The legendary metal band is celebrating half a century at the height of their popularity, and has also just released the documentary ‘Burning Ambition
The true measure of a long-established rock band lies in how they handle their low points. In 1993, Iron Maiden played in Madrid at a venue called Canciller, a small club for their stature: only 1,800 people. Bruce Dickinson, the singer, was leaving the band, and they decided to tour smaller venues. From early afternoon, the line of fans stretched for several blocks
Dickinson arrived in one car and the rest of the band in another,” recalls Sócrates Pérez, Canciller’s manager, describing a clear sense of distance between the two factions of the group. Before the show, an odd press conference was held in the venue itself, where they laid out the reasons for the vocalist’s departure, though the answers were full of evasions.
“I went into the dressing room to take some photos, and the atmosphere was normal. There was a certain coolness, but no hostility,” explains Socrates. “That said, even though the relationship wasn’t good, they were very professional. They had been rehearsing in the morning, and the concert was amazing.”
That concert marked the beginning of a downward spiral that would last about six years, but it couldn’t bring down the biggest band in heavy metal. Now, a new documentary, Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition, is shedding light on the British group and its challenges. “Any long career is going to have ups and downs, and you just kind of ride with it,” Steve Harris, 70, the leader of the group, says in the documentary.
