Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Beyond being the menacing front man of metal trailblazers Iron Maiden since the early 1980s, Bruce Dickinson is a fascinating guy who can add pilot, fencer, podcaster, author and beer maker to his rock and roll resume.

In other words, the man with over 90 million albums sold and 2,000 concerts in 63 countries had tons to talk about and enough star power to pack the Vic Theatre, even if he wasn’t performing alongside the beastly band.

Instead, the spoken word evening revolved around fascinating stories, rare photos, behind the scenes moments and audience questions, starting with an autobiographical overview of his highly expressive childhood on up to his daredevil (and downright hilarious) days getting off the ground in fellow heavy handed group Samson.

From there, he dished all the details on achieving anyone’s wildest dreams, culminating in such mega moments as a problematic but rapturously received performance at the enormous Rock In Rio, to a comical meeting with Queen Elizabeth II, down to not being recognized during his commercial flying days by a super fan decked out in Maiden merch, who simply asked for directions to the bus.

Dickinson was just as candid when it came to the lows of life, mainly a battle with cancer, but nonetheless repeatedly proved his resiliency, consciously choosing an optimistic and humorous approach over despair.

After a big screen blast of the music video for “The Writing On The Wall,” the second half gave dedicated listeners unprecedented access to ask absolutely anything they wanted of the superstar on cards that were available in the lobby, ensuring no Q&A session on the national tour will ever be duplicated.

Though he’ll be back in Maiden mode for the “Legacy Of The Beast” World Tour at the United Center on October 5, those who took advantage of the intimate opportunity were treated to some a cappella snippets amidst the storytelling, which hinted their hero’s voice is as ferocious as ever.

For additional information on Bruce Dickinson, visit ScreamForMe.com and IronMaiden.com.

For a list of upcoming Jam Productions concerts, visit JamUSA.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at the Vic Theatre include Eric Nam (Feb. 12); The Backseat Lovers (Feb. 17); Cory Wong And The Wongnotes (Feb. 18); The Marias Present: Cinema (Feb. 24-25); Sal Vulcano (Feb. 27); Cannibal Corpse (Mar. 1); Last Podcast On The Left (Mar. 2-4); The Midnight (Mar. 11); Epik High (Mar. 12); Zakir Khan (Mar. 13); Marisa Monte (Mar. 15); Car Seat Headrest (Mar. 18-19); Animal Collective (Mar. 20); Andy Shauf (Mar. 24); Circle Jerks (Mar. 25); Jerry Cantrell (Mar. 26); Christone “Kingfish” Ingram (Mar. 27) and Crankgameplays (Mar. 30). For additional details, visit VicTheatre.com.

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