Bruce Dickinson puts on an impeccable show in BH; see the setlist

After the praised performances in Curitiba, Porto Alegre and Brasília, the expectation was that Bruce Dickinson, lead singer of Iron Maiden, would deliver nothing less than an incredible show in Belo Horizonte, this Sunday night (28/4), at Arena Hall. And that’s what he did.

With a not-so-full house – perhaps because of ticket prices ranging between R$800 and R$300 – the Brit took to the stage at around 8:20 pm to sing for almost two hours to an audience that was mostly male and over 40 years old.

For health reasons, as reported by the show’s press team, the Brazilians from Clash Bulldogs, who have been opening Dickinson’s shows in the country, did not perform.

Without straying from the repertoire he has been performing lately, Dickinson revisited his solo career – which began in 1990 with the album “Tattooed millionaire” –, and continues in parallel with his work with Maiden, where he has been uninterruptedly since 1999 (Dickinson began singing in the band in 1981, but left in 1992).

The song that opened this Sunday’s album, “Accident of birth”, from the 1997 album of the same name, was a wise decision as it gave the vocalist the opportunity to explore the high notes, in addition to making use of the energetic chorus, which always makes fans sing along – which was no different in BH.

The sound didn’t help, however. During the first 20 minutes of the performance, Dickinson’s voice was drowned out by the instrumental of the band formed by Dave Moreno (drums), Mistheria (keyboards), Tanya O’Callaghan (bass), Philip Naslund (guitar) and Chris Declercq (guitar). The same happened with Mistheria’s keyboards, which only appeared clearly in the fourth song. Halfway through the show, the problem was already partially resolved.

Dickinson also included other songs from the past, such as “Abduction” (whose highlight was the twin guitars of Naslund and Declercq), “Laughing in the hiding bush”, “Chemical Wedding” and “Frankenstein”, a cover by The Edgar Winter Group. In the latter, Moreno put on a show in his own right with his almost two-minute drum solo. Dickinson took over the percussion instruments and performed another solo.

There was also no shortage of songs from “The Mandrake Project”, the singer’s recently released album and the reason for the tour. “Afterglow of ragnarok”, “Many doors to hell”, “Ressurection men” and “Rain on the graves” were the ones that appeared in the setlist.

“The Mandrake Project”, in fact, is a project that unfolds into a graphic novel in series format. The comic could even be purchased at the official Dickinson store set up in the Arena Hall, by purchasing an ecobag at a superlative price of R$100.

At 65 years old, Bruce Dickinson performed a relatively short but impeccable show in the capital of Minas Gerais. His voice showed no wear, the band was super in tune and the audience was carried away by the singer’s charisma throughout the performance. On Minas Gerais soil, Dickinson proved, once again, that rock lives.