Iron Maiden compromised with Nicko McBrain: ‘If you can’t do something in a song, we just won’t do that song’

Drummer Nicko McBrain of Iron Maiden claims that the band implemented a new rule to deal with his declining playing ability. He had a stroke in January 2023 that left him with partial paralysis, but after months of rigorous physical treatment, he was able to resume his activities. during some questioning from fans during a few of their summer tour performances that year, McBrain, now 72, said he had been left with some limits in his performing skills, but he thought he was at seventy percent at the time. While playing in Florida, with his side-project Titanium Tarts, he shared some news about this.

I’ve gotta be honest with you: it was a touch and go last year for me. I couldn’t play; I was paralyzed on the right side. Fortunately… 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, 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 continued by using the song “Caught Somewhere In Time” from the 1986 album “Somewhere in Time” as an example, which was able to get around the new regulation thanks to some creative thinking on Harris’s part.

Now, there’s a middle section; it’s all snare drum on the record. I can’t play it. Those of you nerds that are in the audience [will] go, ‘He didn’t do the drum fill!’ Well, that’s why – I fucking can’t do it! … 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.’ … [H]e thought about for about half a minute…and he’s going, ‘Why don’t you play it straight?’ I went, ‘You’re a fucking genius, Harry!’ And there’s me, the drummer, supposedly, supposed to come up with all these ideas… I didn’t even think of that. And so we rehearsed it from there on in, and we play it straight – which I’m sure 90 percent of you don’t give a fuck about that bit anyway!