Latest news with #SteveHarris
Fox News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Paul Mario Day, original Iron Maiden singer, dead at 69
Paul Mario Day, the original frontman of legendary British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, has died. He was 69. The band confirmed Day's death to Fox News Digital and shared a heartfelt tribute on social media. "We are deeply saddened that Paul Mario Day, Iron Maiden's first ever vocalist back in 1975, has passed away. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences go out to Paul's family and friends," the statement read on Instagram. "Paul was a lovely person and good mate. Rest in peace Paul." Day's cause of death has not been disclosed at this time. Iron Maiden's post was accompanied by a photo of the band members in more recent years and performing back in the day. Fans flooded the comments section with their sentiments. "Rock in Power," one fan wrote. Another comment read, "May Paul Mario Day R.I.P. He's now rockin' with the best of them up in heaven." "My condolences to all of Paul Mario Days' family and friends, R.I.P," another wrote. At the age of 19, Day was recruited by bassist Steve Harris to become Iron Maiden's very first vocalist in December 1975. Day stepped into the spotlight as the band's original frontman until October 1976. Following Day's time with Iron Maiden, he formed the band More. The band More also paid tribute to Day on social media: "We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of the great MORE vocalist Paul Mario Day." "Paul was a huge part of the NWOBHM from his time in an early version of Iron Maiden and of course his fantastic performance on the Warhead album." "He was a well loved figure in British rock music and played many memorable shows not least the legendary 1981 Monsters of Rock show at Castle Donninton with AC/DC Whitesnake/David Coverdale as well as tours with Iron Maiden Def Leppard and many other legendary artists." In 1985, Day took the stage as the lead singer for the band Wildfire before joining a reformed version of the band Sweet. The following year, he relocated to Australia, where he stayed active in the music scene until his death. Day is survived by his wife Cecily. News of Day's passing comes after former Iron Maiden singer Paul Di'Anno's death last year. He was 66. Representatives for Di'Anno confirmed the news to Fox News Digital at the time, saying the singer died at his home in Salisbury, England. "On behalf of his family, Conquest Music are sad to confirm the death of Paul Andrews…" representatives and family for Di'Anno said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Born in Chingford, East London, on 17th May 1958, Paul first came to prominence as lead singer of English Heavy Metal band Iron Maiden, between 1978 and 1981." Di'Anno was the vocalist for the band's first two albums, "Iron Maiden" and "Killers," in 1980 and 1981, respectively.
The Guardian
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Original Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Mario Day dies aged 69
Paul Mario Day, the original vocalist for Iron Maiden, has died aged 69 after living with cancer. His bandmates in his subsequent band, More, shared the news, acknowledging Day as 'a huge part of the new wave of British heavy metal' and 'a well-loved figure in British rock music'. Maiden bassist Steve Harris recruited Day in late 1975; the band gave their first live performance in Poplar, London on 1 May 1976 and then held a residency at a pub in nearby Stratford. Day remained with the group for 10 months, but left after being accused of lacking energy and charisma. His replacement, Dennis Wilcock, was similarly short-lived, ultimately replaced by Paul Di'Anno, who was fired for drug and alcohol abuse and replaced by long-term vocalist Bruce Dickinson. In 2019, Day said of his firing: 'Steve was saying, 'You've got to get better. You've got to be more in the audience's face. You've got to be commanding. You've got to be a hero.' And I agreed with him, but I didn't actually know how to make that happen. 'I got a warning for maybe three months: 'Get it together. Get it together.' And I wanted to, I just didn't know how to do it. So the funny thing is, the worst experience was the best lesson because when I got that notice and I felt so gutted, it changed me. 'Iron Maiden at that time were nothing, honestly … What Steve was doing was trying to make the band big. He knew what he wanted. What he wanted is what he got. He got one of the biggest bands on the planet. As much as it hurt, as much as it upset me, I learnt a big lesson that day. I really did. I used that emotion, I guess, in my singing.' In 1980, Day formed the heavy metal group More and remained with the band until 1982, playing at the famous Donington Monsters of Rock festival in 1981. During his time with the group, they also supported Maiden on the 1981 Killers tour. He later joined the band Wildfire and then fronted the reformed glam rockers Sweet, whose guitarist Andy Scott paid tribute: 'We needed a singer and when Paul arrived for the audition we looked no further.' After moving to Australia, Day remained active as a musician. He spent some of his later years being cared for in a hospice. He is survived by his wife Cecily.
