Bruce Dickinson Goes Off on Smokers…Again

Bruce Dickinson really let fans at his April 27 show in Brazil have it for smoking during the show.

In the fan-shot video that can be seen here, Dickinson goes off on fans and drops numerous f-bombs.

He says, "I do apologize for coughing. Some of you f---ers are smoking, all right? I can't sing if you're gonna smoke, all right? [Bassist Tanya O'Callaghan's] coughing her guts out, I'm coughing, my f---ing wife is going, 'Blargh,' in the back there, all right?"

Dickinson continues, "It's kind of disgusting, all right? But if you wanna be disgusting, do it outside, all right? Not in here. My throat's got work to do. You pay good money to hear me f---ing sing, not go, 'Blargh, blargh,' all right?"

The day after the show, MCA Concerts, who was the promoter for Dickinson's show, issued a statement to journalist Igor Miranda saying a fan's vape pen accidentally exploded, which led to the offending smoke.

Dickinson has been filmed before yelling at fans for smoking during a show. At a September 2022 show in Anaheim, Calif., 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.'"

Footage of the incident can be seen here.

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.