Words & Photos by Rod Snyder
Bruce Dickinson and his band landed in Pennsylvania for their recent show at The Fillmore, located in the Fishtown section of Philadelphia. The Fillmore is a much smaller venue than the stadiums and arenas that he’s used to performing in with that other band he’s in…I think they’re called Iron Maiden?? Dickinson and his band are currently on tour for their most recent release “The Mandrake Project”, which came out in 2024. This marks his first release since 2005’s “Tyranny of Souls”. Bruce’s touring band consists of Philip Näslund on guitar, Chris Declerq on guitar, Tanya O’Callighan on bass, Dave Moreno on drums and Maestro Mistheria on keyboards and keytar.
The band took the stage with much adoration for the ensemble. Despite it being a Tuesday night, there was a hefty-sized crowd at The Fillmore. The stage design is far from what you’d expect at an Iron Maiden show. There were no lavish sets, no Eddie walking around the stage, no ramps for Bruce to run up and down, and surely there were no Spitfire planes hanging from the rafters. Instead, it was just the band and their instruments and a big LED screen for a backdrop. Tonight, the music was their focus. They came to play. They came to rock. And that’s exactly what they did. They played a nice cross-section of Bruce’s solo catalog, mostly from the 1998 release “The Chemical Wedding”, “Balls to Picasso” and their latest release “The Mandrake Project”. And thrown in for good measure, a solitary Iron Maiden song.
Some of the highlights from the show:
They opened with “Accident of Birth”, “Abduction” and “Laughing in the Hiding Bush”. This was a quick, rapid-fire sequence of songs, and it surely got the crowd moving and allowed Dickinson to warm up and stretch his vocals and legs…literally. Throughout the night, he moved non-stop around the stage. He reminded me of how Mick Jagger, at 82, still runs around on stage. I can only wonder how Bruce will be at age 82! Mistheria should also get a special note of attention – he had dual duties on the keyboard and the keytar all night long. His keytar skills are something to take note of. He has his own Master Class series on the keytar, and that’s what we all saw from him that night! No subscription required.
Prior to the next song, Bruce spoke to the crowd for the first time of many. Seeing as it was September 23, 2025, was the day when the Rapture was predicted, he touched on the topic, saying we must be living in a parallel universe since the world had already ended. He then proceeded with the intro of “Shadow of the Gods”, a song they never played live until this U.S. tour. Using a theremin, it added a certain spookiness to the song before the song kicked in with its crunchy, dual guitar and driving bass lines.
“Flash of the Blade” was the sole Iron Maiden song performed. It’s a song that even Iron Maiden hasn’t played live…ever. Due to its complex guitar layering and demanding vocals, it’s been shelved from ever being performed live. Hard to believe that, since it’s from the 1984 “Powerslave” album. “Resurrection Men” was the first of a few songs that featured Bruce on percussion. The backdrop showed a cross that was covered in blood by the end of the song. Another surprise was the Edgar Winter song “Frankenstein”. It was another showcase of the band’s musical talent, and peaked with the highlight from the theremin. It’s nice to see such an analog piece of equipment still being used today.
“Book of Thel” based on the William Blake poem and “Road to Hell” were the closing songs in the set. “Regrettably all good things must come to an end”. Just before “Road to Hell”, Bruce introduced the band and then gave the crowd some good news about his next solo release. The band will head into the studio in January 2026 to start laying down tracks for the upcoming album. Chants of “Bruce” could be heard while the band exited the stage for a few minutes before coming back out for the final 3 songs of the night.
The first “Tears of the Dragon” featured a nice acoustic guitar segment by Philip Näslund, accompanied by Chris Delercq on electric guitar, the 2 built up a nice intro for Bruce to walk out and add his soaring vocals to the song. Towards the end of the song, Declerq took center stage and showcased his prowess. The band even got a bit funky just before ending the song. “Gods of War” started off with Bruce on the Taiko drums. Imagine a deep bass sound like you’re heading off into battle, a heart stopping thud. Bruce and drummer Dave Moreno had a brief call and response segment before launching into an explosive version of “The Tower”. Halfway through the song, Bruce tossed out his sweaty knit cap to a lucky fan as a souvenir.
In the end they succeeded at their goal:
Provide some mid-week entertainment.
Put smiles on the faces of the masses.
Raise a little hell.
“Scream for me Philadelphia!!”
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TheWaster.com | Philly
9.25.25
