September 18, 2025
Bruce Dickinson shines brightly for Montreal
The heavy metal realm has taken a beating so far this year, with the loss of the great Ozzy Osbourne and Tomas Lindberg in recent weeks, and Montreal, being the mecca of metal that it is, needed something to lift its spirits – and right on cue, Bruce Dickinson arrived in town. With him Montreal’s own Noor, and a packed room in need of something utopic.
Iron Maiden hold a special place in my heart, and judging by the attire of those that had come out tonight, I wasn’t the only one that felt that way. The first album I ever owned in my lifetime was a cassette copy of The Number Of The Beast which I had begged my Grandmother to me. I was seven years old, I didn’t know the band but I loved the album art and wanted to try and draw it myself. Eventually, she bought it for me, probably just to shut me up, and I’d spend hours trying to recreate that album cover, while the tape played in the background.
See Also: Steel Panther at Mtelus, Montreal
So, to say that Iron Maiden hold a special place in my heart truly is an understatement. It is because of them that my musical tastes developed the way they did, for better or for worse.
Noor
Opening the show, was a local band named Noor that I wasn’t previously familiar with. While attempting to look them up prior to the show, I found that were several bands with that moniker and I wasn’t sure which of them was the one I would be seeing.
Playing the opening slot ahead of Bruce Dickinson must have been an exiting prospect for the members of Noor, who wore their happiness all across their faces. Stood atop the stage at the Mtelus, in front of a capacity crowd that had already made their way out to the venue, Noor began to put their wares on display.
Wearily at first, but growing more and more comfortable as their set wore on, Noor proved to their home town why it is elemental to attend the early moments of a concert. Nearly every big name band were once in their shoes, hoping for a chance to showcase themselves and their craft to curious ears, and tonight, I am certain that Noor’s fanbase grew.
Sonically, Noor proved to be more than capable of entertaining their audience. Playing a blend of progressive metal fused with elements of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal wave that bore heavyweight titans Iron Maiden way back in the late 70s, and with Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden (and Samson) in the room, I wondered what his thoughts were on Noor, or on the continuation of the genre he helped bring to the masses way back when.
The grins on their faces were enchanting, and I couldn’t help but feel happy for them
Bruce Dickinson
Despite being a massive fan of Iron Maiden; I had never seen Bruce Dickinson on a solo tour prior to tonight’s episode. Unless you count his brilliant spoken word tour that came to town last year, of course.
While Dickinson’s peers, established stars like Vince Neil or Axle Rose, vocalists that have been rocking microphones since the 80s or longer, seem to be struggling to retain their voices as the cruel sands of time take their toll – Dickinson remains as powerful and as poignant as ever. Still able to reproduce his incredible vocal range that is found across his solo discography as well as Flash Of The Blade, off of Iron Maiden’s Power Slave album.
Despite his battles with tongue cancer, he can still hit all those high notes that have made Iron Maiden’s discography so distinct. A decade on from chemotherapy treatments that many, myself included, thought might spell the end of Dickinson’s time as a singer, have proven that this is a man that cannot be defeated.
Now, even at 67 years of age, Dickinson Prowl about his stage as if a man decades younger, still the energetic frontman that I have witnessed so many times as a member of Iron Maiden. Still sounding great, still thoroughly entertaining and still very much worth the price of admission.
At one point between songs, a women turned to me with a puzzled expression on her face and asked “Est-ce qu’il nous parles en français?” (Is he speaking to us in French) Which he was, to the amusement of this women that I can only imagine has never seen Bruce Dickinson live before, as this is something he has done on numerous occasions in Montreal. While speaking a more Parisienne dialect, the people of Quebec lapped it up like a kitten would warm milk.
For a brief moment, I thought Dickinson had left the stage, perhaps for a quick rest while the band played Frankenstein, a cover of The Edgar Winter Group – alas, no, there was Bruce, bashing away on the drum set at the back of the stage! I thought it odd to see three drum sets on stage at the beginning of the night, with just two bands on the bill, and this was why.
While I was elated to hear Accident Of Birth and Chemical Wedding, it was Road To Hell that I most wanted to hear tonight – especially having never seen Dickinson solo before, and therefore never having had the chance to hear any of his solo work played live until now. Tears Of The Dragon, the first of three tracks played during the bands encore, was enough to seal the deal for me. Dickinson and company had been brilliant on the night, and it wasn’t lost on me that I was lucky to once again have had the chance to spend an evening in the same room as the man whose voice lead me to metal in the first place.
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Before wishing everyone a good night, Dickinson announced that he was working on new material and that he would be back on a stage in Montreal very soon. Would that be as a solo artist or with Iron Maiden? That part was left open to interpretation; no matter! Which ever band is on stage with the almighty Bruce Dickinson, will be one that brings the thunder and the lightning as only true legends can.
Scream for me Montreeeaaaallll!
