Bruce Dickinson
September 25, 2025
Detroit, MI
The Fillmore
Let’s face it, and not even try to dance around this. Bruce Dickinson is the most outstanding Heavy Metal vocalist of all time. That is a hill I will fucking die on. Like, I would stand on that hill and take arrows to the face. Not only does Bruce Dickinson sing for the greatest Metal band of all time, Iron Maiden, but Bruce has had an illustrious solo career, starting with 1990’s Tattooed Millionaire. However, it was after leaving Iron Maiden in 1993 that his solo career really began to flourish, starting with 1994’s Balls to Picasso.
From there, Bruce would go on to release some of his work ever. Given the chance to truly spread his wings, Bruce showed the world that on his own, he was a force to be reckoned with. He is an absolutely brilliant songwriter, and at times, he has put out solo material that rivaled the material of Iron Maiden, especially 1997’s Accident of Birth and 1998’s The Chemical Wedding. The only problem was that North America hadn’t had a full-on tour since 1994. Well, that all changed in 2025.
After a few shows promoting his 2024 solo release, The Mandrake Project, Bruce decided that he had so much fun that he was going to return to the US with a full-on headlining tour. The only problem was that Bruce wasn’t coming near me here in the Southeast, so I did what even a respectable Bruce Dickinson fan would do. I got a ticket, booked a flight, and got a hotel in Detroit, and I’m ready to scream for Bruce Dickinson. My wife was a real trooper (pun intended) and accompanied me to the show. She isn’t a Maiden fan or a Bruce fan, but she was excited to see me so pumped. Everyone should have a wife this badass.
After a day of sightseeing and visiting with extended family, we headed back to the hotel, freshened up, and caught an Uber to the show. The show was at the Filmore Auditorium in downtown Detroit. This was one of the most beautiful venues I have ever seen for a show. If you’ve ever been to the Tabernacle in Atlanta, the Fillmore is like the California sober, non-white trash cousin. It was an absolutely gorgeous venue, and from what I had been told, it was one of the best-sounding venues around. I made my way to the merch booth, bought my shirt, and we headed up to the balcony to our kick ass seats.
On this tour, Bruce & Co. have been featuring a local band from each city to open the shows, and I thought that was a truly remarkable gesture. Kicking off the show on this stop was Michigan’s own Cowboy Angels. The band took the stage with an air of confidence, a sign that always bodes well. The band played classic-era sleaze rock, a throwback to the Bon Scott era of AC/DC. In all honesty, they sounded a bit too much like AC/DC, and even a couple of their songs sounded like they were borrowing from “Back In Black,” and I think the other one was “Shoot to Thrill.” Whatever it was, the similarity was uncanny, but I didn’t mind it. Actually, I liked it.
My biggest complaint is that Cowboy Angels didn’t work the crowd at all. It’s not like they didn’t have the potential to do so. They were confident, cocky even, and they had the energy, but the energy was just contained to the stage. When you’re opening for an act, you have a limited amount of time to make your impression. I felt like I was watching a band rehearse without making a lasting impact. The other thing was that I literally forgot the band’s name, and I didn’t get reminded of it until their last song. You should mention your band name every couple of songs.
Getting the crowd involved also goes a long way. Have them yell your name back to you in unison. Make it so they will leave the show remembering the name of your band, not just some cool opening band whose name you forgot. Make them feel like they’re part of the show and not just watching a band play. If these guys could put these things into practice, I could see them making an impact in this day and age when people seem to LOVE bands that sound like classic bands.
The vibe in the audience was absolutely electric. I could feel it in the air. Everyone was psyched to see Bruce Dickinson solo. Bruce and his House Band of Hell featured some of the best musicians you’ve never heard of, featuring Philip Näslund and Chris Declercq on guitars, Dave Moreno on drums, Mistheria on keyboards, and Tanya O’Callaghan on bass. Having seen footage of this band online was enough to get me pumped, so seeing the real thing was going to be something special.
After a brief intermission, the house lights went down, and the place roared so fucking loud. The amount of energy in that room was barely contained. The hairs on my arm stood at full attention, and I rose to my feet with anticipation. The intros of “The Invaders” and “Toltec 7 Arrival” filled the room as the band took their respective positions on stage. The opening riff of “Accident of Birth” drew a massive roar from the crowd, and right away, we had liftoff.
For nearly two hours, my brain was blown, my face was melted, and my throat was destroyed. Nobody was chanting for Iron Maiden songs, which is what I was really worried about. These people were there for Bruce, and it showed. Not only were the fans having fun, but Bruce himself was in his element. He was playful with his bandmates and was obviously proud of this collection of music. Keyboardist Mistheria at one point tried to get the crowd to yell and raise their hands, but was met with a moderate response. Bruce looked over at him and did the same gesture, and the place went apeshit. This suddenly became a playful point throughout the night, showing a more loose side of the show.
Bruce and the House Band of Hell tore through a set spanning Bruce’s solo career, pulling some of the best material from his discography, including “Laughing in Hiding Bush,” “Chemical Wedding,” and my two favorite Mandrake Project songs, “Shadow of the Gods,” and Rain on the Graves.” Bruce addressed the crowd, saying that he was going to do a song from his other band that had never been played live ever, and launched into “Flash of the Blade” from the Powerslave album. As exciting as you think it would be, it was actually the weakest part of the show. It wasn’t bad. It just wasn’t a highlight, and honestly, I would rather have heard another solo track like “Hell No” or “Kill Devil Hill.”
The real highlight of the night was the last five songs of the set. The second-to-last song of the main set, “Book of Thel,” was the song I wanted to hear the most, and it didn’t disappoint. Bruce once again commanded the crowd to scream for him and to jump, and they did just that, as well as opening up a very much unexpected mosh pit. Not only was this my favorite song, but up to this point, this seemed to be the best-received song of the night.
The encore was total Bangertown. “Tears of the Dragon brought a huge roar once again, and hearing the crowd sing along with Bruce, and even taking over a part of the first verse, brought tears to my eyes. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen and heard, and even my wife said she felt it. That’s pretty fucking powerful.
“Gods of War” had Bruce bringing out the tribal drums and taking this song to a whole new level. This version of the song is from the re-release of Balls to Picasso, MORE Balls to Picasso, and it was absolutely brilliant. This version is the way this song was intended to be, and it was one of Bruce’s most outstanding vocal performances of the night. The night closed out with “The Tower,” which was so much fun to hear, and it was a perfect way to close the night.
Bruce Dickinson and his House Band of Hell delivered one of my top ten shows of all time, and I do not say that lightly. Everything about this show was perfect. The band was stellar and proved worthy of playing some of the greatest Heavy Metal music ever made. Bruce’s voice was in top-notch shape, and his performance was just what you would expect from him. Imagine the energy of a Bruce Dickinson performance with Iron Maiden bottled up in a small venue. He worked that room the same way he would a stadium, and it made the show that much more incredible. It was absolutely contagious, and seeing Bruce in this environment proved that this guy can turn any venue of any size into one of the biggest shows you’ll ever see.
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