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Scream For Me, Anaheim!
Live at House of Blues Anaheim
August 27th, 2025 Review by Bruce R Kilgour
There are not many lead vocalists of iconic hard rock or metal bands that can undertake a successful “solo” career, especially when the band that they normally front is still one of the biggest in the world. Of course, Bruce Dickinson – lead vocalist for the legendary Iron Maiden for all but five of the last 44 years – is not your average frontman.
Other than some spoken-word tours and a few dates in California last year, this is Dickinson’s first North American tour since 1997. He and his stellar band are on the road in support of his 2024 album “The Mandrake Project,” hitting 23 cities before wrapping up in Los Angeles on October 5th at the Wiltern Theater.
Friday night at the sold-out House of Blues Anaheim, I spotted (not surprisingly) hundreds of people sporting Iron Maiden apparel.
However, I was pleased to see a fair number of hardcore fans with Bruce Dickinson shirts as well.
Anaheim, California
August 22nd, 2025
Opening act Combustion 96 delivered an enthusiastic 40-minute set of riff-driven metal. Their three-guitar attack and engaging vocals helped the waiting crowd pass the time as they looked ahead to Dickinson.
At exactly 9 p.m., it was lights out as a recorded monologue from the 1960’s American sci-fi show “The Invaders” filled the room.
This was immediately followed by “Toltec 7 Arrival” (also recorded) before Dickinson asked, “Are you ready, Anaheim? Are you fuckin’ ready?”
Dickinson and the band began the 2025 tour with a furious “Accident of Birth” from the 1997 album of the same name. “Abduction” and “Laughing in the Hiding Bush” followed, the latter giving us our first taste of an impressive five-vocal attack.
“Hello House of Blues! There isn’t much blues tonight; just a lot of epic shit going on,” Dickinson proclaimed, then launched into the never-before played “Shadow of the Gods.”
Dickinson’s band is an incredible group of veteran musicians that includes Chris Declerq and Philip Naslund on guitars, Tanya O’Callaghan on bass, “Maestro” Mistheria on keyboards, and Dave Moreno on drums.
Following a dramatic “Chemical Wedding,” Dickinson stated that he had a surprise – there was a song he’d written long ago with “a little band I have – Iron Maiden” that had never been played live. With that, they launched into “Flash of The Blade,” a deep track from the 1984 Iron Maiden album “Powerslave.”
The aforementioned audience members donning their Iron Maiden shirts likely felt redeemed with Dickinson and company receiving one of the loudest pops of the night in return.
Two songs from “The Mandrake Project” followed, and after a brief drum solo from Moreno, the band launched into a stunning nine-minute cover of the 1973 Edgar Winter Group classic “Frankenstein,” in which each musician took a solo turn to show off. Not to be outdone, Dickinson joined in on his mini standing drum kit, then blew us all away with an amazing theremin solo.
Two more songs from the highly regarded album, “The Chemical Wedding,” followed, and Dickinson preceded a fiery “Book of Thel” with the warning, “Those of you with a nervous disposition… please leave the building!”
He introduced his bandmates, then Dickinson cheekily stated, “You know who I am. If you don’t, you wasted your fucking money!” The main set ended with “Road to Hell,” with Dickinson firing up the fans with a few more, “Scream for me, Anaheim!” requests.’
After a few minutes, the band returned with two epic tracks from the recently remixed and reissued “(More) Balls to Picasso” album. “Gods of War” began and ended with Dickinson once again pounding away on his solo drum kit.
Closing out the evening with the mid-tempo “Starchildren,” Dickinson reminded all to have a safe trip home, and to come back for more on October 5th at the Wiltern.
Expertly mixing songs from five of his seven albums, spanning 30 years, Dickinson proved that he still hits every note at 67 years old.
Dickinson was clearly excited to be on the road in smaller venues, endlessly working every inch of the stage and connecting with his loyal fans. Don’t miss the tour finale at The Wiltern!
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