Bruce Dickinson just gave Iron Maiden fans something to celebrate. The iconic band‘s lead vocalist recently kicked off his solo tour, and celebrated the moment by playing an Iron Maiden deep cut live for the first time.
“Nobody has ever played this song, apart from on a record of course,” Dickinson told the Anaheim, California crowd. “It’s a song that I wrote, so I don’t know whether any of you have got any clue what song it might be. But, like usual, it’s a conundrum. I shall not tell you. You will just have to figure it out. It probably won’t take long.”
Dickinson gave the audience a bit of a hint when he recited a line from the track’s chorus, before the music kicked in.
“You’ll die as you lived / In a flash of the blade,” he said to cheers from the crowd.
With that, Dickinson performed “Flash of the Blade,” which appeared on Iron Maiden’s 1984 album, Powerslave.
“Flash of the Blade” was the only Iron Maiden song Dickinson played during the show, according to Ultimate Classic Rock. The rest of his set was made up of tracks from his seven solo albums.
Bruce Dickinson’s Tour
Following the 2025 conclusion of the European leg of Iron Maiden’s Run for Your Lives Tour, Dickinson set off to perform his solo shows.
Following his California concert, Dickinson has shows scheduled across North America through October. He’ll wrap The Mandrake Project Tour on Oct. 5 in Los Angeles.
“We are thrilled to be able to take The Mandrake Project out for a proper tour of North America,” Dickinson said back in March when he announced the tour. “Last year we did a couple of sold-out U.S. West Coast dates before heading to South America and the response was just incredible.”
“This time we will add ‘Shadow of The Gods’ to the setlist for this incredible band to perform plus a few other gems,” he added. “We are really looking forward to seeing our fans again all over the country and for a couple of shows up in Canada.”
Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images