Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson took a moment to eulogize the band’s former singer, the late Paul Di’Anno, during the metal band’s concert at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Tuesday night (October 22nd).
Dickinson addressed the crowd prior the song “The Time Machine.”
“Our band member Paul Di’Anno passed away, as you are probably aware,” Dickinson said [as transcribed by Blabbermouth]. “And if you’re not aware of that fact, you are now. Paul was instrumental in the first two [Iron Maiden] albums, groundbreaking with Killers and the first album. An amazing voice, devoted to rock and roll right up till the last minute of his life.”
He continued: “So… for those of you who were born and still remember those early albums, when obviously I wasn’t in the band and he was, and those of you who were fans of the stuff he did with Battlezone and his own projects afterwards, and for anybody else that fancies having a listen to tracks like ‘Remember Tomorrow’ and stuff like that, which are absolutely awesome, I’m just gonna ask everybody to just take like a few seconds to just close your eyes in silence and say, just internally, mentally — if you believe in God, if you don’t believe in God, it actually doesn’t matter; just believe in what you believe in and just say, ‘Thanks, boss, for doing what you did.’”
After a brief pause, Dickinson added: “So, Paul, if you’re listening, this is a little message from Minneapolis to wherever you are, upstairs or downstairs, Minneapolis, for Paul Di’Anno, scream for me.”
Earlier this week, Di’Anno’s record label, Conquest Music, announced that the singer had died at the age of 66.
In recent years, Di’Anno dealt with serious health issues, including two knee replacement operations from past motorcycle accidents that left him confined to a wheelchair. On the advice of his doctors, he originally announced his retirement from touring in 2020.
But Di’Anno instead formed a new band, Warhorse, alongside Czech musicians Ante Pupačić and Hrvoje Madiraca. With Warhorse, Di’Anno returned to performing live, and the trio released a self-titled debut album in July of this year. That same month, Di’Anno also had the chance to meet Bruce Dickinson for the first time following the latter’s solo concert in Zagreb, Croatia. Coincidentally, Di’Anno was nearby for a promotional signing event for the release of the Warhorse album.
Following the news of Di’Anno’s passing, Iron Maiden released an official statement honoring the frontman of their formative years:
“We are all deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Paul Di’Anno earlier today. Paul’s contribution to Iron Maiden was immense and helped set us on the path we have been travelling as a band for almost five decades. His pioneering presence as a frontman and vocalist, both on stage and on our first two albums, will be very fondly remembered not just by us, but by fans around the world.”
Iron Maiden’s Fall North American tour rolls on with a gig Thursday night (October 24th) in Rosemont, Illinois. You can get tickets here.
Watch Bruce Dickinson pay tribute to Di’Anno in concert below.