Bruce Dickinson Melts Minds at The OC Observatory in Santa Ana, CA [Photos]

Bruce Dickinson has long been recognized as one of the greatest singers in the music business; as frontman of Iron Maiden, he has performed for over four decades. Dickinson’s solo career began not long after he entered Maiden. Celebrating the release of The Mandrake Project, his latest seventh solo album, Dickinson is set to tour Europe starting in mid-May.

A couple of weeks back, Dickinson and his band played three sold-out dates in Southern California to launch “The Mandrake Project Tour.” The first two nights were at the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles, with the third and the final show in the States taking place at The Observatory in Santa Ana.

To see Dickinson and his crushing ensemble of musicians play a 16-song set from the English singer’s solo catalogue, including four songs from The Mandrake Project, was remarkable. Notably, no Iron Maiden songs were played. This provided no reason to protest as each of the tracks was a crowd-pleaser. With guitarists Chris Declercq and Philip Naslund, Tanya Callaghan on bass, Mistheria on keys, and Dave Moreno on drums, Dickinson was backed by a devastating collection of musicians.

“Accident of Birth” started the show. The strong, well-balanced sound and lighting were but a few of the impressive things. The song’s chorus was a sentiment, an exchange between Dickinson and the excited, admiring audience: “Welcome home. It’s been too long. We’ve missed you…” Although a relatively small, 1000-person room, The Observatory was the ideal venue for this concert. Dickinson and his band could quickly fill a place with 20 times the seating capacity, but this location was picked as the launching site for the big shows ahead on the tour, and the Santa Ana crowd was eating it up.

Now 65 years old, Dickinson is undoubtedly one of rock’s elder statesmen, known not only for his vocal ability but his athleticism onstage. He didn’t jump off the drum riser and get big air like he usually does during an Iron Maiden set, but he sang at the top of his game and rarely stopped moving. He seemed right at home, along with his band.

Dickinson’s solo songs are conceptual, thematic, and instrumentally heavy, much like Iron Maiden songs. “Chemical Wedding” put the power and grandeur of Dickinson’s talented musicians on display. The crowd got off on “Frankenstein,” the timeless hard rock instrumental made classic by The Edgar Winter Group.

Despite the absence of tenured guitarist Roy Z, Naslund handled his duties well. He and Declercq were an impressive duo; each musician shined. All had their spotlight moments, particularly O’Callaghan, who blew the crowd away. Her bass playing and onstage physicality were yet another reason why this night was so special.

There were many classic moments on this night. The latter part of the show was when it became glaringly apparent that Bruce Dickinson and his band are one of the greatest live acts in rock today. At the encore, Dickinson kicked out “Navigate the Seas of the Sun,” a masterful composition from the Tyranny of Souls album. The dreamlike trance induced by this song didn’t linger. Two songs from the Chemical Wedding followed; “Book of Thel” and “The Tower,” the last song. A musical journey that will not soon be forgotten.

Bruce Dickinson at The OC Observatory (Santa Ana, CA) on April 15, 2024

14 photos