Bruce Dickinson – Uptown Theater – Minneapolis MN – September 28th 2025

Bruce Dickinson live at The Uptown Theater in Minneapolis Minnesota

Review and photos by Kyle Hansen

Bruce Dickinson took the stage at the Uptown Theater last night with the kind of electric presence that only decades of fronting Iron Maiden — and a solo career just as fierce — can forge. Touring in support of his latest solo album The Mandrake Project, Dickinson delivered a show that was both musically razor-sharp and theatrically rich, a wild ride that fused metal opera, storytelling, and vintage rock swagger.

🔥 Setlist Highlights

The set leaned heavily on The Mandrake Project, with tracks like “Afterglow of Ragnarok”, “Rain on the Graves”, and “Many Doors to Hell” capturing the audience with their cinematic scope and progressive textures. These songs played more like metal epics than standard rock tracks, and Bruce’s storytelling between songs gave them an even more immersive feel.

He balanced the new material with fiery renditions of solo classics like “Tears of the Dragon” and “Accident of Birth,” and fans erupted when he dipped into Iron Maiden territory with “Flash of the Blade” which has never been played by Maiden.  His vocals? Still mighty. Maybe a bit more gravel in the low end, but the high notes still soared when it counted.

🏛️ Atmosphere & Venue

The Uptown Theater, with its ornate design and intimate scale, was the perfect backdrop for Dickinson’s gothic-metal vision. The sound was clean and punishing in all the right ways — you could feel the bass in your bones, but still catch every lyric. A smaller venue than the arenas he used to command with Maiden, but this show felt personal, raw, and refined all at once.

🎸 Band Performance

His solo band is nothing short of killer. The guitar duo shredded with precision and flair — especially during the dueling solos on “Frankenstein” — and the drummer didn’t miss a beat, keeping up with Dickinson’s sudden tempo shifts and dramatic pauses. Their chemistry was tight, even during the more theatrical moments, like the mock ritual intro to “The Alchemist.”

⚡️ The Verdict

Bruce Dickinson proved once again why he’s more than just a legendary frontman — he’s a performer in the truest sense. At 67, he’s still pushing creative boundaries, and his voice and presence remain commanding. This wasn’t nostalgia — it was a reinvention, and it rocked.

Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)
Best Moment: The haunting, a cappella lead-in to “Tears of the Dragon” brought the entire room to silence — and then eruption.