S Poddar
On October 22, during a gig for his band Iron Maiden in Minneapolis, Bruce Dickinson took an emotional moment to pay tribute to Paul Di’Anno, the former singer for the band who had recently succumbed to death after years of grave health problems. In front of thousands of fans, Dickinson shared a tribute that was at once personal and poignant.
As he introduced the song “The Time Machine,” Dickinson drew a parallel to time travel and referenced the classic movie Back to the Future. “So, this next track is actually called ‘The Time Machine,'” he started. “And I was watching Back To The Future last night on TV, and it’s true. It’s 1.21 gigawatts of power that you need to put a DeLorean through the portal of time itself.”
Better known for his entertaining introductions, Dickinson set aside the humor to address a more subdued message as he introduced the audience to the fact about Di’Anno’s passing. “I normally tell a story about that and we have a bit of fun. But tonight is…I don’t want to put a downer on the proceedings at all,” he explained, “because our friend, our band member Paul Di’Anno passed away, as you are probably aware.”. And if you don’t know that, then you do now.”
Dickinson continued to elaborate on Di’Anno’s role in Iron Maiden’s early work and history. “Paul played a major role in the first two albums, innovational with Killers and the first album. An incredible voice, dedicated to rock and roll till the last breath of his life.”
Two albums Di’Anno recorded with Iron Maiden, Iron Maiden (1980) and Killers (1981), were of principal importance in forming band identity and followership. The records evidenced Di’Anno’s individual style with the heavy metal sound shaped by a point of difference between this and the punk rock beginning to underline the signature sound of the band. His voice and presence on the stage are indelibly stamped, especially for those who first got to know the group during those early years.
In his tribute, Dickinson also spoke of Di’Anno’s post-Iron Maiden activities, which included his work with Battlezone among other musical projects, and called upon fans to revisit the early Iron Maiden tracks Di’Anno made famous. So for all of you born and still remembering those early albums when obviously, I wasnt in the band and he was, Dickinson continued, and those of you who were fans of the stuff he did with Battlezone and his own projects afterwards and anybody that fancies having a listen to tracks like ‘Remember Tomorrow’ and stuff like that, which are absolutely awesome
And as the moment became reflective, Dickinson asked the crowd to pause in silence. “I’m just gonna ask everybody to take a few seconds to just close your eyes in silence and say, just internally, mentally, if you believe in God—if you don’t believe in God, it actually doesn’t matter—just believe in what you believe in and just say, ‘Thanks, boss, for doing what you did.'”
The crowd paid homage to the silence, sharing the communal memory of Di’Anno’s impact and talent. Dickinson made a last goodbye to his former bandmate, reaching out to him in spirit. “So, Paul, if you’re listening, this little message from Minneapolis to wherever you are upstairs or downstairs,” he said rallying the crowd with the iconic phrase, “Minneapolis, for Paul Di’Anno, scream for me.”
Bruce Dickinson’s dedication paid him homage to the respect and gratitude he felt for Di’Anno’s contribution in the forging of Iron Maiden’s initial identity and for his whole life’s passion for music. Di’Anno might have graced Iron Maiden for a relatively short period, but his contribution was massive and lived in the hearts of millions across the globe who witnessed the magic of Iron Maiden through his voice.
