Nicko McBrain recently opened up about his health challenges and road to recovery after suffering a stroke in January of this year. During his recent appearance on SiriusXM’s ‘Trunk Nation Power Trip Special,’ McBrain delved into his experiences and the band’s ‘The Future Past Tour.’
On the tour front, McBrain mentioned that while the start was slightly challenging for him, his strength has progressively improved. As per Blabbermouth, he said:
“It’s going great. It started off a little shaky for me, but as time went on and the more shows we performed, I started to get a little bit more strength, and they’d been really rocking out well. And the last couple of months have been fantastic.”
Although McBrain said he now feels good, he noted some lingering challenges, especially the ones influencing some aspects of his drumming:
“I’m doing good right now. I’m still probably — I’d say I’m 85 to 90 percent back to strength, but I still have a little less dexterity with speed in my fingers. My fingers are the ones that — this is the last thing to strengthen up. But I had to change certain drum fills. Some fills that everybody knows me for on certain songs, I’ve had to improvise those at rehearsals to be able to actually play the songs.
The drummer then went on to thank fans and Rod Smallwood for their support:
“So now I’m starting to actually be able to kind of embrace it a bit more. And I can’t do that live. I have to wait until we start doing some rehearsals again or whatever it is. But I’m definitely getting stronger. And I’ve had great support from Rod Smallwood, the band, and all of the fans out there. They’ve been absolutely — they’ve shown me so much love, it’s amazing.”
Early in 2023, McBrain was hit with the unexpected when he suffered a stroke, leading to paralysis on his right side, specifically from the shoulder down. This medical setback raised questions about the future of his career with Iron Maiden. However, following ten weeks of intensive therapy, McBrain began to see improvements, achieving approximately 70% recovery.
Nicko’s health challenges were not his first. Three years prior, he was diagnosed with stage 1 laryngeal cancer, which required surgery. He has since received regular check-ups, ensuring the cancer has not made a comeback. His bandmate Bruce Dickinson also faced a battle with throat cancer in 2014 but was declared cancer-free by May 2015 after undergoing treatment.
Amidst McBrain’s recovery, Iron Maiden has been on ‘The Future Past Tour,‘ marking his first return to the stage post-stroke. The European leg of the tour recently concluded with a show on October 6 at the Power Trip Festival.
Looking ahead, the band has announced the continuation of ‘The Future Past Tour’ into 2024, with forthcoming performances scheduled in Australia, New Zealand, and Japan.
