Iron Maiden Drummer Nicko McBrain Admits He Can’t Play Some Songs Like They Sound on the Record Following his Stroke Last Year
Strokes fucking suck. They’re absolutely devastating and take a lot of hard work to come back from, if one can come back from them at all. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that Nicko McBrain, who has been the drummer for Iron Maiden since 1982, is still struggling following his recovery from his stroke in January of last year. Apparently he can’t play some songs the way they originally sounded on the records and, honestly, that’s completely understandable.
In a recent concert for his side project Titanium Tart in Pompano Beach, Florida, McBrain addressed his health issues to the crowd (which was then transcribed by Blabbermouth) and talked about his recovery journey:
“I’ve gotta be honest with you, it was a touch and go last year for me, because, as you probably know… If you don’t, TIA [transient ischemic attack] strokes aren’t fun. Some people get really bad reactions to ’em, like [they become] paralyzed, they can’t speak, they can’t walk and do whatnot. I couldn’t play — I was paralyzed on the right side. Fortunately, the Boca Raton Regional Hospital had this incredible OT [occupational therapy] section, and there’s a girl called Julie Blum that looked after me, and in three months, she had me playing again. And it ain’t the old Nicko, it’s not the old one by a long shot, but at least it’s part of me. And my band, bless their hearts, [IRON MAIDEN bassist] Steve Harris and the rest of the guys turn around and say, ‘If you can’t do something in a song, we just won’t do that song.’”
He elaborated on the limitations and how they affected his ability to play one specific song, “Caught Somewhere in Time” off their 1986 album Somewhere in Time:
“When we were rehearsing last year for ‘The Future Past Tour’, we were doing ‘Caught Somewhere In Time’ to open. Now there’s a middle section, it’s all snare drum on the record. I can’t play it. As you probably noticed, those of you nerds that are in the audience that go, ‘He didn’t do the drum fill.’ Well, that’s why, ’cause I fucking can’t do it. So anyway, Steve turned around to me and I said, ‘Okay, I’ve got an idea. if I do the double on the snare,’ and I played it for him and he went, ‘No. Have you got anything else?’ I went, ‘Yeah I’ll play it on the cymbal.’ ‘No. You got anything else?’ ‘That’s me spent, mate.’ So he turned around and he thought about for about half a minute. He’s standing in front of my drum set and he’s going, ‘Why don’t you play it straight?’ I went, ‘What?’ ‘Play a straight fill through it. Go ahead.’ I went, ‘You’re a fucking genius, Harry.’ And there’s me, the drummer, supposedly, [I’m] supposed to come up with all these ideas, and there’s Harry: ‘Play it straight, Nick.’ I didn’t even think of that. And so we rehearsed it from thereon in, and we play it straight, which I’m sure 90 percent of you don’t give a fuck about that bit anyway.”
To be honest, if McBrain weren’t ready to play at all a year and a half after suffering a stroke, that would be perfectly understandable. The fact that he can play at all is a small miracle in and of itself, and any limitations should be easily forgiven. It’s good to know that his bandmates are being understanding about his limitations.
If you want to see a man heroically overcome the limitations of a debilitating injury, here’s Iron Maiden’s tour dates for the rest of the year.
Sep. 1 – Perth, Australia @ RAC Arena
Sep. 4 – Adelaide, Australia @ Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Sep. 6 – Melbourne, Australia @ Rod Laver Arena
Sep. 10 – Brisbane, Australia @ Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Sep. 12 – Sydney, Australia @ Qudos Bank Arena
Sep. 16 – Auckland, New Zealand @ Spark Arena
Sep. 22 – Aichi, Japan @ Sky Hall Toyota
Sep. 24 – Osaka, Japan @ Osaka-Jo Hall
Sep. 26 – Tokyo, Japan @ Tokyo Garden Theater
Sep. 28 – Kanagawa, Japan @ Pia Arena MM
Oct. 4 – San Diego, CA @ North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
Oct. 5 – Las Vegas, NV @ Michelob ULTRA Arena
Oct. 8 – Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum
Oct. 12 – Sacramento, CA @ Aftershock Festival
Oct. 14 – Portland, OR @ Moda Center
Oct. 16 – Tacoma, WA @ Tacoma Dome
Oct. 18 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Delta Center
Oct. 19 – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
Oct. 22 – St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
Oct. 24 – Rosemont, IL @ Allstate Arena
Oct. 26 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
Oct. 27 – Quebec, QC @ Videotron Centre
Oct. 30 – Montreal , QC @ Centre Bell
Nov. 1 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
Nov. 2 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
Nov. 6 – Worcester, MA @ DCU Center
Nov. 8 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena
Nov. 9 – Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center
Nov. 12 – Baltimore, MD @ CFG Bank Arena
Nov. 13 – Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center
Nov. 16 – Fort Worth, TX @ Dickies Arena
Nov. 17 – San Antonio, TX @ Frost Bank Center (formerly AT&T Center)
Nov. 20 – Mexico City, México @ Estadio GNP Seguros
Nov. 24 – Bogotá, Colombia @ Estadio El Campín
Nov. 27 & 28 – Santiago, Chile @ Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos
Dec. 1 – Buenos Aires, Argentina @ Estadio Tomás Adolfo Ducó
Dec. 2 – Buenos Aires, Argentina @ Movistar Arena
Dec. 6 & 7 – São Paulo, Brazil @ Allianz Parque
