Bruce Dickinson
\nSeptember 25, 2025
\nDetroit, MI
\nThe Fillmore<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s face it, and not even try to dance around this.\u00a0 Bruce Dickinson is the most outstanding Heavy Metal vocalist of all time.\u00a0 That is a hill I will fucking die on.\u00a0 Like, I would stand on that hill and take arrows to the face.\u00a0 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\u2019s Tattooed Millionaire. However, it was after leaving Iron Maiden in 1993 that his solo career really began to flourish, starting with 1994\u2019s Balls to Picasso.<\/p>\n
From there, Bruce would go on to release some of his work ever.\u00a0 Given the chance to truly spread his wings, Bruce showed the world that on his own, he was a force to be reckoned with.\u00a0 He is an absolutely brilliant songwriter, and at times, he has put out solo material that rivaled the material of Iron Maiden, especially 1997\u2019s Accident of Birth and 1998\u2019s The Chemical Wedding.\u00a0 The only problem was that North America hadn\u2019t had a full-on tour since 1994.\u00a0 Well, that all changed in 2025.<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0 The only problem was that Bruce wasn\u2019t coming near me here in the Southeast, so I did what even a respectable Bruce Dickinson fan would do.\u00a0 I got a ticket, booked a flight, and got a hotel in Detroit, and I’m ready to scream for Bruce Dickinson.\u00a0 My wife was a real trooper (pun intended) and accompanied me to the show.\u00a0 She isn\u2019t a Maiden fan or a Bruce fan, but she was excited to see me so pumped.\u00a0 Everyone should have a wife this badass.<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0 The show was at the Filmore Auditorium in downtown Detroit.\u00a0 This was one of the most beautiful venues I have ever seen for a show.\u00a0 If you\u2019ve ever been to the Tabernacle in Atlanta, the Fillmore is like the California sober, non-white trash cousin.\u00a0 It was an absolutely gorgeous venue, and from what I had been told, it was one of the best-sounding venues around.\u00a0 I made my way to the merch booth, bought my shirt, and we headed up to the balcony to our kick ass seats.<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0 Kicking off the show on this stop was Michigan\u2019s 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.\u00a0 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 \u201cBack In Black,\u201d and I think the other one was \u201cShoot to Thrill.\u201d\u00a0 Whatever it was, the similarity was uncanny, but I didn\u2019t mind it.\u00a0 Actually, I liked it.<\/p>\n
My biggest complaint is that Cowboy Angels didn\u2019t work the crowd at all.\u00a0 It\u2019s not like they didn\u2019t have the potential to do so.\u00a0 They were confident, cocky even, and they had the energy, but the energy was just contained to the stage.\u00a0 When you\u2019re opening for an act, you have a limited amount of time to make your impression.\u00a0 I felt like I was watching a band rehearse without making a lasting impact.\u00a0 The other thing was that I literally forgot the band\u2019s name, and I didn\u2019t get reminded of it until their last song.\u00a0 You should mention your band name every couple of songs.<\/p>\n
Getting the crowd involved also goes a long way.\u00a0 Have them yell your name back to you in unison.\u00a0 Make it so they will leave the show remembering the name of your band, not just some cool opening band whose name you forgot.\u00a0 Make them feel like they\u2019re part of the show and not just watching a band play.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n
The vibe in the audience was absolutely electric.\u00a0 I could feel it in the air.\u00a0 Everyone was psyched to see Bruce Dickinson solo.\u00a0 Bruce and his House Band of Hell featured some of the best musicians you\u2019ve never heard of, featuring Philip N\u00e4slund and Chris Declercq on guitars, Dave Moreno on drums, Mistheria on keyboards, and Tanya O’Callaghan on bass.\u00a0 Having seen footage of this band online was enough to get me pumped, so seeing the real thing was going to be something special.<\/p>\n
After a brief intermission, the house lights went down, and the place roared so fucking loud.\u00a0 The amount of energy in that room was barely contained.\u00a0 The hairs on my arm stood at full attention, and I rose to my feet with anticipation.\u00a0 The intros of \u201cThe Invaders\u201d and \u201cToltec 7 Arrival\u201d filled the room as the band took their respective positions on stage.\u00a0 The opening riff of \u201cAccident of Birth\u201d drew a massive roar from the crowd, and right away, we had liftoff.<\/p>\n
For nearly two hours, my brain was blown, my face was melted, and my throat was destroyed.\u00a0 Nobody was chanting for \u00a0Iron Maiden songs, which is what I was really worried about.\u00a0 These people were there for Bruce, and it showed.\u00a0 Not only were the fans having fun, but Bruce himself was in his element.\u00a0 He was playful with his bandmates and was obviously proud of this collection of music.\u00a0 Keyboardist Mistheria at one point tried to get the crowd to yell and raise their hands, but was met with a moderate response.\u00a0 Bruce looked over at him and did the same gesture, and the place went apeshit.\u00a0 This suddenly became a playful point throughout the night, showing a more loose side of the show.<\/p>\n
Bruce and the House Band of Hell tore through a set spanning Bruce\u2019s solo career, pulling some of the best material from his discography, including \u201cLaughing in Hiding Bush,\u201d \u201cChemical Wedding,\u201d and my two favorite Mandrake Project songs, \u201cShadow of the Gods,\u201d and Rain on the Graves.\u201d\u00a0 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 \u201cFlash of the Blade\u201d from the Powerslave album.\u00a0 As exciting as you think it would be, it was actually the weakest part of the show.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t bad.\u00a0 It just wasn\u2019t a highlight, and honestly, I would rather have heard another solo track like \u201cHell No\u201d or \u201cKill Devil Hill.\u201d<\/p>\n
The real highlight of the night was the last five songs of the set. \u00a0The second-to-last song of the main set, \u201cBook of Thel,\u201d was the song I wanted to hear the most, and it didn\u2019t disappoint.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Not only was this my favorite song, but up to this point, this seemed to be the best-received song of the night.<\/p>\n
The encore was total Bangertown.\u00a0 \u201cTears 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.\u00a0 It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen and heard, and even my wife said she felt it.\u00a0 That\u2019s pretty fucking powerful.<\/p>\n
\u201cGods of War\u201d had Bruce bringing out the tribal drums and taking this song to a whole new level.\u00a0 This version of the song is from the re-release of Balls to Picasso, MORE Balls to Picasso, and it was absolutely brilliant.\u00a0 This version is the way this song was intended to be, and it was one of Bruce\u2019s most outstanding vocal performances of the night.\u00a0 The night closed out with \u201cThe Tower,\u201d which was so much fun to hear, and it was a perfect way to close the night.<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0 Everything about this show was perfect.\u00a0 The band was stellar and proved worthy of playing some of the greatest Heavy Metal music ever made.\u00a0 Bruce\u2019s voice was in top-notch shape, and his performance was just what you would expect from him.\u00a0 Imagine the energy of a Bruce Dickinson performance with Iron Maiden bottled up in a small venue.\u00a0 He worked that room the same way he would a stadium, and it made the show that much more incredible.\u00a0 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\u2019ll ever see.<\/p>\n