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Original Iron Maiden member Paul Mario Day, 69, dies
Iron Maiden star Paul Mario Day has sadly died aged 69 as tributes pour in. The legend's death was announced by the band he belonged to after Iron Maiden called More. 'We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of the great MORE vocalist Paul Mario Day,' they wrote on social media. 'Paul was a huge part of the [New Wave of British Heavy Metal] from his time in an early version of Iron Maiden and of course his fantastic performance on the 'Warhead' album.' 'He was a well loved figure in British rock music and played many memorable shows not least the legendary 1981 Monsters of Rock show at Castle Donington with AC/DC, Whitesnake/David Coverdale as well as tours with Iron Maiden Def Leppard and many other legendary artists. 'Mike Freeland remembers him fondly as a 'bloody great vocalist!' 'It's an honour for us to continue to play his music and we will always think of him every time we hit the opening notes to 'Warhead'. 'We send our deepest condolences to Paul's family and friends and also the many fans around the world who love his music. 'Play his music loud and sing along! 'Thank you. Rock in peace Paul.' Paul Mario Day was recruited by bassist Steve Harris when he formed Iron Maiden in 1975. Day was the band's first singer, and stayed with the band between 1975 and 1976 before being replaced by Dennis Wilcock. Paul Di'Anno later took over from Wilcock, who would perform on the band's first two records. Speaking to Blabbermouth in 2019, Day said of his Iron Maiden exit: 'Steve was saying, 'You've got to get better. You've got to be more in the audience's face. You've got to be commanding. 'You've got to be a hero.' And I agreed with him, but I didn't actually know how to make that happen.' The singer said he was 'gutted' by the decision but he 'learnt a big lesson'. He added: 'What Steve was doing was trying to make the band big. He knew what he wanted. 'What he wanted is what he got. He got one of the biggest bands on the planet. As much as it hurt, as much as it upset me, I learnt a big lesson that day. I really did. I used that emotion, I guess, in my singing.' Day never returned to the band for any of their reunions and focused on performing with More. The group skyrocketed to fame with their 1981 album Warhead and went on to perform at the 1981 Monsters Of Rock festival with fellow rock legends including AC/DC, Def Leppard, and Whitestnake. Day also became the frontman for Wildfire between 1983 and 1984. The following year he stepped in to sing for Sweet and band guitarist Andy Scott wrote in tribute: 'Mick Tucker and myself put together the first new line-up of Sweet after the hiatus of the original band. 'We needed a singer and when Paul arrived for the audition we looked no further. 'Our first dates were in Australia, total sellouts which boded well for the future. Europe followed suit and 3 sold out nights at the Marquee in London produced a live album, video and DVD. ''Live at the Marquee' did well in various charts around the world and Paul's vocal performance has stood the test of time.' Day, born in London, has lived in Australia since 1986.
BBC News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Windsor Castle's Long Walk hosts first pride march
Windsor Castle's Long Walk has hosted the town's first pride inaugural Windsor and Eton Pride event also saw participants march through the town centre, with events taking place in Alexandra Steve Harris said the free event, which has been two years in the planning, was a "safe space for everyone to mingle".The event was given permission by the Crown Estate to march along the 2.5-mile (4km) tree-lined avenue in front of Windsor Castle. Speaking before the event, Mr Harris said the entertainment at Alexandra Gardens, including bands, drag acts and karaoke lounge, would be "fabulous".He described the event as a "festival of inclusion"."We've designed it for anyone who has ever felt like they don't fit in," he said. "It's absolutely amazing the entire area has got behind it." You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Forbes
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Iron Maiden's 50th Anniversary Tour Is An Ode To The Die-Hards
'Eddie' mascot at Iron Maiden's show in Dublin, Ireland on the Run For Your Lives tour 2025. Iron Maiden's highly anticipated Run For Your Lives world tour is now in full-swing across Europe. The 50th anniversary tour just hit Dublin, Ireland and showcased the band's epic stage production and typical theatrics with a satisfying setlist that included a surprising number of deep-cuts. From a performance standpoint, Iron Maiden continue to outrun the retirement allegations. Vocalist Bruce Dickinson belts through songs effortlessly, guitarists Gers, Smith, and Murray tear through iconic solos like it's 1983, and bassist Steve Harris' galloping bass lines haven't lost their stride. Performing at this level for a two-hour set, all while running and quite literally jumping around the stage is some otherworldly feat, especially for a band that's been around the block for 50 years. How Was Iron Maiden's 50th Anniversary Setlist? When Iron Maiden announced the Run For Your Lives tour, they had made it clear that the setlist would only focus on albums that were released between 1980 and 1992, which is arguably Maiden's best era. The albums between Iron