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Longtime Iron Maiden<\/a> manager Rod Smallwood recalled how an onstage incident in which Bruce Dickinson<\/a> wound up with blood on his face helped make the band\u2019s name in South America and then the United States.<\/p>\n Smallwood \u2013 affectionately known as \u201cRod Smallwallet\u201d by Steve Harris<\/a> and his\u00a0bandmates \u2013 also told of his first encounter with the band, when they had to play as a trio because their singer,\u00a0Paul Di\u2019Anno<\/a>,\u00a0was in jail.<\/p>\n In a new interview with Classic Rock<\/em><\/a>, the businessman cited Maiden\u2019s performance at Rock In Rio in 1985 as a key moment in the organization\u2019s global development.<\/p>\n Read More:\u00a0<\/strong>Iron Maiden Albums Ranked Worst to Best<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe impact of Rock In Rio was monumental,\u201d Smallwood said. \u201cWe had no history at all in South America before then. We played before Queen<\/a>, and the audience was reportedly 300,000 \u2013 but it could have been more. And it was broadcast live on TV. Not just in Brazil, but across all of South America.\u201d<\/p>\n He continued: \u201cThe sound was pretty bad onstage. Bruce got so frustrated that he kicked off some of the monitors. And that\u2019s when he ran into a guitar head and cut himself. The blood was streaming down his face.<\/p>\n \u201cI was on the side of the stage, and Bruce came over to me. I said, \u2018See the camera over there with a red light on? Go and get your head right in front of it!\u2019 Bruce tells a different version of that story where I sent a roadie up to him to tell him to make the wound a bit wider so he bled more!\u201d<\/p>\n Watch Iron Maiden Perform at Rock in Rio in 1985<\/strong><\/p>\n Smallwood\u2019s stage direction worked. \u201cThe sight of Bruce\u2019s bloody face had a huge impact,\u201d he said. \u201cAfter that one show, we were playing to a minimum of 40,000 people a night in South America \u2013 forever, effectively.\u201d<\/p>\n He described the performance as \u201cone of the most important shows we ever did,\u201d and explained how it connected with his ambitions. \u201cMetal is a worldwide thing, and I always wanted Maiden to be a hugely successful international band. I wanted parallel development across the world.\u201d<\/p>\n He also discussed seeing a three-piece version of Maiden at The Swan, a pub in Hammersmith, London, in 1979. \u201cThis was the first show I ever saw by Maiden,\u201d he recalled. \u201cThey had to play without Paul because he\u2019d been arrested for carrying a flick knife.<\/p>\n \u201cEven though I wasn\u2019t managing the band then, I went into management mode and called the cop station, but they wouldn\u2019t let Paul out. So it was just three of them: Steve, Dave [Murray] and the original drummer, Dougie Sampson.<\/p>\n \u201cI said to Steve, \u2018Do you know the words to the songs?\u2019 He said, \u2018Yeah, I wrote them.\u2019 I said, \u2018Can you sing?\u2019 He said, \u2018Not very well.\u2019 \u2018Can you try?\u2019 \u2018Yeah, fine.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Only about 30 people witnessed the performance, but Smallwood said, \u201cI can still see it now in my mind\u2019s eye.\u201d<\/p>\n Gallery Credit: Bryan Rolli<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nWhen Iron Maiden Played as a Trio in a London Pub<\/h3>\n
Iron Maiden Live Albums Ranked Worst to Best<\/h2>\n