It is axiomatic that Bruce Dickinson is a heavy metal icon in every sense of the word. He rose to international stardom as vocalist of the legendary Iron Maiden but released several classic solo records and was involved with a litany of other projects including but not limited to commercial airline pilot, beer maker, author, speaker, and fencer. Due to his numerous commitments and interests, Dickinson had not toured in any capacity since 2002 or in the United States since 1997. Until 2025…
Dickinson’s most recent venture – The Mandrake Project (“TMP”) – created his first solo record in twenty years but also a comic book series of the same name for which there will be several installments (Dickinson teased the possibility of another solo record to coincide with future comic releases). Dickinson wrote The Mandrake Project with his longtime guitarist and producer Roy Z, though Z was unable to partake in touring to support the standout record. However, Dickinson was joined by a talented group of musicians - guitarists Phillip Naslund and Chris Declercq, bassist Tanya O’Callaghan, drummer Dave Moreno, and keyboardist Mistheria – to form the TMP live lineup.
During the vast majority of Dickinson’s career, he fronted Iron Maiden during arena, amphitheater, and stadium tours; the hugely successful band routinely played to 10,000+ fans, and often tens of thousands more at festivals around the world. To create a more intimate experience, Dickinson launch his first tour in twenty-two years at theaters in 2024 and continued to perform at similar venues during his 2025 Americas tour. When he took TMP to the Brooklyn Paramount theater in New York City, the attendees of this event were well-aware they would witness a music titan in an intimate setting, an extraordinary experience.
Dickinson opened his performance with the incredible “Accident of Birth”, the title track of his “rebirth” record. He followed “Accident” with the thrilling “Abduction” from Tyranny of Souls, an album for which Dickinson never toured after its 2005 release. Next, he went back to 1994’s Balls to Picasso’s “Laughing in the Hiding Bush,” a mid-tempo cut that remained in his setlists during his solo career.
The band then moved to the first of three TMP songs, “Shadow of the Gods”, an epic that provided ample opportunity for Dickinson to showcase his ageless voice. Dickinson then performed “Chemical Wedding”, the title track from one of the greatest heavy metal records in the pantheon of greats. The song induced chills, particularly when Dickinson sang “…and all the lighthouses, their beams converge to guide me home…” at the end of the second verse.
The longtime voice of Maiden then teased the audience with an acapella rendition of “Revelations” before performing a song that the band never performed during its illustrious career – “Flash of the Blade” from the seminal Powerslave. Dickinson penned the track himself (which is also true for “Revelations”), which presumably contributed to his desire to perform it.
The band then returned to Mandrake to perform the single “Rain on the Graves” before a rendition of "Frankenstein", a cover of The Edgar Winter Group.
TMP then launched into a seismic three-song sequence that inspired the rabid fans. First came "The Alchemist", the final track on The Chemical Wedding. It was followed by the masterpiece "The Book of Thel", also from the incomparable Chemical. Dickinson closed the set with Accident's “Road to Hell”, which drove the crowd to a frenzy.
TMP opened the encore with a song featuring one of the most emotional and powerful choruses in the catalogue – Picasso’s “Tears of the Dragon”, renown as one of his best vocal performances of his storied career. Suffice to say, the crowd passionately sang along to every single word. The band then performed the third Picasso track – “Gods of War” – featuring the album more this year due to its recent reissue. The set closed with “The Tower”, another Chemical powerhouse.
The evening was, in many ways, nothing short of surreal and magical. For many fans, it was the culmination of decades of anticipation to hear Chemical and Accident songs performed live. TMP will continue its Americas tour through September, and Dickinson effectively promised more U.S. tour dates to support the Project upon the release of a new record in the coming years.
