[SPOILER] New Entries in Nicko's and Rod's Diaries
A new entry from Nicko McBrain's tour diary and Rod Smallwood's diary is now available for those who want to keep up with Maiden's doings and whereabouts during the tour. Click here to read it!2 Comments
Nicko's diary
On board flight from Stansted to Athens
Time: 12:30pm.
Well, well, well,
What’s up boys and girls?
Everything is going great this side of the day thank you!!!
On board today we have, Harry 'I like the lemon custard ones' Harris, H 'I’m not sure which one to have' Smith, Ian 'I bet you can’t resist ‘em' Day, Davey 'Any one will do' Murray, Jan 'they’ll make ya fat' Gers, Steve 'Well, nobody told me' Gadd, and me good self - I love ‘em all.
Bruce is not with us today; he will be flying out day of show.
Well, as you will gather from the date we’re on our way to Greece.
We will be playing a show tomorrow evening at the Terra Firma to 15000 billies. Should be a good one.
Well, I fell well rested after a splendid weekend.
On Thursday the 16th we travelled over to Lisbon for a show at the Pavilhao Atlantico. We played to around 13,000 billies and we were on fire that night I can tell you. We hit the stage at 9:30pm and had a great gig. The crowd were fantastic.
When we got to ‘Remember Tomorrow’, Bruce had a word with the audience about our friend Manu. We dedicated this tune too him. It was a very emotional performance. I think also that it was the best we played this tune so far.
Love you Manu!!!!!!
After the show we went back to the hotel and met in the bar for a wee celebration. A few friends of Steve and Manu’s were there so I popped a bottle of champagne and we toasted to our pal.
We all had wonderful memories and stories of Manu.
What a great night.
The next day we shipped out to La Manga, Spain.
We departed Lisbon at 11am and arrived into Alicanti. We made the 90-minute drive down to the hotel. When we arrived, Davey and I got changed and headed out to the golf course at LA Manga. Beautiful part of the world. Great people, and many beautiful vistas. We had a 4:20 tee time and were set to go at a little before 4pm. We teed off and had a great round. We played the North coarse. We had some good holes and then some bad, but that’s the way it goes AAAHHHEEEE!!! This course is absolutely spectacular.
After golf we went back to the hotel and arranged to meet later for dinner. We decided to eat in. The food and service were excellent. The hotel we stayed at was very nice, it is called ‘Villas La Manga’ it was a pleasure to stay there. Dinner was fantastic.
After dinner Davey and I hit the bar.
Harry came in a little later with his pals Joey and Frank, followed closely by Ian, Gaddy, Jan, and Peter Lokrantz. It was a very nice evening the beer flowed and the conversation was light and funny. At one stage the barkeep left us, so Jan and Gadd just helped themselves to a beer or two. Oh Misses!!!!!!!!
Great night!!!!!!
Of course they paid for em!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Didn’t you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I went to bed and slept almost for the whole day.
Apparently I had arranged the night before to go play some tennis with Harry and the boys. But alas when Harry knocked on me door at 10:40am I decided not to go. I definitely needed to have some more sleep. I went back to bed and woke up at 3 in the afternoon.
I got up showered and decided to go for a walk. I called Ian to find out where he was and he told me to meet him Gaddzy and Peter at the Green Parrot just around the corner from the hotel.
I met with them and also Harry was there with his daughters Faye and Kerry and their boyfriends. Goodness me it only seemed like yesterday that they were little girls now they’re all grown up, How time flies AAAAHHHHEEE!!!!!
So I had a spot of lunch, a nice plate of Calamari with boiled spuds washed down with a large bottle of water. Jan strolled along and joined us. I shared my lunch with him and then he ordered some fish for himself. After a chat and some laughter I decided to walk over the short distance to the sea. I wanted to have me toes in the Mediterranean just to feel how warm it was.
Peter joined me. We walked along the beach for a while before coming to a small beach hut selling cold drinks and ice cream etc. We decided to sit and have a cold drink. I had a coke and Peter had a bottle of water. We sat for a good hour and had a wonderful time chewing over old and some new stories together. I love Peter, he is like a brother to me and I always have a good time talking with him. He is very intelligent and has an older head on his shoulder than his years.
It was getting near time to leave for the gig. It was a good 90-minute drive to Lorca where the show was. I was leaving on the first van at 6:30pm and we eventually left at 7. When we arrived at the gig I went and checked me tubs and then went backstage to relax.
Dream went on stage so I popped up and had a wee listen to them. I really love this band.
Mike was on fine form although his slinging of his drumsticks left a wee bit to desire as he was a little off form with that. He tossed a couple my way and I tossed a couple his way, which he didn’t catch. Oh well, butter fingers. TEEHEE!!!!!!!
We hit the stage at 10pm. Man it was a great gig. We played really well and all of us felt the same. ‘Kin fantastic it was I can tell you!!!
The show went without any major problems except I had to change my HiHat stand. The supporting arm from the footplate kept coming out of its retaining hole and the whole thing just didn’t feel right. That done, all went really well.
