Iron Maiden won’t play songs Nicko McBrain can’t play anymore

The drummer Nicko McBrain (72) joined Iron Maiden in 1982, replacing Clive Burr, who played with the band on their first three albums. He was a crucial part of the band during the past four decades and continues even after suffering a stroke last January 2023. He only revealed that months after the health issue and said that he was partially paralyzed for a while but intensive physical therapy regained his mobility.

However, during one of his recent shows with his side-project Titanium Tarts, McBrain talked to the crowd and talked about the support of his bandmates. According to him, he said that if are songs he can’t play, they just won’t play them live anymore.

Iron Maiden won’t play songs Nicko McBrain can’t play anymore

(Transcribed by Ultimate Classic Rock) “I’ve gotta be honest with you: it was a touch and go last year for me. I couldn’t play; I was paralyzed on the right side. Fortunately… there’s a girl called Julie Blum that looked after me, and in three months, she had me playing again.”

“And it ain’t the old Nicko – it’s not the old one by a long shot. But at least it’s part of me. And my band, bless their hearts, Steve Harris and the rest of the guys turn around and say, ‘If you can’t do something in a song, we just won’t do that song.’”

He continued:

“Now, there’s a middle section (In ‘Somewhere In Time’); it’s all snare drum on the record. I can’t play it. Those of you nerds that are in the audience [will] go, ‘He didn’t do the drum fill!’ Well, that’s why – I fucking can’t do it! … Steve turned around to me and I said, ‘Okay, I’ve got an idea. if I do the double on the snare…’ and I played it for him and he went, ‘No. Have you got anything else?’I went, ‘Yeah, I’ll play it on the cymbal.’ ‘No. You got anything else?’’ That’s me spent, mate.’ … [H]e thought about for about half a minute…and he’s going, ‘Why don’t you play it straight?’

“I went, ‘You’re a fucking genius, Harry!’ And there’s me, the drummer, supposedly, supposed to come up with all these ideas… I didn’t even think of that. And so we rehearsed it from there on in, and we play it straight – which I’m sure 90 percent of you don’t give a fuck about that bit anyway!” Nicko McBrain said.