Iron Maiden have already revealed they will be on tour when their Rock Hall induction takes place later this year, but singer Bruce Dickinson and bassist Steve Harris have elaborated on their feelings concerning the Rock Hall’s decision to add them as part of the 2026 induction class.
Dickinson, in particular, has been critically vocal in his dissatisfaction with the Rock Hall in previous years, but with the band is actually going in, what are his feelings now?
What Bruce Dickinson + Steve Harris Said About Iron Maiden’s Rock Hall Induction
Upon the initial announcement that they would be going in the Rock Hall this year, Iron Maiden issued a collective statement that read, “We’d like to thank the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for including us (and former members who were all part of our story) in the 2026 roll call of inductees. Iron Maiden have always been about our relationship with our fans above anything else, including awards and industry accolades. However, having said that, it’s always nice to be recognized and honored for any achievements within the music industry too!”
They continued, “It also seems appropriate for the band to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year as we continue our 50th anniversary celebrations with our Run For Your Lives World Tour visiting the Americas and beyond. We would also like to congratulate our fellow 2026 inductees and extend our gratitude as ever to our fans for their loyalty, perseverance and support for over 50 years now! See you all, somewhere on tour.”
While that statement seems to check a lot of the right sentiments for the occasion, it also doesn’t share some of the personality they’ve previously shared in speaking on the Rock Hall.
So, in a wide-ranging interview, Metal Hammer spoke to founding bassist Steve Harris and singer Bruce Dickinson about the honor.
Harris shared, “Bruce has his own strong feelings about it, which is his opinion. It’s never really bothered me one way or the other, because awards aren’t what we do this for. But in a weird way I’m glad it’s happened so the Americans will stop banging on about it. To me, if you get offered something, you say, ‘Thank you very much.’ But did I lose sleep over getting it or not getting it? No.”
Dickinson added, “I can’t even summon the energy to be vitriolic about it. I appreciate that a significant number of people are happy for us. That’s nice. It’s not something we’re bothered about.”
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The two musicians also revealed that even had a touring conflict not kept them from the ceremony, they likely wouldn’t have attended anyway. Dickinson offered a definitive “no” when asked if they would have gone, while Harris added, “I don’t do those sort of things. I didn’t even go to the recent red carpet thing for the documentary. It’s not me.”
What Bruce Dickinson Has Previously Said About the Rock Hall
While out on a book tour in 2017 in support of his What Does This Button Do? autobiography, Dickinson was asked by an audience member if he felt Iron Maiden belonged in the Rock Hall. He responded, “Absolutely. I actually think the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is an utter and complete load of bollocks, to be honest with you.”
He then added. “It’s run by a bunch of sanctimonious bloody Americans who wouldn’t know rock ’n’ roll if it hit them in the face. They need to stop taking Prozac and start drinking fucking beer.”
READ MORE: Artists Who Have Shaded The Rock Hall During Their Induction Ceremony
About a month later, he told the Jerusalem Post, “I’m really happy we’re not there and I would never want to be there. If we’re ever inducted, I will refuse — they won’t bloody be having my corpse in there … Rock ‘n’ roll music does not belong in a mausoleum in Cleveland. It’s a living, breathing thing, and if you put it in a museum, then it’s dead. It’s worse than horrible, it’s vulgar.”
In 2023, after Iron Maiden were passed over for induction for a second time, Dickinson told The Telegraph, “We don’t give a monkey’s [ass] because the people that get us are not the people that run the music business establishment, whatever that is, because that is largely run by people that can’t make a living doing anything else. I don’t want to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! Because we’re not dead yet! Some people feel almost actively threatened by metal. Not by the nature of the music. But by the fact that it doesn’t conform to their worldview of what pop music should be, which is: pop music is disposable, darling. Well: we don’t make disposable pop music.”
Iron Maiden in 2026
Iron Maiden are holding their Eddfest on Saturday (July 11) in Knebworth. That will be followed by a North American leg of the Run for Your Lives world tour starting Aug. 29 in Toronto and running through Sept. 29 in San Antonio.
Latin American dates will follow in October and early November before the band heads off to Australia and New Zealand for November shows. It will be during this period that the Rock Hall induction will take place. They finish out the year with two shows in Japan on Nov. 24 and 25. All dates and ticketing info can be found via the band’s website.
Below, see our list of 45 Rock and Metal Acts Who Deserve to Be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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Gallery Credit: Loudwire Staff