Iron Maiden paid tribute to the late Paul Di’Anno, who sang on the band’s first two albums, throughout their live performance on Tuesday night (Oct. 22) in Minneapolis. Di’Anno’s passing was introduced earlier this week.

The vocalist’s work with the NWOBHM legends on 1980’s Iron Maiden and 1981’s Killers was an vital a part of their growth as a gaggle, as longtime frontman Bruce Dickinson shared with the viewers, prior to a efficiency of “The Time Machine,” from the band’s newest album, Senjitsu.

He described Di’Anno’s function on these early information as “instrumental” and “groundbreaking,” praising his “amazing voice, devoted to rock and roll right up to the last minute of his life.”

Dickinson then requested the Minneapolis followers to pause for a second of silence, mentioning once more, “those early albums when obviously, I wasn’t in the band,” happening to reference Di’Anno’s subsequent post-Maiden work, together with his band Battlezone. “Take a few seconds to just close your eyes in silence,” he added. “Just internally, mentally, if you believe in God, if you don’t believe in God, it actually doesn’t matter. Just believe in what you believe in and just say, ‘Thanks, boss, for doing you did.’”

READ MORE: Rockers Pay Tribute to Former Iron Maiden Vocalist Paul Di’Anno

He then addressed Di’Anno straight. “This is a little message from Minneapolis to wherever you are, upstairs or downstairs, you’re having fun.” His closing phrases got here again to the followers, “Minneapolis, for Paul Di’Anno, scream for me!”

You can watch the group’s tribute to their former frontman on the backside of the web page.

Iron Maiden had beforehand paid tribute to Di’Anno on social media as information of his passing unfold, praising his “pioneering presence as a frontman and vocalist, both onstage and on our first two albums.”

Di’Anno’s time with Iron Maiden got here to an in depth not lengthy after Killers was launched as they started touring in assist of the album. Tension developed between the singer and his bandmates and because the state of affairs grew to become extra erratic, he was finally dismissed in September of 1981 following the band’s efficiency in Denmark. He went on to kind numerous totally different bands and likewise loved a profitable solo profession.

This 12 months introduced the discharge of his newest album of recent materials beneath the identify of Paul Di’Anno’s Warhorse. The band issued its self-titled debut in July and Di’Anno gave one of many first copies to Dickinson because the pair met for the primary time.

It was the most recent chapter in a sequence of ongoing interactions between the 2 camps. The renewed friendships had been strengthened when he and Harris met up backstage in Zagreb, Croatia, their first face-to-face assembly in almost 30 years.

As the bassist famous on social media, he and Di’Anno had stayed in contact since then, texting about quite a lot of topics, together with their mutual love for West Ham soccer.

Watch Iron Maiden Pay Tribute to Paul Di’Anno

Paul Di’Anno Documentary In the Works

A documentary about Di’Anno’s life and profession is predicted to make its debut someday in 2025. It’s being helmed by director Wes Orshoski, who beforehand labored on well-regarded movies about The Damned and Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead.

He provided the next replace: “The film will be out next year, and details will be forthcoming — the hope is for it to debut at film festivals in early 2025,” Orshoski wrote on social media. “I’m very excited for the Maiden faithful to see it. Once it is released you will see just how tough his life has been over the past decade and how hard he fought to change it. Maybe he’s finally found some peace.”