According to Eonmusic, Bruce Dickinson has revealed that he has been in discussions about bringing IRON MAIDEN‘s epic “Empire Of The Clouds” to the live stage along with other MAIDEN classics, in an orchestral setting.
Dickinson, a huge fan of DEEP PURPLE, whose Jon Lord recorded the “Concerto For Group And Orchestra” in 1969, made the revelation during the question-and-answer portion of his spoken-word event in Dublin, Ireland on Friday night (December 13).
The idea, Bruce revealed, sprang from a conversation he had had while taking part in the 50th-anniversary concert celebration of “Concerto For Group And Orchestra” in late November at the Palais Montcalm in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
The show, which saw Bruce perform PURPLE classic “When A Blind Man Cries”, also featured Lord‘s longtime friend and musical collaborator Paul Mann.
Said Bruce:
“I did talk to the conductor Paul Mann, and we just very tentatively said, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if we could do something that might involve some MAIDEN songs, but only MAIDEN songs that are really appropriate for doing [with] an orchestra?’ ‘Empire Of The Clouds’ is one of them. So yeah, you never know.”
When asked whether MAIDEN would ever perform “Empire Of The Clouds” at one of the band’s concerts, the singer answered emphatically, “No.”