Maiden's self-titled 1980 debut to 1992's Fear of the Dark feature the band's most revered LPs and their most popularized anthems, but most notably these albums have the band's finest deep-cut tracks. It was delightfully surprising to see how committed the band was to keeping to this theme for their setlist. Right out of the gate, Iron Maiden kicked off their set by ripping through five songs from the Paul Di'anno era records. It was quite the shocking move and one that certainly paid off for fans of those albums, though it was hard gauge wether that was a majority of the audience in attendance. Iron Maiden performing in Dublin, Ireland on the Run For Your Lives tour 2025 While Iron Maiden start their two-hour set in bold fashion, after the first five songs the band's setlist followed a more consistent pattern: an epically long deep-cut, immediately followed by crowd-pleasing anthem. As a die-hard fan of the 1984 LP Powerslave, seeing Maiden effortlessly perform their near 14 minute opus 'Rime of the Ancient Mariner' was nothing short of a highlight. The same can be said for the other deep-cuts the band performed off their seminal 1988 LP, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, specifically 'The Clairvoyant' and the title track 'Seventh Son of a Seventh Son.' As mentioned, the brilliance of Iron Maiden's setlist came from how the band balanced the lesser known tracks with fan favorited anthems – 'The Number of the Beast,' 'Run to the Hills,' and 'The Trooper' each followed an epic rarity. It should be said that this setlist isn't going to please everyone, specifically the more surface level Maiden fans. Many of these B-side tracks the band indulge in are very ambitious in length, and they might overwhelm or dis-engage those who are unacquainted with the band's more progressive side. However, it would be an outright lie to suggest that Maiden don't make up for this with the sheer number of hits they perform in the latter half of the set, especially with the three back-to-back bangers in the band's encore. How Was Iron Maiden's Performance? The average age of Iron Maiden's members is 68. For a band that's been touring for 50 years, performing over two-hour sets each night with nearly the same energy and musicianship they had in their prime, that's an impressive feat. Furthermore, the fact the band hasn't down-tuned or adjusted any of their songs for vocalist Bruce Dickinson, who still effortlessly sings each and every one of Iron Maiden's songs is absolutely astonishing. This bears pointing out as many legacy bands and even modern bands these days go back and forth between tunings for songs to accommodate their vocalist, which of course is completely fine. However, Iron Maiden's relentless showmanship and authenticty can't help but put to shame the many of these bands that rely heavily on these sonic modifications, especially those whose performances are entirely mapped around a click and a wall backing tracks. None of this is present at an Iron Maiden show, bar a pre-recorded intro for 'Aces High.' In fact, at one point early on in the set, Iron Maiden had dragged out an extra four bars at the end of one of their songs (unbeknownst to any of the crowd), and it spurred Dickinson to jokingly admit to the audience that Iron Maiden doesn't use a click track, despite these allegations being thrown at them. Iron Maiden drummer Simon Dawson performing with the band in Dublin, Ireland June 25th, 2025 Speaking of tempo, the Run For Your Lives tour is Iron Maiden's first tour with their new drummer, Simon Dawson. Dawson replaced longtime Iron Maiden drummer Nick McBrain, who retired from touring at 73 last year due to a number of health reasons. McBrain had been with Iron Maiden since 1983 so the chemistry and relationship he had with the band was deep. That being said, it's clear that Dawson is a good drummer capable of performing Iron Maiden's material. He has chemistry with at least the core rhythm section of Iron Maiden being the drummer for Steve Harris' side project, British Lion. However, it would be a disingenuous to say Iron Maiden felt the same with Dawson as they did with McBrain. While it wasn't often, a few tracks felt notably slower or inconsistent with their tempo. It was especially apparent when the band went into their uptempo anthem '2 Minutes to Midnight,' which sounded notably slower than usual. That being said, it was certainly impressive to see Dawson effortlessly tackle the band's more demanding songs like "Rime of the Ancient Mariner.' Iron Maiden could've easily held auditions and picked a younger more established drummer, but they didn't, and the fact Simon can hold his own with these metal titans is commendable. For those on the fence about catching Iron Maiden on the Run For Your Lives tour, there's one thing they should keep in mind and that's the setlist. For surface level Maiden fans it's worth familiarizing yourself with the band's setlist, especially the Paul Di'anno era songs and the deep-cut tracks, as these make up a large portion of the set Maiden is performing on this tour. Of course, for die-hard fans, this is only a primary incentive to go see the show. However, regardless of the setlist, witnessing the production and the pristine showmanship Iron Maiden continue to display is worth every penny. Furthermore, there are more than a handful of Iron Maiden classics the band plays that appeal to just about every Maiden-head.
