Iron Maiden paid tribute to the late Paul Di’Anno, who sang on the band’s first two albums, during their concert on Tuesday evening (Oct. 22) in Minneapolis. Di’Anno’s passing was announced earlier this week.
The vocalist’s work with the NWOBHM legends on 1980’s Iron Maiden and 1981’s Killers was an important part of their development as a group, as longtime frontman Bruce Dickinson shared with the audience, prior to a performance of “The Time Machine,” from the band’s latest album, Senjitsu. He described Di’Anno’s role on those early records as “instrumental” and “groundbreaking,” praising his “amazing voice, devoted to rock and roll right up to the last minute of his life.”
Dickinson then asked the Minneapolis fans to pause for a moment of silence, mentioning again, “those early albums when obviously, I wasn’t in the band,” going on to reference Di’Anno’s subsequent post-Maiden work, including his band Battlezone. “Take a few seconds to just close your eyes in silence,” he added. “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 he did.”
He then addressed Di’Anno directly. “This is a little message from Minneapolis to wherever you are, upstairs or downstairs, you’re having fun.” His closing words came back to the fans, “Minneapolis, for Paul Di’Anno, scream for me!” You can watch the group’s tribute to their former frontman below.
The band had previously paid tribute to Di’Anno on social media as news of his passing spread, praising his “pioneering presence as a frontman and vocalist, both on stage and on our first two albums.”
Di’Anno’s time with Iron Maiden came to a close not long after Killers was released as they began touring in support of the album. Tension developed between the singer and his bandmates and as the situation became more erratic, he was eventually dismissed in September of 1981 following the band’s performance in Denmark. He went on to form a number of different bands and also enjoyed a successful solo career.
2024 brought the release of his latest album of new material under the name of Paul Di’Anno’s Warhorse. The band issued its self-titled debut in July and Di’Anno gave one of the first copies to Dickinson as the pair met for the first time. It was the latest chapter in a series of ongoing interactions between the two camps. The renewed friendships had been strengthened when he and Harris met up backstage in Zagreb, Croatia, their first face-to-face meeting in nearly 30 years. As the bassist noted on social media, he and Di’Anno had stayed in touch since then, texting about a variety of subjects, including their mutual love for West Ham soccer.
Watch Iron Maiden Pay Tribute to Paul Di’Anno
READ MORE: Watch Bruce Dickinson and Paul Di’Anno Finally Meet
A documentary about Di’Anno’s life and career is expected to make its debut sometime in 2025. It’s being helmed by director Wes Orshoski, who previously worked on well-regarded films about the Damned and Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead. He offered the following update: “The film will be out next year, and details will be forthcoming — the hope is for it to debut at film festivals in early 2025,” Orshoski wrote on social media. “I’m very excited for the Maiden faithful to see it. Once it is released you will see just how tough his life has been over the past decade and how hard he fought to change it. Maybe he’s finally found some peace.”
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Gallery Credit: Bryan Rolli
