Ex-Iron Maiden Singer Paul Di'Anno's Perth Show Described As 'Bizarre' 'Car Crash'

Former Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di’Anno is currently touring Australia and performing songs from the first two albums by the British heavy metal legends – the 1980 self-titled LP and 1981’s Killers – for the final time for his Australian fans.

What was meant to be an exciting opportunity for longtime fans to witness Di’Anno following years of undisclosed health problems and a return to the stage in 2022 after seven years ended up being the opposite. According to a Wall Of Sound live review, the Wrathchild singer’s show in Perth earlier this week was described as the “world’s slowest heavy metal car crash”.

Wall Of Sound’s Gareth Williams opened the review by stating that Di’Anno was in a wheelchair following knee surgery, and due to the Amplifier Bar’s lack of ramp, the singer’s roadies lifted him onto the stage half an hour after the concert was scheduled to begin.

Mid-way through the fourth song, Murders In The Rue Morgue, Di’Anno stopped the concert and reportedly blasted his drummer for being out of time. Williams wrote that the singer allegedly aired what was bothering him between songs, including “jet lag, being tired, the weather, the sound and his microphone”.

Things only got worse from there. Williams added, “Di’Anno’s favourite word contains four letters and begins with C — and just about everyone was in the firing line”, from the sound engineer to concertgoers. He also reportedly told a female attendee to “‘shut the f**k up’ and to either stop drinking or drink more”.

“One punter got told to call a cab, or he was going home in an ambulance. It would almost have been funny if it wasn’t so sad.”

Williams stayed at the show out of “morbid curiosity” about how it would end, later calling the concert a “bizarre journey”. “Depression is what we were all feeling, and Di’Anno looked like a defeated man,” the review continued.

Before Di’Anno landed in Australia, a statement on his official Facebook page detailed the scale in which the singer’s team assisted him and ensured his comfort on tour.

Since he departed from Iron Maiden in 1981, Di’Anno has released music as a solo artist and with the bands Gogmagog, Battlezone, Praying Mantis, Killers, Rockfellas, and Warhorse. Following his departure from Iron Maiden, Di’Anno was replaced by longtime singer Bruce Dickinson.

Di’Anno’s Australian tour ends tonight at Sydney’s Factory Theatre, with support from Brazilian band Nocturnall – playing their first-ever shows in Australia – and local acts Bastardizer and Killrazer.