See Iron Maiden Honor Nicko McBrain at Drummer’s Final Concert

Hours after Iron Maiden’s Nicko McBrain announced his retirement from touring, the band honored the drummer during their final gig together Saturday in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

“Tonight is a very special night, as some of you, I think probably all of you, will know, because this morning we announced, Nicko announced that he was stepping back for playing live drums with Iron Maiden,” singer Bruce Dickinson told the audience (via Blabbermouth).

“For 42 years Nicko’s been in this band. He was a drummer before I was a singer, he was a pilot before I was a pilot, and now he’s not leaving the band, but he’s just not playing live with us anymore. So, we have a lot more music to get to tonight, and I want the rest of the night to be a celebration of Nick, a celebration of the joy that he’s brought to everybody around the world, not just here in Brazil.”

McBrain’s live tenure with the band officially concluded with a final performance of “Wasted Years” during the encore:

Earlier in the day, McBrain — who suffered a paralyzing stroke in 2023 but recovered enough to continue performing after extensive therapy — revealed plans to retire from touring after 42 years with the band, although he would remain a (presumably studio-only) member of the Iron Maiden family.

Iron Maiden will return to the road in May 2025 for their upcoming 50th anniversary tour, and on Sunday, the heavy metal legends announced who would serve as McBrain’s replacement on drums.

“Iron Maiden are delighted to announce that stepping in behind the kit for 2025 is a name familiar to many of our fans – Simon Dawson, a former session drummer and Steve [Harris]’s rhythm section partner of the past 12 years with British Lion [the bassist’s side project],”  the band said in a statement Sunday.

From Rolling Stone US.