Bruce Dickinson became one of the most influential and acclaimed singers in the world back in the 1980s, when his first albums with Iron Maiden were released. Nicknamed “air-raid siren” he took the band to another level with his vocal talent, becoming a key element of their success. Over the decades, Bruce has talked about many of his peers, including the late Freddie Mercury, sharing his opinions on the singer and Queen. What is Bruce Dickinson's opinion on Queen and Freddie Mercury Bruce Dickinson likes Queen and also admired Freddie Mercury, whom he had the chance to meet only once. He once revealed that his favorite song by them is "Who Wants to Live Forever" and said that he cried when he first heard the track. "I love 'Who Wants To Live Forever' simply because of the beautiful vocal melody. The way it continues to lift and lift as the song progresses. The first time I heard this song, it made me cry," Bruce Dickinson told Classic Rock magazine in 2006. The track was part of the band's 1986 "A Kind of Magic" album. It has many songs the band recorded to be part of the soundtrack of the classic movie "Highlander", released in the same year. Although that was Bruce's favorite Queen song, he also had the chance to cover "Bohemian Rhapsody". His version was made with Montserrat Caballe, the Spanish Opera singer with whom Freddie had recorded the album "Barcelona" (1988). The funny story of when Bruce Dickinson met Freddie Curiously, Bruce had the chance to meet Freddie only once, back in 1985, during a party before their shows at Rock In Rio, the first major Rock and Roll festival that Brazil ever had. He recalled that after hugging him, he heard Mercury joking with Maiden's Steve Harris that they should get rid of Bruce quickly. The singer told that story on the podcast Psycho Schizo Espresso in 2021. During the conversation, Dr. Kevin Dutton analyzed aspects of Bruce’s personality to determine if he could be a psychopath. The doctor said that someone very close to Mercury had completed a questionnaire, allowing him to compare the results of Freddie and Bruce. One of the things he discovered was that the Queen vocalist could have been a very manipulative person, something Bruce is not. After mentioning that, Bruce went on to tell the story of their meeting. "I'll tell you a story about Freddie. When I met Freddie, it's really funny, because the only time I ever met Freddie was in 1985 at Rock in Rio." He continued: "It was at a party before the gig and there were mountains of 'peruvian marching powder' going during the rounds and everything. Freddie came in and (wearing something like) a fur coat or something. He came up and gave me a big hug, (He said) 'Oh darling, love to see you'. (He) gave me a big hug. Then he went over to the bass player and (said): 'You should get rid of that singer. Get rid of him quickly' (laughs). So all in one, there you go, encapsulated well (in one story)," Bruce Dickinson said. At the end of it all, Dr. Kevin Dutton said: "You were not a psychopath, neither was Freddie". It was the first time Iron Maiden ever played in Brazil. But they were the second biggest band that played that particular night, playing only before Queen, which was the headlining act for the day. "We were not yet headliners; that honour belonged to Queen, who were on stage after us. Even so, it was clear that there was massive expectation for Maiden. The festival site itself was a chaotic blur. Tempers and tension were running high backstage. There was a barely visible sense of order. A sense that disorder might break out at any time," Bruce Dickinson said in his autobiography. The first edition of Rock in Rio was a landmark event for this kind of music in Brazil. It is still considered one of the most important moments in the country’s music history. Especially because it opened the doors for other major international artists to perform there. This was significant because, in previous decades, it had been very difficult due to the censorship imposed by the military dictatorship that ruled the country from 1964 to 1985. Bruce Dickinson watched Queen play that night but some things didn’t go as expected Brazil was just coming out of a military dictatorship that repressed the opposition. They would arrest, torture and even kill those who did not follow what the regime considered right. So the population was still not used to see expressions of sexual freedom, like for example, Mercury wearing women's clothes. The inspiration came from "I Want to Break Free" official video, inspired by the British TV show "Coronation Street". In an interview for the book "Brian May: The Definitive Biography" by Laura Jackson, Dickinson recalled that Freddie was upset with the audience's reaction to that. After Maiden's show was over he stayed at the festival to see Queen perform. "Two or three of their numbers did not go down well with the crowd. Then, when they launched into 'I Want to Break Free'. They didn’t really take to Freddie dressing up in women’s clothes, but Freddie obviously didn’t understand what was wrong." Bruce Dickinson continued: "When Queen came off stage, Freddie immediately broke down in tears. He just had no idea why the audience had reacted like they did. Someone quickly explained to him that 'I Want to Break Free' was regarded as a freedom song there. They had resented him sending it up, but he was very upset," Bruce Dickinson said. Although, according to Bruce, that was not a good moment of the show, to this day, when the first edition of Rock in Rio is mentioned in conversation, most Brazilians will first recall Queen’s performances, as they played for two nights. One of the most classic and special moments for the 300.000 people who were there and for the millions of fans watching on national TV, was Freddie and Brian May playing "Love of My Life" with a sea of people in front of them passionately singing the lyrics. Those shows were extremely important for them to definitely conquer the big Brazilian market. At the time the bands couldn't even leave the hotel because of the big amount of fans at the door. In his biography, Bruce recalled how he felt when it was over and mentioned seeing Brian May. "It was a strange feeling to be free after six days under siege. I indulged in the forbidden fruit of escaping without a minder and slowly crossed the road, took off my shoes and sat down on the beach, wiggling my toes in the hot sand." He continued: "Not long now, and then back on a plane to the middle of winter. What a fucking weird life this is, I thought to myself. I looked to my left. There was Brian May, eyes closed, face towards the sun, probably thinking something similar. I left him to it. Funny old world, really," Bruce Dickinson said in his biography "What Does This Button Do?" Bruce had the chance to perform "I Want to Break Free" and "We Will Rock You" with SAS (Spike's All Stars) Band in 2001. Brian May and Roger Taylor were also part of those special shows of the Queen keyboardist/musical director Spike Edney. The Iron Maiden frontman had the chance to play with Brian May several other times, like in 2012 when they played Deep Purple songs at the Royal Albert Hall in London. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF--clMvNFc&list=RDaF--clMvNFc&start_radio=1The post Bruce Dickinson’s opinion on Queen and Freddie Mercury appeared first on Rock and Roll Garage.