welcomed, with open arms, full participation from Opeth guitarist Fredrik Akesson. This album, featuring 12 songs, has a happy balance of keyboards, dual lead guitars and nice, smooth drumming. These influences, which inspired Forge, is clearly obvious in songs like "Spillways", "Kaisarion" and "Darkness at the Heart of My Love". When the album debuted, it went into the US Top 200 at number 2 and topped charts all over Europe.

Impera

Bruce Dickinson on Iron Maiden

The Iron Maiden front man reflects on the band he has sung with, off and on, since 1982.

The legendary British metal band had recently released Senjutsu, a seemingly Japanese-themed album. This was the most recent album to be released, a large gap between now and 2015's The Book of Souls. He describes the music as "real music played by a bunch of old geezers."

"Every now ang again we come up with an album that really seizes the day and, Senjutsu is one of them. The last album where I think we had a similar sort of sensation was probably [Bruce's return to Maiden 2000 album] Brave New World, because there were lots of cynics going 'It's just going to be retreads and a lot of old crap.

It wasn't and people went "Oh my God, it's really good." After that, people went "oh well, it's another Maiden album, it's another Maiden tour." But quietly we were getting a lot bigger than we ever were back in the day.

But this time you had covid, and people were locked in and they missed going to see this big, monstrous band with Eddies and everything. They were thinking "Where the hell is that in my life?" and then you come with an album like Senjutsu - which was recorded before covid was even dreamt of - and it fills that hole.

It's very heartening that people really got it. Musically it's a stunning album - it's complex, it's emotional, it's got multiple layers. People go [disgruntled voice] "It doesn't sound a bit like 1983". No, of course it doesn't, we've all moved on a little bit. As we get older, we get more contrarian and cantakerous. It's a bit like Neil Young - he's been at it for years, but he still manages to come up with things that rub the establishment the wrong way.

We did have our little animated secret weapon, which was the video for [first single] "Writing on the Wall". I knew we weren't going to be going anywhere for a while, and Maiden certainly weren't going to be setting up our gear in some rehearsal studio and pretending we're playing some huge live gigs, cos we'd just look like a proper bunch of Charlies. So I said "We should put our resources into doing an incredible video." My template for it was the Rammstein video [for Deutschland], which was a piece of art. Rammstein and Maiden are different styles, but what I was after was the emotional impact that video had. And I think we captured the emotional impact.

Then there was the teaser stuff we did. I can't take any credit for that - it was all assembled by Sarah, who does all the social media and internet magic. When she and her team came up with it, I said 'Is this really going to work? Are people really going to be fascinated by this or is it just a bunch of Maiden geeks?' Which shows how much I knew. We went head to head with Drake the week the album was released [the rapper narrowly beat Maiden to the No.1 spot]. I don't really get what he does, though a lot of people do, but going head to head with him felt like 'No, this is real music played by a bunch of old geezers who make no concessions to the times in which we live.' People say 'You're dinosaurs.' And we go 'Yeah, and there aren't too many of those left.'

This is who we are, it's what we do. But by and large our audience has moved on with us. Maiden's audience is like a table made of plywood: every year you add a new layer and the table just gets bigger and bigger. We've grown organically - not through social media or any of that stuff. We've grown by going out and doing it in front of people. I can't wait to get back out there and play these songs. We're still fired up, and to get back together in a room with the guys to just play music is something I'm looking forward to more than you can ever imagine. I did this gig in Hungary recently with me and [Deep Purple bassist] Roger Glover doing [Purple's] Concerto for Group and Orchestra, and that was the first time I've played music in front of an audience for a few years. It was unbelievable. Roger was in tears. And the Maiden thing will be that to the power of ten."

Richie Faulkner is feeling better after heart surgery

Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner had to undergo emergency heart surgery after an aorta in his heart blew out during the Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, KY.

In an Instagram message posted on the band's site, Faulkner said "I was able to return home from hospital 10 days after my surgery to continue recovery at home. It has now been seven weeks since the night it all happened and I'm feeling very strong and positive. My incisions have healed very well and I can definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel."

It all happened during Judas Priest's "Painkiller" at the Louder Than Life festival. On Sept. 26, the band were playing away, playing "Painkiller" when an aorta in Faulkner's heart ruptured and blood started filling his chest cavity. He was rushed to a nearby hospital after the show for emergency surgery, where doctors spent more than ten hours repairing the damage

Faulkner said he has "been playing guitar everyday" during his recovery and admitted he's lucky to be alive and to have survived the ordeal. "It's Thanksgiving this month, and whether you celebrate it or not, I have a lot to give thanks for this year." He's said that he's grateful that the Louder Than Life set was only an hour long and that the Heart and Lung Center was only four miles from the concert site. Prior to this nearly life-ending incident, the 41-year-old guitarist has had "no history of a bad heart, no clogged arteries, etc."

Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith says Iron Maiden merchandise works "too well"

As the title suggests, Adrian Smith, one of the veteran axe slingers from Iron Maiden, suggests that Iron Maiden merchandise works too well.

