Earlier this month, Iron Maiden played at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham on July 4, carrying out a huge stage show complete with shoot-outs, gongs and towering Eddies as part of their current Future Past tour.
Despite their well-versed slickness when it comes to pulling off some of the most elaborate performances in metal, however, there's still always room for a little mistake or two - like, say, frontman Bruce Dickinson breaking his gong mallet and sending it flying into the air.
The moment was captured in fan-filmed footage, showing the legendary vocalist swing the hammer up and down on the instrument during the classic 1986 Somewhere In Time track Alexander The Great.
After a couple of swings, the mallet head detaches from the handle and flies forward, as Dickinson looks on, seemingly a little gobsmacked. Then, for some reason, he starts eagerly pretending to lick it up and down, before dancing around while holding it to the side and playing it like a flute, as if suddenly overtaken by the spirit of some kind of metal Pied Piper. What a joker.
On the night, the British metal veterans played a number of deep-cuts as well as hits including Caught Somewhere In Time, Stranger In A Strange Land, The Writing On The Wall, Days Of Futures Past, Can I Play With Madness and more.
Iron Maiden's next show will see them perform in Antwerp, Belgium at the Sportspaleis on July 13, with The Raven Age playing in support.
Watch the moment Bruce broke his poor mallet below:
Iron Maiden Future Past tour dates Europe 2023
Jul 13: Antwerp Sportpaleis, Belgium
Jul 15: Milan, The Return of The Gods Festival, Italy
Jul 18: Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona, Spain
Jul 20: Estadio Enrique Roca, Murcia, Spain
Jul 22: Bizkaia Arena Bec! Bilbao, Spain
Jul 25 Dortmund Westfalenhalle, Germany
Jul 26 Dortmund Westfalenhalle, Germany
Jul 29: Frankfurt,Festhalle, Germany
Jul 31: Munich Olympiahalle, Germany
Aug 01: Munich Olympiahalle, Germany
Aug 02: Wacken Open Air, Germany
