Bruce Dickinson Goes Off on People Smoking Weed at Iron Maiden Show

Iron Maiden are not fans of people blazing up during their shows, and Bruce Dickinson is not afraid to let them know about it.

Video has surfaced from the band's September 21 show in Anaheim, Calif. and has begun to make the rounds online thanks to Metal Injection. In the video below, Dickinson addresses the crowd, particularly the pit in front of him, saying, "I don't know what it is. There's so many f---in people smoking so much f---ing dope down here, I'm amazed you can even see."

He continues, "Poor old Steve [Harris]. I don't know if you know, but he absolutely f---ing hates marijuana and the smell of it, alright? So, when he's trying to play bass, it f---s him up. It f---s me up. I'm a singer, alright? So duh. I would just ask for a tiny bit of respect – if you want to go get completely stoned out of your f---ing mind, go out the back and do it. Alright? Otherwise you're going to end up like this f---ing knucklehead here going 'uhhhh.'"

Coincidentally, Madien played a two-night stand in Anaheim. The night after the weed rant, Dickinson literally dragged a fan off stage who had made their way past security and decided to attempt to rock out with the band.

So, what did we learn today? Don't try and rush the stage at a Maiden concert. Oh, and if you're going to get stoned at a Maiden show, perhaps take an edible instead.

As Iron Maiden’s third album (and first with singer Bruce Dickinson), ‘The Number of the Beast,’ hits its 40th anniversary, the question on everyone’s mind is... how the HELL has this band not been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Go to any major rock festival in the U.S. this year (or any year), and nearly every band on the bill owes Maiden a debt (and they all probably have worn out their share of Maiden cassettes, CDs and t-shirts).

The band has released a handful of classic albums, including The Number of the Beast. And with their most recent two double(!) albums, The Book of Souls and Senjutsu , they've shown that there's still more gas in the tank. Here, we rank their classics, starting with their debut album, going all the way up through 2021’s excellent Senjutsu. And here's hoping that the Rock Hall does the right thing and puts Maiden on the ballot in 2023 (in the meantime, they'd better induct Judas Priest this year). 

The album’s title track was the one that parents and religious “leaders” were sweating (and moaning) over, but had ‘The Number of the Beast’ LP been released today, “Run To The Hills” might have gotten more attention. It depicts the colonization of America, and the first verse comes from the perspective of Native Americans. The first lines: “White man came across the sea/He brought us pain and misery.” A later verse includes the quote “the only good Indians are tame.” The song has been played so many times, and the repetition may have dulled the lyrics to those who have heard them over and over. But listen to them carefully, they’re as hard-hitting as the music (no mean feat) and are as thought-provoking as the best metal and rock and roll lyrics.