After joining Iron Maiden in the early 80s, Bruce Dickinson performed for crowds of more than 100,000 people and with the band headlined many of the world’s biggest Rock festivals. But when he left them in the 90s, it was a fresh start for both him and Maiden. Separately, neither attracted the same massive audiences they had together, so both had to settle for lower spots on festival lineups and tour alongside other artists.
During his solo career in that decade, Dickinson found himself on some unusual bills. One of the most memorable was when he opened for the legendary American Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, shows that led to several funny and unexpected moments.
What Bruce Dickinson said about when Lynyrd Skynyrd’s opening act
“I think when we came over with it (‘Accident of Birth’) to the U.S., it was fabulous. The strange thing was one or two of the places that we played in Germany were a little bit weird. We did a show for Lynyrd Skynyrd. We were a special guest of Lynyrd Skynyrd. And I have to say, they were lovely people, the band, very nice. The audience was just a little bit odd, because it turned out they were a bunch of German cowboys. So they all turned up in cowboy outfits and, like, Stetson hats. They all had their fake Harleys or whatever it was outside.”
“And as soon as we came on and started playing and played anything that was remotely not like country and western or country-rock, metal or whatever, half the audience actually turned their backs on us. I was just like, “Okay, this is like an episode of The Simpsons.” So we had our ups and downs and our ins and outs and things like that. But we just had a great time when we were out on tour,” he said in an interview with Loudwire in 2025.
Bruce thought the combination wasn’t strange in Europe
Curiously, back when it happened, in the late 90s, Bruce thought it was a good idea, because in Europe the Southern Rock band was seen as “founding fathers of Metal”. “From an American perspective it sounds really weird, because Skynyrd is almost a Country rock band over here. In Europe, they are seen as founding fathers of Metal. Southern Rock is engrained in Germany, France, and in England. Blackfoot toured with Maiden. Blackfoot was special guests to Iron Maiden on tour and they went down a storm every night, in front of a Maiden audience,” he said.
When asked if he didn’t feel it should be the other way around, with them opening for him, Dickinson said: “Skynyrd over there sold out Royal Albert Hall in London. They are selling out 6000 seats in Germany. The last time they toured in Europe was before the plane crash. Twenty something years. It’s like a legend returned. There’s no southern rebel thing going on. (…) “Touring with Skynyrd over here would be a little different. (Because) touring with Skynyrd in Europe was actually strangely complementary.”
Bruce Dickinson continued:
“It was actually our agents idea to put the tour out. That was my only scratching of the noodle, is this the right thing to be doing? I went to some journalist at Kerrang and I said we are touring with Skynyrd. The guy said ‘you’re touring with Skynyrd? That’s f*cking great! Were all going be there.’ Metal Hammer, Kerrang, they are all gonna be there,” Bruce Dickinson said in an interview in 1997.
At the time, Bruce Dickinson was no longer a member of Iron Maiden, having left the band in 1993, and was promoting his fourth solo album, Accident of Birth. Lynyrd Skynyrd were also touring in support of a new studio album, Twenty, whose title marked the 20th anniversary of the 1977 plane crash that claimed the lives of original singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, backing vocalist Cassie Gaines and three others. It was the fourth album with Ronnie’s younger brother on vocals.
Similarities between Maiden and Skynyrd
At that point, the British singer was continuing to evolve as a solo artist. He had previously released Skunkworks, an album heavily inspired by the Grunge movement that was completely different from anything he had done before. As a result, he was open to exploring new possibilities, including touring with Lynyrd Skynyrd. While the two acts may not seem to have much in common at first glance, there are a few interesting parallels with Iron Maiden. Particularly when it comes to their guitar-driven approach and the use of multiple lead guitarists and song structures.
Like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Iron Maiden are known for featuring multiple guitarists playing together. That gives their music a richer, more powerful sound. It also allows intricate harmonized melodies and dual or triple guitar leads. The two bands also share a knack for writing epic songs that gradually build in intensity. They begin with slower passages before becoming faster and heavier. Iron Maiden’s “Hallowed Be Thy Name” and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird” are two classic examples of that approach.