Bruce Dickinson was not at all pleased to see so much smoke caused by his smoking fans at the show held in Brasília last Saturday, the 27th, at Ópera Hall.
Initially, the artist complained after spotting a fan smoking an e-cigarette ( via Radio Rock ): “I can’t sing if you insist on smoking. Tanya [ O'Callaghan , bassist] is coughing too, I’m coughing, my wife back there is feeling unwell, it’s kind of gross, okay? But if you want to be gross, go outside, not in here. I use my throat to work. You pay good money to hear me sing, don’t you?”
Towards the end of the show, Bruce and some people complained of irritation in their eyes and throats. It was then that the singer suggested someone might be using pepper spray ( via Igor Miranda ): “Someone down here is using pepper spray. Some asshole here has been using pepper spray, which explains why people can’t breathe down here. So, you know, if you find out who did it, I don’t care what happens to him after the show. In the meantime, we’ll try to do our best.”
However, what happened was an electronic cigarette that had accidentally exploded. This information was confirmed by the production company MCA Concerts, which issued a statement regarding the incident.
“Last night (27), more than 2 thousand fans packed the Opera Hall in Brasília, to see Bruce Dickinson in the third show of his acclaimed first Brazilian solo tour in more than 20 years.
An incident occurred at the end of the show where noxious gases were released, causing problems for the band members on stage, crew, and audience.
Later, people in the audience went to social media to corroborate the incident that caused them breathing difficulties.
As the video shows, Bruce did his best, with limited knowledge of the situation, to explain the effects to the crowd, but later discovered that several band members, including himself, were affected by the incident, and one crew member had to be treated with oxygen by a doctor. The footage also shows Bruce leaving the stage to sing part of the encore after visibly struggling to breathe and sing.
The tour promoters, MCA Concerts, are working with authorities to understand the impact of the incident and how these gases affected not only the audience and crew, but also the band on stage.
Fortunately, everyone was examined by the medical team and released. The show in Belo Horizonte, at Arena Hall, tonight (28), will not be affected.”
Bruce Dickinson in Brazil
The Englishman's visit to Brazil has been marked by some unusual events, from being named an Honorary Citizen of Curitiba to participating in a fencing duel . Dickinson's tour includes Curitiba , Porto Alegre , Brasília, Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro, and will conclude in São Paulo on May 2nd.
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