Thank you too all our fans at that show you were brilliant!!!!!
After the show we leapt into the vans and headed back to Alicanti. We made the drive in 90 minutes and were on board the jet by 1:30am Local.
We had a 2-hour flight home and were on the ground by 2:30am. I got home had a shower and was in me pit by 4.
The next day I awoke at 11am and decided to pop up to me club for a wee round of golf. I teed off at 1 and was back in the clubhouse with a nice pint of IPA by 4. Lovely it was as well. I had a so so round but Boy was that beer ‘Kin tasting great. I had another and then made me way up to Muswell Hill Broadway. I went to Saint James church and caught the last 30 minutes of the service there. After church I decided to have some Chinese food and then to maybe catch a movie. I made it through dinner but was felling pretty tired so I knocked the movie on the head and went straight home instead. I watched some telly and then went to bed. Good nights rest was had.
I had set me phone alarm to wake me at ten this morning but the ‘Kin time was wrong on the phone. I had not thought to check it the night before. It was 90 minutes slow. Fortunately I awoke at 11am this morning. We had a 12pm departure so you can imagine how stressed I felt this morning. Well, as it happens I arrived smack on midday.
All OK there then!!!!!!
Well, I’m off now, it’s time for me dinner.
Lots of love.
God Bless you.
Stay safe and well.
^Nicko^
Rod's diary
The weekend June 4 -5 we played to around 110,000 people at the Rock Am Ring and Rock im Park German festivals - to a tremendous reaction again . We flew back into Stanstead after the gig getting in about 1am and Nicko and l took a car down to Brighton where Nicko was staying with me. A good lie in, spot of lunch and early evening we went down to the Brighton Institute of Modern Music (www.bimm.co.uk). This is a great school and part of the University Of Sussex teaching music skills like singing, instruments, songwriting , production along with an introduction to the music business. Its run by some good friends of mine Kevin Nixon, Sarah Clayman and Bruce Dickinson (the other Bruce who was in that fine band Little Angels) and Nicko has been down before for a drum clinic. We did a Q and A for the students for about ninety minutes - typically when Nick and l get going we only actually answered 2 questions - what he said reminded me of a story and vice versa - the usual double act.. We think the students enjoyed it though. Nicko also played Number of the Beast with some of the students. Afterwards we were treated to a very good curry at the Taste of India on the seafront with - of course - a few beers.
We were up in the very early hours to go to Gatwick to pick up BruceAir flight 666 to Reykjavik, Iceland with 200 or so fans who came in specially from all over the world including Australia, USA, Japan and South America. Bruce got us there fine and we headed off for the Blue Lagoon - a sort of outdoor spa with water heated underground by the earth. Iceland truly is a spectacular place and the people so friendly. Bruce came along to the Lagoon but Nicko headed back to get some rest before the gig as he didn't get a lot of kip the night before!! After a really good gig with a fantastically responsive crowd of about 12,000 (about 4% of the population of 300,000 in Iceland!!) Bruce headed back to the airport with Nicko to fly back with the fans. I jacked out and had a few beers with the chaps and flew back in the next day. A different few days!!
Source: IronMaiden.com
24/06/2005 Back to School - Rod's Diary
The weekend June 4 -5 we played to around 110,000 people at the Rock Am Ring and Rock im Park German festivals - to a tremendous reaction again . We flew back into Stanstead after the gig getting in about 1am and Nicko and l took a car down to Brighton where Nicko was staying with me. A good lie in, spot of lunch and early evening we went down to the Brighton Institute of Modern Music (www.bimm.co.uk). This is a great school and part of the University Of Sussex teaching music skills like singing, instruments, songwriting , production along with an introduction to the music business. Its run by some good friends of mine Kevin Nixon, Sarah Clayman and Bruce Dickinson (the other Bruce who was in that fine band Little Angels) and Nicko has been down before for a drum clinic. We did a Q and A for the students for about ninety minutes - typically when Nick and l get going we only actually answered 2 questions - what he said reminded me of a story and vice versa - the usual double act.. We think the students enjoyed it though. Nicko also played Number of the Beast with some of the students. Afterwards we were treated to a very good curry at the Taste of India on the seafront with - of course - a few beers.
We were up in the very early hours to go to Gatwick to pick up BruceAir flight 666 to Reykjavik, Iceland with 200 or so fans who came in specially from all over the world including Australia, USA, Japan and South America. Bruce got us there fine and we headed off for the Blue Lagoon - a sort of outdoor spa with water heated underground by the earth. Iceland truly is a spectacular place and the people so friendly. Bruce came along to the Lagoon but Nicko headed back to get some rest before the gig as he didn't get a lot of kip the night before!! After a really good gig with a fantastically responsive crowd of about 12,000 (about 4% of the population of 300,000 in Iceland!!) Bruce headed back to the airport with Nicko to fly back with the fans. I jacked out and had a few beers with the chaps and flew back in the next day. A different few days!!