Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain has revealed the ongoing effects of his mini-stroke last year.
The 72-year-old, who joined Iron Maiden in 1982, suffered a transient ischaemic attack (TIS) in January 2023, but was back on the road for the first dates of the band’s Future Past tour the following June.
Talking to podcast The Washington Tattoo, McBrain has explained how the TIS still affects his drumming, particularly in relation to one of Iron Maiden’s most popular songs, 1983’s The Trooper.
“I can’t do a 16-note roll going into 32nd-note rolls anymore,” he says (via Blabbermouth).
“What happens is I can play eighth notes, like that kind of groove. I can do doubles, but when I try and play that 16th at that speed, instead of going up and down, it wobbles from left to right, when I start playing fast, when I try to play fast. So I’ve had to adjust my fills now.”
The drummer continues: “I don’t play the Trooper fill anymore because I can’t get it… It’s the speed of it. I can do everything slow, but I’ve had to make sure that as long as I can keep the groove of the song, which is normally…”
Last month, McBrain explained that his TIS means he also can’t fully play Caught Somewhere In Time, the opening track of 1986’s Somewhere In Time album.
“When we were rehearsing last year for the Future Past tour, we were doing Caught Somewhere In Time to open,” the drummer said during a concert by his side-project Titanium Tart.
“Now there’s a middle section, it’s all snare drum on the record. I can’t play it. As you probably noticed, those of you nerds that are in the audience that go, ‘He didn’t do the drum fill.’ Well, that’s why, ’cause I fucking can’t do it.”
Iron Maiden are currently taking a short break from live shows, but will return to the Future Past tour with a run of Oceania, Asia and North/Central/South American dates from September. See the full list of concerts below.
The Future Past setlist is largely composed of material from Somewhere In Time and Iron Maiden’s latest album, 2021’s Senjutsu.
Life in the US: Missing Family & Food, Perseverance in the Face of Adversity – Ep. #47 Nicko McBrain – YouTube 
Australia/New Zealand
Sep 01: Perth RAC Arena
Sep 04: Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Sep 06: Melbourne Rod Laver Arena
Sep 07: Melbourne Rod Laver Arena
Sep 10: Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Sep 12: Sydney Qudos Bank Arena
Sep 13: Sydney Qudos Bank Arena
Sep 16: Auckland Spark Arena
Japan
Sep 22: Aichi Sky Hall
Sep 24: Osaka-Jo Hall
Sep 26: Tokyo Garden Theater
Sep 28: Kanagawa Pia Arena
North America
Oct 04: San Diego North Island Credit Union Ampitheatre
Oct 05: Las Vegas Michelob Ultra Arena
Oct 08: Los Angeles Kia Forum
Oct 12: Sacramento Aftershock Festival
Oct 14: Portland Moda Center
Oct 16: Tacoma Dome
Oct 18: Salt Lake City Delta Center
Oct 19: Denver Ball Arena
Oct 22: St Paul Xcel Energy Center
Oct 24: Rosemont Allstate Arena
Oct 26: Toronto Scotiabank Arena
Oct 27: Quebec Videotron Arena
Oct 30: Montreal Centre Bell
Nov 01: Philadelphia Wells Fargo Center
Nov 02: Brooklyn Barclays Center
Nov 06: Worcester DCU Center
Nov 08: Pittsburgh PPG Paints Arena
Nov 09: Newark Prudential Center
Nov 12: Baltimore CFG Bank Arena
Nov 13: Charlotte Spectrum Center
Nov 16: Fort Worth Dickies Arena
Nov 17: San Antonio Frost Bank Center
Central/South America
Nov 20: Mexico City Foro Sol
Nov 24: Bogota Colombia El Campin Stadium
Nov 27: Santiago Chile Estadio Nacional
Nov 28: Santiago Chile Estadio Nacional