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Iron Maiden<\/a> frontman Bruce Dickinson<\/a>\u00a0was recently forced to perform \u201cThe Trooper\u201d from an offstage position after smoke from a flare lit by a fan in the venue overwhelmed him.<\/p>\n A throat cancer survivor, Dickinson has previously criticized fans for creating fumes at concerts, explaining that it makes performance challenging for himself and others.<\/p>\n A YouTube shorts clip – available here <\/a>– from Maiden\u2019s Wednesday night show at the Estadio Atahualpa in Quito, Ecuador shows Dickinson holding the military flag prop he uses during the song, and singing while standing still and out of the audience’s view, away from the smoke \u2013 a far cry from his usually strenuous performances.<\/p>\n A longer video – embedded below -shows the moment a fan up front lights a flare, the smoke billowing all over the stage, and Dickinson retreating backstage, leaving the audience to sign the first verse. He takes over after that, and returns to the stage once the smoke clears, carrying the flag of Ecuador to the delight of the crowd.<\/p>\n Watch Bruce Dickinson\u2019s Backstage \u2018The Trooper\u2019 Performance<\/strong><\/p>\n The Gallery<\/a> reported that the crowd had reacted lethargically to early songs in the set, and the smoke began to spread during \u201cThe Number of the Beast.\u201d The singer said: \u201cI cannot sing at all if you light flares! I cannot breathe. If you want to light flares, go somewhere else, because this stuff is poisonous and pollutes the people around you!\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE:\u00a0<\/strong>The Stage Stunt That\u2019s Too Mad Even for Bruce Dickinson<\/a><\/p>\n Dickinson was diagnosed with cancer caused by a virus in 2014 and given the all-clear after a tumor was removed the following year. The 68-year-old musician has previously taken issue with fans making it difficult for him to sing.<\/p>\n During a solo concert in Brazil in 2024, he told the crowd<\/a> that he and bassist Tanya O\u2019Callaghan were struggling to breathe as the result of vape fumes. \u201cI can\u2019t sing if you’re gonna smoke,” he said. \u201cMy throat\u2019s got work to do. You pay good money to hear me sing, not go, \u2018Blargh, blargh!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n In 2022 he called out a Maiden fan amid a performance in Greece; and earlier that year he slammed people in the front row in Anaheim, California, for smoking marijuana and causing issues for himself and Steve Harris<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI would just ask for a tiny bit of respect,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you want to go get completely stoned out of your f\u2013\u2013g mind, go out the back and do it, alright?\u201d<\/p>\n Maiden remain in South America as part of their Run For Your Lives world tour<\/a> until Nov. 1, with shows booked until Nov. 26.<\/p>\n When ranking Iron Maiden albums, perhaps the most striking thing is that they succeeded despite changing lead singers on three separate occasions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Eduardo Rivadavia<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nBruce Dickinson Asks for Fans\u2019 Respect at Shows<\/h3>\n
Iron Maiden Albums Ranked <\/h2>\n