Bruce Dickinson called out fans at Opera Hall in Brasília during the April 27 show for smoking cigarettes and allegedly using pepper spray in the crowd. The Iron Maiden singer said the following in a video on Instagram:
“I can’t f*cking breathe. Tanya [O’Callaghan, Bruce’s bassist] can’t breathe. You with the f*cking vape over there, yeah, it’s not you, but, you know, please, f*cking do that outside, all right? You know, if you can’t stay for five minutes without having a f*cking addiction, but… Somebody down here has been using pepper spray.”
He went on:
“Some f*cker has been using pepper spray, which is why people can’t f*cking breathe down there, right? So, you know, if you figure out who the f*ck it is, I just don’t care what happens to them after the show, all right? In the meantime, we will try and do the best we can.”
What Actually Happened During The Show?
MCA Concerts explained to Brazilian music journalist Igor Miranda that an accidental explosion of a fan’s vape pen caused the issue. The chemical released mimicked the effects of pepper spray.
The venue’s medical team reported that the affected people showed symptoms like throat irritation but not pepper spray’s severe effects like eye irritation or disorientation. The concert promoters also confirmed that security at Opera Hall does not use pepper spray.
It was also noted that the gas didn’t affect Dickinson directly, but an unnamed band member did experience discomfort.
Similar Stuff Happened Before
Bruce Dickinson went through a similar incident two years ago during an Iron Maiden show in Athens, Greece. He confronted a fan from the stage after they lighted a flare in the crowd:
“The c*nt with the f*cking flare, I’ve gotta sing up here. You f*cking c*cksucker. You Greek c*nt. All right. I’ve gotta f*cking sing. All right. F*ck you.”
The singer left the stage until the smoke cleared and was off-time with the others when he resumed performing ‘The Number of the Beast.’
The Vocalist Thinks The Action Is ‘Selfish’
Dickinson recently addressed this type of incidents in a chat about his new album, ‘The Mandrake Project,’ with Rock Hard Greece. He explained:
“That activity that a very, very small minority of people do is so selfish and so disturbing. They think it’s really cool. Actually, it’s not about the band. It’s not about the audience. It’s about them drawing attention only to themselves and damaging the people around them who have this thing, this extremely toxic thing flying around.”
He added:
“Of course, if you happen to be asthmatic, if you haven’t been having any lung conditions, ‘Oh, we don’t care about them. We’ll just fill the place with smoke, ’cause it makes me feel important,’ is their attitude. It just annoys the hell out of me.”
The Iron Maiden frontman will continue his tour with another performance in Brazil on May 2. A series of UK shows starting on May 16 will follow it.