Photos by Andy Argyrakis

It wasn’t the first time Bruce Dickinson turned up in a venue as intimate as the Vic Theatre, but the Iron Maiden front man was previously speaking about an incredibly storied life as opposed to performing like he’s currently doing on “The Mandrake Project” Tour.

The extensive outing ends a nearly three-decade break from taking such a significant solo North American road trip, although it also features a ferocious band consisting of Philip Naslund and Chris Declercq on guitars, drummer Dave Moreno, keyboardist Mistheria and bassist Tanya O’Callaghan.

Together, they tore through some of the iconic Englishmen’s aforementioned landmark-in-the-making, which is accompanied by a comic book series chronicling “a dark, adult story of power, abuse and a struggle for identity, set against the backdrop of scientific and occult genius.”

Following near-operatic yet extremely aggressive older openers, “Accident Of Birth,” “Abduction,” “Starchildren” and “Laughing In The Hiding Bush,” Dickinson and company blared through the recent rumbler “Shadow Of The Gods.”

It was one of many timely, tenacious tunes tapping into the overarching concept, which a little later included such explosive cuts as “Resurrection Men” and “Rain On the Graves” that ranked right up alongside any of Maiden’s post-millennial material.

Though this was very much his own show, Dickinson did indulge Troopers with the razor sharp “Flash Of The Blade” off 1984’s classic “Powerslave” and eventually covered by Avenged Sevenfold, but there was no beating the man who made the original.

The musicians and the periodic theremin/percussion-playing headliner had their chance to stretch out as well during The Edgar Winter Group’s “Frankenstein,” followed by epic renditions of “The Alchemist,” “Book Of Thel” and “Road To Hell,” each taken from the metal album turned science-fantasy/horror film “The Chemical Wedding.”

Dickinson tapped into more of the 105-minute night’s heavy and harrowing themes throughout encore selections “Tears Of The Dragon,” “Gods Of War” and “The Tower,” clearly making a case for a comparable career outside one of the genre’s primary pioneering acts or at least until “The Number Of The Beast” returns.

For additional information on Bruce Dickinson, visit TheMandrakeProject.com.

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

Upcoming shows at the Vic Theatre include Noah Cyrus (Sept. 30); Odetari (Oct. 2); The Rapture (Oct. 3); Kevin Bridges (Oct. 5); Talisk And The Gardiner Brothers (Oct. 8); Foil Arms & Hog (Oct. 10); Henry Cho (Oct. 11); Rio Da Yung OG (Oct. 12); Ali Sethi (Oct. 15); Moe. (Oct. 17); Zachariah Porter (Oct. 18); Matt Maeson (Oct. 19); “The Dollop” (Oct. 20); Petey USA (Oct. 21); Sir Chloe (Oct. 23); Anjelah Johnson-Reyes (Oct. 24); Leisure (Oct. 25); Lukas Nelson (Oct. 26); Between The Buried And Me and Hail The Sun (Oct. 27) and “Chicks In The Office” (Oct. 30). For additional details, visit VicTheatre.com.

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