Iron Maiden Quieted In China

The band had to alter some of its lyrics and jettison special effects and stage props considered inappropriate, according to Blabbermouth. Moreover, singer Bruce Dickinson couldn’t use foul language on stage, which must have put a crimp in his style. In any case, he reportedly mouthed the swear words  in Shanghai, his band’s second-ever performance in China.

“We ripped it up in Beijing,” he said, according to Blabbermouth. “And we thought, ‘Ooh, that was a bit serious,’ you know. So they had a few rules, so we kind of stuck by the rules, and we didn’t do any swearing. You know what I mean?”

Specifically, Iron Maiden had to cut out the flames and smoke bombs, as well as the Union Jack, which the English frontman waves during the song, “The Trooper.” They had to change the lyrics to “Powerslave” so as not to even mention the title. The band couldn’t even throw memorabilia into the crowd.

Nevertheless, as The Guardian pointed out, the Chinese authorities didn’t ban Iron Maiden from invoking Satan’s name or describing the “last hours of a man condemned to hang.”

But Dickinson’s priority is, apparently, to make sure he connects with his Chinese fans.

“The most important thing is the music,” he told the Shanghai crowd. “The most important thing is that we are here, and you are here, and we are gonna have a great [mouths a swear word] time.”