Steve Harris opens up about Nicko McBrain’s emotional farewell

After longstanding drummer Nicko McBrain suffered a stroke in early 2023, Iron Maiden leader Steve Harris disclosed that the band had to determine whether or not they had a future. As reported by loudersound, in the end, McBrain participated in Maiden’s Future Past Tour, but he declared his retirement from traveling at the end of 2024, citing his desire to take a break from the demanding nature of touring. In a recent interview with Rock Candy, Harris claims that McBrain’s stroke made Iron Maiden think about their future.

To be honest, we didn’t really have a choice and had to make the change after Nicko suffered his health issues. It was what it was, and we had a decision to make as to whether we wanted to carry on or not. Obviously, we had a tour booked at the time that it happened, and the rest of us all wanted to continue. But ultimately, after we got through all that, it was Nick’s decision to step away, and we all respected the fact that he’d decided to do that.

Since departing, McBrain has kept up his performance with Tiutanium Tart, his tribute to Iron Maiden, and most recently, he started the Metal Sticks Podcast with David Frangioni, CEO of Modern Drummer.

Heavy Metal, Drumming and Iron Maiden have been my life, and have given me so much. Now David and I can host a show that brings the audience inside the process, celebrating Heavy Metal, Iron Maiden and the amazing community that it embodies. We created the show that we would love to watch as both fans and musicians alike. Nicko McBrain