Performing: Bruce Dickinson (support: Keops)
Date: Saturday, 13 July 2024
Location: Zagreb / Hala Zagreb / Croatia
You will find an English version below (scroll down the bar):
Slovenian version:
July 13th was hellishly hot, like so many other days this summer. Saturday — and especially the evening — was an open invitation to head to Zagreb, as renowned author and singer Bruce Dickinson made a stop there on The Mandrake Project tour.
The evening was opened by support act Keops from Rijeka. They play a distinctive brand of thrash metal and have put out three albums over a career spanning more than a decade. Their thoroughly convincing vocal and instrumental performance wowed the local connoisseurs above all, while the rest of us got a solid introduction to their sound and energetic stage presence.
Bruce Dickinson was expressively convincing — vocally powerful, sharp-minded, and funny when the moment called for it. The Bruce we know and love. He was visibly and genuinely having the time of his life up there. He could just as easily be resting on his laurels, soaking up the sun on some island or yacht, maybe writing another memoir. Instead, he showed up in Zagreb to the delight of thousands of fans who ate out of his hand. You could say the crowd outside Hala Zagreb was a mini reunion of the old country in miniature.
I don’t think a single one of us was expecting an Iron Maiden song. Why would you, on a solo tour? We didn’t get Tatooed Millionaire either, but honestly that’s beside the point — Bruce proved that he’s an icon and a hallmark of a great legendary band who has plenty to say outside of it too. He tends that solo world whenever he can, pulling ideas out of himself with that boundless imagination of his and wrapping them in a richly melodic surge.
The stage was packed, the lighting exemplary but scaled to the room. No showboating, no light-show excess, no filler. This night, the music and its main protagonist were front and center. Bruce cast a spell on the crowd with his theatrical gestures and that trademark expressive face of his. Plenty of people in the room knew the full catalogue cold — they sang along happily not just in the choruses but in the verses too. During the set he thanked Chris Dale, former bassist in his backing band, crediting him with making the Zagreb date happen. He also had a dig at European airport staff who had put them through the wringer at border checks, which is how they ended up arriving in Zagreb by bus.
Dickinson delivered his trademark mix of direct, at times contemplative vocals paired with a driving rhythm section. The vitality of the man — seriously! Not for a single second was there any doubt about how much he was loving every minute of it. He was well served by an outstanding backing ensemble, who faithfully and conscientiously transposed the studio material while bringing extra quality of their own. Bruce put in the effort too, even strapping on a theremin towards the end and lending a hand to the drummer a couple of times. Big credit to the tight-knit band: guitarists Chris Declercq and Philip Naslund, bassist Tanya O’Callaghan, drummer Dave Moreno, and keyboardist Mistheria a.k.a. Giuseppe Iampieri. Long-time guitarist and co-writer Roy Z was absent due to personal issues.
The songs were built on a solid foundation of rhythm and bass, with the two guitars and keyboards cranking up the hypnotic intensity. Rhythm and sonic expansiveness merged on Saturday into something genuinely special — a physical and mental experience all at once.
A recommendation to catch his show is always warranted — for as long as he’s breathing, he’ll surely deliver an experience like the one Zagreb got.
English version:
July 13th was hot as hell, like many other days this summer. Saturday, and especially the evening, was an invitation to visit Zagreb, as renowned author and singer Bruce Dickinson stopped by on his tour of The Mandrake Project.
The evening was opened by Keops from Rijeka. They play a unique brand of thrash metal and have released three albums in a career spanning more than ten years. Their extremely convincing vocal and instrumental performance impressed especially the local connoisseurs, while the rest of us got thoroughly acquainted with their sound and energetic performance.
Bruce Dickinson was expressively convincing, vocally strong, lucid and at times humorous, just as we know him. He clearly really enjoyed his performance. He could easily have been resting on his laurels, sunbathing on an island or a yacht, perhaps writing a new book of memoirs. No, he visited Zagreb, to the delight of thousands of fans who ate out of his hand. Many came from distant parts of ex Yugoslavia.
I don’t think there was a single one of us who was expecting a song by Iron Maiden. Why only if it’s a solo tour? We didn’t hear Tatooed Millionaire, but actually it doesn’t even matter that much, Bruce proved that he is an icon and a hallmark of a great legendary band that has a lot to say in another idea world. He cultivates this whenever he can, he executes ideas extremely well, bringing them out of himself with his immense imagination and packaging them in a milli-sounding wave.
The stage was full, the lighting was exemplary, but appropriate for the space. No showmanship, lighting effects or other clutter. This time it was the music and its main protagonist that was the main focus. Bruce, with his theatrical gestures and the proverbial facial expressions, held the audience spellbound. There were not a few who knew the whole opus, and they found it easy to cheerfully catch his attention not only in the choruses, but also in the verses. During the performance he thanked Chris Dale, former bassist in the backing band, who said that the visit to Zagreb was also due to him. He found fault with the staff at European airports who had embarrassed them with border checks, so they had arrived in Zagreb by bus.
Dickinson served up his characteristic blend of direct, at times contemplative vocals combined with a driving rhythm section. Indeed, what vitality Mr. Dickinson shows! There was not a moment when one could not see how much he was enjoying himself. He was helped by an excellent backing ensemble. He faithfully and conscientiously transposed the music from the studio albums and added a few extra qualities to them. Bruce did his best too, and even ended up doing the theremin, with a couple of assists from the drummer in between. Kudos to the tight band of guitarists Chris Declercq and Philip Naslund, bassist Tanya O’Callaghan, drummer Dave Moreno and keyboardists Mistheria and Giuseppe Iampieri respectively. Long-time guitarist and co-writer Roy Z was absent due to personal problems.
The basic building blocks of the songs were based on a solid framework of rhythm and bass, while the hypnotic effect was intensified by the two guitars and keyboards. The rhythm and the sonic expansiveness merged on Saturday into a very special physical and psychic experience.
The recommendation to visit his concert is always in place, as long as he breathes he will surely offer a similar experience to the one in Zagreb.
Author: Jernej Vene
Photos: Jernej Vene
Setlist:
1. Accident of Birth
2. Abduction
3. Laughing in the Hiding Bush
4. Faith
5. Afterglow of Ragnarok
6. Chemical Wedding
7. Tears of the Dragon
8. Resurrection Men
9. Rain on the Graves
10. Frankenstein (The Edgar Winter Group cover)
11. The Alchemist
12. Road to Hell
Encore:
13. Navigate the Seas of the Sun
14. Book of Thel
15. The Tower
