Bruce Dickinson has disputed his manager’s version of events regarding a head injury he sustained during Iron Maiden’s Rock in Rio performance. He addressed the incident in a recent interview with Charlie Kendall’s Metalshop.
The Iron Maiden frontman provided his account of how he accidentally injured himself on stage during the Brazilian concert.
“So, I used to play guitar with Maiden for 10 seconds on stage, but I think the bastards never plugged it in,” Dickinson said. “So, that was in Rio and the sound was awful. I got so pissed off. I took the guitar off. I was so grumpy. I hit myself in the head.”
Dickinson explained how the injury occurred and the audience’s reaction to seeing him bleeding on stage.
“Blood cold coming down from a head wound from the guitar, from the edge of the guitar,” he continued. “That was all on the big screen. So, the audience were like, ‘Oh my God, he’s bleeding for his heart.’”
The singer then revealed what his manager allegedly told him during the incident.
“The manager asked me to squeeze it some more because it looked great on the cameras,” Dickinson said. “And that photograph became kind of legendary in Brazil.”
This account contradicts Iron Maiden’s longtime manager Rod Smallwood’s previous version. Smallwood claimed he directed Dickinson to position himself in front of cameras and even suggested making the wound bleed more for dramatic effect.
The incident occurred during Iron Maiden’s performance at Rock in Rio 2019. This marked a significant moment in the band’s relationship with Brazilian audiences and the festival itself.
Rio The Guide reported that the 2019 Rock in Rio festival drew around 100,000 attendees to the City of Rock in Barra da Tijuca. This created an electric atmosphere for the metal performances. The festival’s dedicated metal night proved incredibly popular. Blabbermouth noted that tickets sold out in just two hours, demonstrating the strong metal community in Brazil.
Iron Maiden’s 2019 appearance represented their fourth performance at Rock in Rio. This built on a legacy that began with their iconic 1985 debut at the festival. Wikipedia documented that their first Rock in Rio performance in 1985 attracted approximately 350,000 people. This marked the largest concert attendance of their career and cemented their status as legends in Brazilian rock history.
The 2019 festival lineup featured other major metal acts alongside Iron Maiden, including Scorpions, Megadeth, and Sepultura. This reflected the enduring popularity of heavy metal in Brazil. The festival’s metal night became a celebration of the genre’s impact on Brazilian music culture. Iron Maiden served as the headline act that drew fans from across South America.
The bleeding incident that Dickinson described has indeed become part of Rock in Rio folklore. The dramatic imagery of the frontman performing while injured resonated strongly with the passionate Brazilian audience. The conflicting accounts between Dickinson and his manager highlight the sometimes blurred line between spontaneous rock moments and calculated showmanship in live performances.