I can safely say that I am one of those people who, when seen wearing an Iron Maiden shirt, is wearing one for the legit reason of actually liking their music. I wear band shirts because I listen to the band on the shirt. And in this case, I wear Iron Maiden shirts because I like their music

He remarked the pros and cons of people recognizing Maiden's iconic mascot and that it resulted in people wearing the iconic logo and Eddie without having some sort of connection or knowledge of the music

In a recent interview with Louder, Smith recalled "No matter where we go, we always see our merchandise around. A great thing about this band is that we go and take our music to the people, wherever that may take us. Doing that also means people stick with you. Having said that, I've walked by people in those shirts who had no idea who I was! I think our merchandise works a little too well like that."

He did, however recall a moment when the band's high visibility amused him. "I was out fishing in Ireland with my dad. Word had got out in the local village, and these kids started turning up, all wearing Eddie shirts, just watching us from the banks for a while. I went over and they asked if we could sign their things, and just as I did, two nuns walked up! They looked at the album, looked at me and thought it was hilarious!"

In the same interview, he also mentioned the downside of being part of such a big-name act. "In places like Italy and Mexico, I've found the police escorts can be a little...enthusiastic. Too much you might say! People think it's glamorous getting this escort, but it can be very stressful, especially when you get a bit carsick and your driver thinks he's in an action movie, speeding through the night at 100 mph with his sunglasses on!"

Despite everything, the guitarist and his band mates have no plans to retire in the near future. "Even now, there's still a little bit of insecurity and wanting to prove things to people, do things we haven't before. It's like fishing - there's always bigger fish and new places to explore., always something to look forward to. It's what keeps me going. That and things like playing tennis with [bassist] Steve Harris to keep me fit. I don't think any of us feel like slowing down - we still want to get out there!"

Glenn Tipton will be part of next Judas Priest album

Producer Andy Sneap says that former Judas Priest guitarist Glenn Tipton will be part of the next Judas Priest album.

Despite stepping away from the band after his initial diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease, Tipton is still very much part of the band's songwriting process. During a podcast called No F---in Way with Robb Flynn, Andy Sneap had this to say

"[He is] still very much part of Judas Priest.". Sneap added that "he's still involved with the songwriting."

"Even if have to bit pieces together, he's still gonna be a major part of it. It's just the physical aspect of him going up there and doing it. And especially with what's happening now in the world, it's just not something you can consider at the moment."

He opened up about Tipton's health, stating "It's tough, because Glenn's a good friend now, after working with him for a few years...but seeing what the guy is going through, and he's so determined. I'll see him at the studio, and he'll be struggling, if I'm honest, but he's so determined. And it must be frustrating for him, someone who's lived his whole life in Judas Priest - 50 years. It's a rotten thing to actually happen to anyone, but to happen to a guitarist of his caliber..."

Singer Rob Halford, currently supporting the release of his memoir Confess, told Full Metal Jackie what they were going to do for the band's next album. "It's very important to look back at your past experiences. That is what we do in bands. We look at where we've gone and what we've said. We're always kind of reevaluating where are and what we're working on now and I think the world already knows that Priest has started to follow up to Firepower and it's starting to come together and sounding incredible. So this whole focus of living in the moment but also getting ready for what's coming next is what drives us and so that's where we are with Priest right now."

Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson through the years

Everyone gets older. Some age gracefully. Others age like sour milk. Here are some photos to show Bruce Dickinson through the years. By the way, the photos used will be different than the photos used on the link. The only reason for that is I would have had to download all the photos and it's much easier to simply look for photos elsewhere.

Here is some info you may or may not know about this iconic Iron Maiden vocalist

Birth name: Paul Bruce Dickinson

DOB: 8/7/1958

Where: Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England

-Started trying to obtain his pilot's license in the late 1990s. Is now a fully licensed commercial pilot. His love of flying was inspired by the fact that his family had served in the RAF (Royal Air Force, for those who may not know)

-His love of music and dreams of becoming a musician started while he was at boarding school. He heard "Child in Time" by Deep Purple blaring out of another student's room. And when performing with a small band at school, he heard a student struggling to hit the high notes on The Beatles' "Let It Be". He stepped in to bolster the student's high notes and discovered he himself could hit the high notes. That told him right there he was destined to sing for a living

-He has three kids. The oldest is son Austin Dickinson, singer for alternative metal band As Lions, daughter Kia Michelle Dickinson and youngest son Griffin Dickinson, singer for alternative metal band SHVPES. All three of his children he had with second wife Paddy Bowden, who recently passed away from unknown reasons

He started out singing lead for hard rockers Samson before being lured away to higher success with Iron Maiden, who had just lost their first vocalist, Paul Di'Anno

1980

Still fronting Samson at the time

1982

-Uttering "The Number of the Beast"

1983

-Giving a Piece of his Mind

1984-1985

-"Tell me why I have to be a Powerslave..."

1987

-"Heaven can wait..."

1990

-The rumblings of a solo venture...

1992

-"Fear of the dark, fear of the dark, I have a constant fear that something's always near..."

1993

-Still with Maiden

1994

-Officially solo

1996

-Learning to fly

2000

-A Brave New World, the Air Raid Siren is back

2005

-It's all a Matter of Life and Death...

2008

-Flying high again...

2009

-Somewhere Back in Time...

 2012

-Finding The Final Frontier

2015-2016

-The Book of Souls

2019

-On tour with Maiden

2020

-Looking good for being in his 60s...