Over the last 43 years heavy metal singer Bruce Dickinson has reached heights others could only dream of. All five foot five inches of him has sold out stadiums across the world, hit notes most mere mortals live in fear of and flown a Boeing 747 across the Atlantic. Now, at 65, the Iron Maiden frontman has made his first solo stop at Swansea Arena for a stunningly good live set of original music as part of the Mandrake Project tour.
Backed by a young band of international musicians that now work out of LA, Dickinson, clad all in black from beanie-covered head to booted toe, could not have been in better form, live. The theme from 1960s sci-fi show The Invaders set the tone as the musicians took to the stage: this might not be quite as enjoyably silly as the antics of Maiden’s Eddie mascot, but the tongue-in-cheek, English-absurdist humour fans have come to know and love is ever-present. Not that Dickinson doesn’t take his job seriously, he’s had to to keep his exceptional pipes in good working order for all these years.
Openers Accident Of Birth and Abduction are fiercely performed, with great visuals projected on the back screen that help Dickinson tell his often macabre stories throughout the show. Diving around the stage for the first few songs, it is impossible not to be stunned by Dickinson’s energy and ability. He still gives the audience everything, whether it’s in front of tens of thousands in South America or the hardcore faithful of Swansea Arena. By the time he’s into the excellent Mandrake Project material, the mic is on the stand, but this only intensifies the focus on the frontman – who commands the stage with high drama during the songs and satisfyingly low wit between numbers.
The band, after only playing together for a couple of months, creates the organic moving monster feeling that only great metal musicians are able to conjure. New tracks like Many Doors To Hell and Rain On The Graves sound even better than on the album.
Stand-out songs from a set that only dropped below superb on the one cover (Edgar Winter’s Frankenstein) were probably the brilliant ballads. With tone and range like Dickinson’s, it’s enjoyable to hear him do his Dio-inspired hijinx in the heavy numbers, but witnessing his top tenor voice soar on Jerusalem and classic Tears Of The Dragon is something else.
A three-song encore that moved from the lightest to heaviest material finished with the excellent The Tower showing off Tanya O’Callaghan’s funk bass chops and backing vocals. But that’s just one highlight from a show packed with unforgettable moments: theremin-soloing, bongo-playing, nation-uniting, Bruce Dickinson can do it all. “Scream for me Swansea!” he shouted – and we did.
Bruce Dickinson, Swansea Arena, Tue 21 May
words JOHN-PAUL DAVIES photos TIM ALBAN
