I’ll Quit Iron Maiden Before Using Backing Tapes

Bruce Dickinson said he’d rather quit Iron Maiden than use backing tapes on tour.

The band is gearing up for its 50th anniversary road trip – and while the members are aware they’ll have to bow out at some point, the singer insisted they’d refuse to compromise on concert quality until the end.

“Only recently this guy, a big fan, said to me, ‘It’s so great to see Maiden still doing it,’” Dickinson told Classic Rock in a recent interview.

“I said: ‘Yeah, and we’re doing it for real!’ There’s no de-tuning. This guy said: ‘Lots of bands use backing tracks now.’ I said: ‘No! No, no, no, no, no!’ That’s the day I quit. Or the day we stop.”

He continued: “If it’s not real, it’s not Maiden. The idea that you can turn it into the Disneyland Maiden, by using backing tracks, a few tricks…. No! Maiden has to be one hundred per cent real – and fucking fierce!”

In the same interview guitarist Dave Murray said the band should aim to “bow out with dignity and grace,” when the time came, as with drummer Nicko McBrain, who retired from touring last year at the age of 72.

Steve Harris on What Keeps Iron Maiden Strong

“Obviously we can’t carry on for ever,” bassist Steve Harris said. “The show that we do is a very physical thing. How long can we keep going? I really don’t know. We were asked that question 20 years ago, and ever since.”

He continued: “You’d like to think your best mate would tell you, wouldn’t you? But I think you’d know in yourself if you can’t cut it any more. And I like to think that we’re still out there giving it large.”

Harris argued that part of Maiden’s strength was continuing to make new music. “I’m still writing all the time,” he said. “I’ve got so many ideas, it’s ridiculous – insane. I couldn’t finish off all the ideas I’ve had in three lifetimes.”

Dickinson joked: “God forbid we should make another record! But we’re booked up through 2025, 2026… so let’s wait and see how we all feel about it.”