# NICKO MCBRAIN Says SIMON DAWSON Is Doing ‘Great’ With IRON MAIDEN: He ‘Started Off Shaky’ But He’s ‘Driving The Band’ Now

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/nicko-mcbrain-says-simon-dawson-is-doing-great-with-iron-maiden-he-started-off-shaky-but-hes-driving-the-band-now/
- Published: 2026-11-13T19:57:18+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-13T21:57:29+00:00
- Original publisher: Blabbermouth
- Original article: https://blabbermouth.net/news/nicko-mcbrain-says-simon-dawson-is-doing-great-with-iron-maiden-he-started-off-shaky-but-hes-driving-the-band-now
- Topics: Entertainment, Music, UK, World

## Key points

- McBrain says Dawson is now driving Iron Maiden.
- A stroke affected McBrain’s speed and playing.
- McBrain backed Dawson’s appointment before retiring.

## Summary

Nicko McBrain says Simon Dawson is now doing well as Iron Maiden’s drummer, after a shaky start in a role that followed McBrain’s retirement from touring. His comments shed light on both the handover and the health and playing difficulties that led him to step away.

McBrain, 74, said he and bassist Steve Harris agreed on the decision during the band’s 2024 North American tour. A stroke had left him with partial paralysis and reduced speed in his fingers, making some songs and drum parts difficult; the physical demands of touring also left him aching and unable to recover between shows. Dawson, a former session drummer and Harris’s British Lion bandmate, began rehearsing with the group before McBrain’s final concert in São Paulo on 7 December 2024.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.