Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith invited a familiar face onto the stage as he and Richie Kotzen performed in London over the weekend (February 21), with Bruce Dickinson making a cameo on a blazing take of Wasted Years.
Away from the galloping rhythms and stadium tours of Iron Maiden, which recently afforded him the chance to babysit the legendary “Greeny” Les Paul for an afternoon, Smith has allied with Strat stalwart, Kotzen.
The straightforwardly titled Smith/Kotzen partnership has produced two studio albums so far, with 2025’s Black Light / White Noise seeing them reveling in their shared love of the blues. And with the group hitting the English capital – marking a hometown show for Smith – the pair were joined by heavy metal royalty for a performance of the Smith-penned song.
The track, inspired by Smith's purchase of a Roland guitar synthesizer, has been on the Smith/Kotzen setlist since day dot, but this is the first time Dickinson has (lovingly) gatecrashed their party.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the one and only, Mr. Bruce Dickinson,” Smith says, introducing the singer to the stage while wielding one of his Jackson signature guitars.
Of course, the trio of musical heavyweights made nailing the song look as simple as breathing; some credit has to go to the band's bassist, Julia Lage, who played Steve Harris's parts superbly. And what a tone.
Each string-bothering member of Iron Maiden was recently bestowed with a new Fender signature model, with Smith staying true to his Jackson loyalty, after Grover Jackson personally convinced him to trade Les Pauls for Super Strats.
Last Summer, Kotzen's sought-after Strat was finally rolled out worldwide, having previously been a Fender Japan exclusive.
