After Bruce Dickinson decided to leave Iron Maiden in 1993, they brought in Blaze Bayley from Wolfsbane, with whom they recorded two studio albums: “The X Factor” (1995) and “Virtual XI” (1998). In an interview with Kerrang! to promote the band’s new documentary “Burning Ambition”, the band’s drummer, Nicko McBrain (now retired from touring), reflected on Blaze’s era with the band and what the difference was between him and Bruce. Nicko McBrain explains the difference between Bruce Dickinson and Blaze Bayley "For Blaze to replace Bruce was very difficult. Bruce was more soprano than baritone, which is what I think Blaze was, so there was an issue with the fans accepting him and we were playing the small theatres, and played some clubs in Florida. But here's the thing: it never diminished the spirit of the band. Certain shows Blaze had a struggle with and fans kind of went, 'Oh, this isn't really Maiden at their finest,' but we were still Maiden , we were just a different Maiden . The essence of the band hadn't changed in the slightest.” "With Blaze, I loved that guy. I was a father figure to him, I said, 'I'll take you under my wing when we go out.' We spent a lot of time together, and I loved him. At the end, I did have my trepidation, if you like, about some of the performances as we were going down the line into the 'Virtual XI' tour, which is documented in the movie. But we never lost the essence of what Iron Maiden was, especially with Steve at the helm. Steve never wavered and was 125,000,000 percent supportive of Blaze, as we all were. But then cracks started to appear. It was looking like, 'We've got to either change this or we aren't going to survive.' And then Bruce, obviously (returned) and we know the story of what happened," Nicko McBrain said. Next Iron Maiden tour dates May 23 – Athens, GREECE – OAKA – Anthrax 26 – Sofia, BULGARIA – Vasil Levski Stadium – Anthrax 28 – Bucharest, ROMANIA – Arena Națională – Anthrax 30 – Bratislava, SLOVAKIA – Národný Futbalový Štadión – Anthrax June 2 – Hannover, GERMANY – Heinz von Heiden Arena – Megadeth 3-6 – Solvesborg, SWEDEN – Sweden Rock 6 – Nurnberg, Zeppelinfield, GERMANY – Rock IM Park 7 – Nurburgring, Nurburg, GERMANY – Rock AM Ring 10 – Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS – Ziggo Dome – Evergrey 13 – Nickelsdorf, AUSTRIA – Nova Rock 14 – Hradec Kralove, CZECH REPUBLIC – Rock For People 17 – Milan, ITALY – San Siro Stadium – Trivium 19 – Clisson, FRANCE – Hellfest 22 – Paris, FRANCE – Paris La Défense Arena – Evergrey 24-27 – Copenhagen, DENMARK – Copenhell 25 – Oslo, NORWAY – Tons of Rock 28 – Lyon – Décines, FRANCE – Groupama Stadium – Anthrax 29 – Antwerp, BELGIUM – Live is Live July 1-4 – Viveiro, SPAIN – Resurrection Fest 4 – Cartagena, SPAIN – Rock Imperium Festival 7 – Lisbon, PORTUGAL – Estádio da Luz – Anthrax 11 – Knebworth, UK – Knebworth Park – The Darkness, The Hu, Airbourne + The Almighty August 29 – Toronto, ON, CANADA – Scotiabank Arena – Megadeth 30 – Toronto, ON, CANADA – Scotiabank Arena – Megadet September 3 – Montréal, QC, CANADA – Parc Jean-Drapeau – Megadeth + Anthrax 5 – Harrison, NJ, USA – Sports Illustrated Stadium – Megadeth + Anthrax 6 – Harrison, NJ, USA – Sports Illustrated Stadium – Megadeth + Anthrax 9 – Boston, MA, USA – TD Garden – Megadeth 11 – Bristow, VA, USA – Jiffy Lube Live – Megadeth 12 – Charlotte, NC, USA – PNC Music Pavilion – Megadeth 15 – Hershey, PA, USA – Hersheypark Stadium – Megadeth 17 – Louisville, KY, USA – Louder Than Life Festival 19 – Shakopee, MN, USA – Mystic Lake Amphitheater – Megadeth 22 – Chicago, IL, USA – Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre – Megadeth 25 – Los Angeles, CA, USA – BMO Stadium – Megadeth + Anthrax 26 – Los Angeles, CA, USA – BMO Stadium – Megadeth + Anthrax 29 – San Antonio, TX, USA – Alamodome – Megadeth + Anthrax October 2 – Mexico City, MEXICO – Estadio GNP Seguros – Anthrax 5 – San Salvador, EL SALVADOR – Estadio Jorge “Mágico” González – The Raven Age + Souls of Steel 8 – San José, COSTA RICA – Estadio Nacional – The Raven Age 11 – Bogotá, COLOMBIA – Vive Claro – The Raven Age 14 – Quito, ECUADOR – Estadio Atahualpa – The Raven Age 17 – Lima, PERU – Estadio Nacional – The Raven Age 20 – Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA – Estadio Hurácan – LA H NO MURIÓ 25 – São Paulo, BRAZIL – Allianz Parque – Alter Bridge 31 – Santiago, CHILE – Estadio Nacional – Mammoth + Nuclear https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrm5KavmvyU
