It’s been 28 long years, but Iron Maiden front man Bruce Dickinson finally is doing a proper solo tour of the United States. The last time Dickinson toured as solo artist was for the ‘Accident of Birth’ album back in 1997. Now with a new band and a new album in tow called ‘The Mandrake Project,’ Dickinson was eager to bring this outfit to North America after touring Europe last year. The band consists of Dave Maestro Mistheria on keytar and keyboards, Moreno on drums, Tanya O’Callaghan on bass, Chris Declercq and Philip Nasund on guitar.
Taking the stage at 9pm sharp, the band kicked into ‘Accident of Birth.” It was not until the 4th song where something from “The Mandrake Project” album was played. That song was ‘Shadow of the Gods” where Dickinson showed his expertise on the theremin. Dickinson also took the time to announce that he will be sing the national anthem right next store at Acrisure Stadium for the Pittsburgh Steelers game (Video here). The only full Iron Maiden song that the band did was “Flash of the Blade.” That song was never performed live until these North American solo dates. So, it was cool that Dickinson dug deep to wet the appetite of longtime Iron Maiden fans. Naslund broke out the acoustic guitar for parts of the “Resurrection Man.” Also during that song, Dickinson played some bongos as well. It was cool to see a musician (Mistheria) play the keytar as that instrument kind of went to the wayside once the 1980’s were over. Dickinson again, jumped back and did some theremin for the bands cover of the Edgar Winter Group classic “Frankenstein.” Dickinson was flying all around the stage all night but unfortunately everything came to a screeching halt with the PA going off halfway during “The Book of Thal.” It was corrected and the band finished it again (this time with PA). Then the PA cut out again during the next tune “Road to Hell.” This time, they couldn’t restore it. So, with some of Dickinson’s quick thinking, he sang a few verses to the Iron Maiden song “Revelations (verse 2 and 3 to be exact) and then did the Star-Spangled Banner. All sung through the stage monitors. No tracks, no filters just raw powerful vocals to everyone in attendance. He showed why he is one of the most iconic singers in any genre of music of all time.
Yes, its unfortunate that the show didn’t finish the way it was meant to be. It also showed Dickinson’s ability to adapt to the situation on hand and make something out of nothing. I for one wanted to hear “Tears of the Dragon,” but things happen. That’s why a real live rock show is supposed to be, real and live. It can be unpredictable; warts and all. I thought the band overall was super tight and the music was delivered with precision. Dickinson is having a great time with this band, and they are supposedly going to make a follow up to the “The Mandrake Project” in early 2026. One would assume, that another tour will hopefully follow. We just hope it isn’t a long time again before we see Dickinson perform his solo material again.
Setlist:
Accident of Birth
Abduction
Laughing in the Hiding Bush
Shadow of the Gods
Chemical Wedding
Flash of the Blade (Iron Maiden song)
Resurrection Man
Rain on the Graves
Drum Solo
Frankenstein (The Edgar Winter Group cover)
The Alchemist
Book of Thel (PA cut off halfway through the song)
Road to Hell (PA cut halfway through the song)
Revelations (Iron Maiden cover – First verse from album, then verses 2 and 3 from the original hymns. Sung through stage monitors)
Star Spangled Banner (John Stanford Smith and Francis Scott Key cover. Sung through stage monitors)
We would like to thank Todd Nakamine form Funhouse Entertainment for the credentials to review the show.
