Given the sheer joy of witnessing an Iron Maiden show with Bruce Dickinson front of stage, few would likely have shaken a fist at his rejoining the band had it been solely for a nostalgia trip. You get the feeling Dickinson would have been one, however. As illustrated by his endeavours outside Maiden – which include books, radio and six solo albums – this is a man whose creative mind never rests.
We interviewed you in our first issue, with the headline ‘This Maiden’s not for turning’. It ended with you saying: “Maybe to go back and do a couple of gigs [with Maiden] one day would be a laugh, but it’s not something that’s likely to happen or that either of us needs.” How soon afterwards were you asked about rejoining, and was it a tough decision to make?