“If it’s not real, it’s not Maiden!”: Bruce Dickinson says Iron Maiden would rather stop playing than start use backing tracks live
Backing tracks are an increasingly common method bands use to offer their audiences a fuller sound when they’re performing live. But never Iron Maiden. Five decades into their career, the heavy metal juggernauts are still at the top of their game – and, the second they’re not, they’ll call it a day, according to frontman Bruce Dickinson.
In the latest issue of Classic Rock, Maiden insist that they would rather “bow out with dignity” than put on a show that’s not up to par. “The idea that you can turn it into the Disneyland Maiden, by using backing tracks, a few tricks… No!” Dickinson says. “Maiden has to be one hundred per cent real – and fucking fierce!”
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The now 66-year-old Dickinson says Maiden will continue to perform their tracks 100 percent live. “Only recently this guy, a big fan, said to me: ‘it’s so great to see Maiden still doing it,’” he recalls. “I said: ‘Yeah, and we’re doing it for real!’ There’s no detuning. This guy said: ‘Lots of bands use backing tracks now…’ I said: ‘No! No, no!”
“[If we use backing tracks,] that’s the day I quit,” he continues. “Or the day we stop. If it’s not real, it’s not Maiden.”
The rest of the band are in agreement. Bassist Steve Harris chimes in, adding that they’ll know when it’s time to stop. “I think you’d know in yourself if you can’t cut it any more,” he explains. “And I like to think that we’re still out there giving it large.”
The band are set to celebrate their 50th anniversary with the Run For Your Lives tour. Fans can expect a Maiden “history lesson”, with a setlist spanning the band’s first nine albums.
When first announcing the tour, Dickinson said: “We’re going to be giving our fans a once-in-a-lifetime live experience. This is a tour that’s gonna put a smile on your face and a cheer in your throat. If you’ve seen us before, then get ready to take that experience to a whole new level. If you’ve never seen us before, then what the hell have you been waiting for? Now’s your chance to find out what you’ve been missing! Iron Maiden’s definitely gonna get ya!”
Following on from the mighty Run For Your Lives tour, Dickinson hints that their could also be some new Maiden albums in the works. “I’m still writing all the time,” he tells Classic Rock. “I’ve got so many ideas, it’s ridiculous, insane. I couldn’t finish off all the ideas I’ve had in three lifetimes. God forbid we should make another record!”
The Run For Your Lives tour kicks off 27th May in Budapest, and will hit the UK in June. Tickets are available now.
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