IRON MAIDEN Manager Rod Smallwood Talks Canada - Loud Audiences, Scenery, Hockey, HP Sauce And Beavers Eh! To coincide with the band's anxiously-anticipated "North America Beware" announcement (
here), legendary
IRON MAIDEN manager
Rod Smallwood has graciously answered a few Canuck-centered questions for BraveWords.com. Check 'em out below eh!
BraveWords.com:
Iron Maiden has made a tremendous effort to appease fans all across Canada which is a feat considering our geographical size. Unlike many bands, Maiden find it important to cover many markets (not just the 'key' ones) and criss-cross the country at greater expense. Why?
Smallwood: "Maiden has always enjoyed going to new places, its exciting and keeps you fresh – I recall very vividly the Powerslave tour when we were still on tour buses. We rehearsed and played in Halifax, Nova Scotia and played 11 cities including Sudbury and Regina, all in hockey stadiums, right across Canada in one go. We kidnapped a journalist (how are you Mitch?) and he ended up in Sudbury thinking he was just going to our
hotel bar in Toronto!! I particularly remember waking up and looking out of the window at dawn as we climbed the Rockies. Wow!! On the tour before we played in Chicoutami – l remember the t-shirts they had made for us – FIRST CHICOUTIMI…..THEN THE WORLD!!! Great times!! And they were right!!"
BraveWords.com: If there was an Iron Maiden 'capital city' in Canada, which one and why?
Smallwood: "It would have to be Québec, close run by Montréal. Sorry guys, but these are such amazing passionate LOUD audiences. Not that the rest aren’t great, but Québec province is right up there with Mexico City and South America. It is also where we headlined our first big shows in North America. We were playing to 6,000 fans a night there, when we were still supporting in America!! We never ever supported anyone ever in Eastern Canada; we started in clubs then small halls then big halls then very big halls. It really was a remarkably smooth transition thanks to the loyalty of our fans and the word of mouth they created on Maiden. And the Beavers are from Montreal – yes, you know who you are."