After suffering a stroke, Nicko McBrain wasn't able to play the drums the same way he used to and by the end of 2024, he announced that he would no longer tour with Iron Maiden. To occupy his place the band announced Simon Dawson, who had played with The Outfield and was a member of Steve Harris' British Lion. In an interview with Germany's Metal Hammer, Maiden's guitarist Adrian Smith talked about McBrain's exit from the band. Adrian Smith talks about Nicko McBrain’s exit from Iron Maiden "Yeah, it was never gonna be the same (without Nicko). Obviously, Nick was a massive part. He's a big personality. It would never be the same. But it was unfortunate. He had a stroke and physically there's nothing he could do about it, really. He tried — we all tried to help him. I think the Maiden drumming gig is one of the hardest, physically. For two hours live you've gotta be really, really on the front foot. And, yeah, he did great to get through those (last couple of) tours, and it was quite amazing — a tribute to him, really." "And he was incredible over the years. A lot of people loved him. Well, we all loved him — Well, we still do. (Laughs) And he'll always be a part of the band, even now. So (it was) very sad. Simon's come in, and he knows Nick was a massive part of it. But Nick gave him his blessing and wished him luck. He said to me — I still talk to Nick — he said, 'Good luck for the tour' and everything. 'Cause he still wants the band to do well because he still feels like he's a bit of a part of it, and he is, really. But it's nice to keep the music alive. It's bigger than all of us, really, I think, is to get out there and keep that thing, whatever it is, out there and going," Adrian Smith said. Simon Dawson has been the drummer of British Lion, Steve Harris’ side-project, for the last 12 years.. He is known for being a praised session drummer and already was a touring member of the British Pop Rock/New Wave group The Outfield. The band will continue to tour the world in 2026 celebrating their 50th anniversary. https://youtu.be/zrm5KavmvyU The post Adrian Smith talks about Nicko McBrain’s exit from Iron Maiden appeared first on Rock and Roll Garage.