The story of the opening act and headliner not getting along is an age-old tale, especially when Guns N’ Roses are involved in one way or another. Bruce Dickinson recently said that he was once so furious at Axl Rose that the Iron Maiden singer wanted to get in the proverbial ring with him.
As reported by Le Journal de Montreal, the incident took place on May 16, 1988, when Guns N’ Roses were opening up for Maiden at the Coliseum in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. Apparently, Axl wasn’t too thrilled with the idea that the crowd, comprised of French-Canadians, was speaking French to him and made a few nasty remarks from the stage.The words incensed Dickinson. “I should have come on stage and give it a punch,” he said. “How could he dare to speak to my audience in this way? I always regretted not having done so. ”
Dickinson also spoke about The Book of Souls, Maiden’s newly released record, which he called a “special album because of the events surrounding it,” a reference to his bout with possibly oral sex-transmitted throat and mouth cancer. “There is a whole drama with my diagnosis. But more than that, I think that the music lives up to expectations. This is one of our most moving albums, with stuff we’ve never done before.”
And he also gave an update on his voice. “Right now, I’m at the stage of healing, he continued, “so I have not sung except sometimes at home. Fortunately, the power is still there. Notes too. We will rehearse intensively in January.”
