The longtime Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain suffered a minor-stroke earlier this year and only revealed that a few months later when he was already back on the road with the band. Since then they have played dozens of shows all over the world and his health is improving everyday. In an interview with Metal Hammer, the musician talked about that struggle and about the support he had from his bandmates.
Nicko McBrain recalls Iron Maiden’s support after minor-stroke
“Well, it was very, very difficult. When it first happened, I thought, ‘This is it. I’m not going to be able to play. I’ve got a tour coming up in three months’ time.’ I had a lot of time for reflection in the hospital. My wife was really my bastion of strength and encouragement and she was with me throughout. I did a lot of strength exercises, a lot of stretches with weird weights that they have and I got my stamina back.”
“Through all this period of time I was in touch with Steve, obviously all the guys, and I’d have a bit of a chat with them on the phone and they were all very, very encouraging, and none more so than Steve,” Nicko said. “He said, ‘Look, the most important thing is that you get well and work on getting yourself together’,” Nicko McBrain said.
They will continue on the road in 2024 and there are already many tour dates announced for next year. Their most recent album “Senjutsu” was released in 2021 and their current tour is called “The Future Past”, being a mix of new tracks and classic songs. Since 1999, the band’s line-up has Bruce Dickinson (Vocals), Steve Harris (Bass), Nicko McBrain (Drums), Janick Gers (Guitar), Adrian Smith (Guitar) and Dave Murray (Guitar).
Iron Maiden’s 2024 tour dates
September
- 1 – RAC Arena, Perth, Australia
- 4 – Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide, Sep. Australia
- 6 – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, Australia
- 10 – Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Australia
- 12 – Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, Australia
- 16 – Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand
- 22 – Sky Hall Toyota, Aichi, Japan
- 24 – Osaka-Jo Hall, Osaka, Japan
- 26 – Tokyo Garden Theater, Tokyo, Japan
- 28 – Pia Arena MM, Kanagawa, Japan
October
- 4 – North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre, San Diego, CA
- 5 – Michelob ULTRA Arena, Las Vegas, NV
- 8 – Kia Forum, Los Angeles, CA
- 12 – Aftershock Festival, Sacramento, CA
- 14 – MODA Center, Portland, OR
- 16 – Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, WA
- 18 – Delta Center, Salt Lake City, UT
- 19 – Ball Arena, Denver, CO
- 22 – Xcel Energy Center, St Paul, MN
- 24 – Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL
- 26 – Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON
- 27 – Videotron Centre, Quebec, QC
- 30 – Centre Bell, Montreal, QC
November
- 1 – Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
- 2 – Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
- 6 – DCU Center, Worcester, MA
- 8 – PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
- 9 – Prudential Center, Newark, NJ
- 12 – CFG Bank Arena, Baltimore, MD
- 13 – Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC
- 16 – Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, TX
- 17 – Frost Bank Center (formerly AT&T Center),San Antonio, TX
- 20 – Mexico City, Mexico – Foro Sol
- 27 – Estadio Nacional, Santiago, Chile
- 28 – Estadio Nacional, Santiago, Chile