Shortly before the start of Bruce Dickinson‘s one man show at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Saturday night, I witnessed a man in the crowd who appeared to be putting earplugs in … before a spoken word show. It seemed a bit odd.
Granted, I don’t know what this guy’s situation was – maybe he’s got very sensitive ears (the pre-show music – all Maiden of course – being pumped through the speakers was perhaps a bit loud) or maybe those were actually earbuds and he was listening to the game or something. Still, it was a little unusual. I know it’s Bruce Dickinson, but what the hell was this guy expecting?
Truth be told, other than the general idea that Dickinson would be talking about his life and career over the years, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect either, but I had to assume that he’d have some pretty good tales to tell. After all, as far as legendary metal vocalists go, they don’t get much more legendary than the Iron Maiden frontman, so surely he’s got some stories. And over the course of the evening, Dickinson indeed regaled the crowd with stories from throughout his career, from his beginnings in his hometown of Worksop (which to his surprise, at least someone in attendance had heard of) to his time at an English public school (actually not public at all, but a private school – oh, those wacky English) to his early days in the music business as singer for Samson and onto his days as frontman for Iron Maiden and his other life as an airline pilot. So yeah, dude’s got a lot of stories. And he tells them well.
Memorable moments from throughout the night included his accounts of his time at that English public school, wherein he developed a healthy opposition to authority and was eventually expelled (“I pissed in the headmaster’s dinner. And he ate it.”) as well as the stories of his time singing in Samson and their general lack of experience when it came to the business side of the music industry. Also amusing was a segment of the show wherein he critiqued some of his past sartorial choices as he shared some slides of past stage wear with the audience.
Overall, Dickinson proved himself to be a very animated, enthusiastic storyteller. Funny too, albeit a bit corny at times. But I suppose Bruce Dickinson’s allowed to be a little corny if he wants. He’s earned it.