While sharing his reflections on Iron Maiden’s October gig at the Power Trip festival in Indio, California, in a recent interview with Brazil’s 92.5 Kiss FM radio station, Bruce Dickinson revealed the difference between the festival crowd and the band’s usual fans. He said:
“I think what was a little bit strange for us was that the people who should be down the front of the stage, because the tickets for the festival were so expensive, they were at the back, and the people who were at the front were just like rich people that wanted to film everything on their phone. But the kids who you wanted to play to were at the back. And that sucks, actually.”
Looking ahead to Iron Maiden’s 2024 tour, the singer went on:
“It wasn’t our festival; it wasn’t our organization. We’re going into America next year, and we’re doing our own tour. And the people who are down the front are gonna be the people who deserve to be down the front. They’re gonna be the real fans, which is gonna be great.”
Iron Maiden’s ‘Real’ Fans
Dickinson took a moment to appreciate the Brazilian and South American fans for their passionate response to metal shows while calling out the rich fans at the Power Trip show.
When asked if the difference between ‘real’ and ‘fake’ fans was the reason he brought up the South American fans, the singer explained:
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. It’s, like, yeah. Go take a look at some real rock and roll fans — not a bunch of posers who wanna go down the front. ‘I paid 3,000 dollars for my ticket. Look at me.’ F**k off.”
Audience Reaction To The Band’s Performances
Despite the criticism, Iron Maiden’s Power Trip show received positive feedback from the audience, as the band played the same 15-song set from the 2023 leg of ‘The Future Past Tour,’ featuring tracks from their recent album, ‘Senjutsu’ and 1986’s ‘Somewhere In Time.’
Bassist Steve Harris mentioned these reactions while announcing the upcoming North American leg of ‘The Future Past Tour’ a few weeks ago. On the band’s official website, his words read:
“We’re really excited to be bringing ‘The Future Past Tour’ back to Canada and the United States next year. We know from the reaction of our fans at Power Trip and the shows we played in Canada recently that they really enjoyed hearing new songs from both ‘Senjutsu’ and ‘Somewhere In Time,’ and we’ve really enjoyed playing them!”
The Upcoming Dates
After 12 dates in Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, the North American leg of ‘The Future Past Tour’ will kick off at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre in California on October 4. A few months prior, Dickinson will also take the stage solo to support his upcoming album ‘The Mandrake Project.’
