Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson postponed the last two appearances of a U.K. spoken-word tour last week because a member of his household had tested positive for COVID-19, and now the singer reveals that he also has tested positive for the virus.
Dickinson tells Rolling Stone that he had gone home to self-quarantine for 10 days after the events were postponed — as per U.K. government guidelines — and a few days later he felt like he was coming down with a cold, so he went and took a “lateral-flow” COVID-19 test that came back positive.
Dickinson, who’s fully vaccinated, explains to the magazine, “I was kind of sneezing a bit. For a couple of days, I felt a bit groggy, kind of like the flu, and that was it. And I’m 63 years old. I’ve pretty much got no doubt that had I not had the vaccine, I could be in serious trouble.”
The powerhouse vocalist has rescheduled his spoken-word appearances for October, while Iron Maiden will release a new studio album, Senjutsu, next month, although the band isn’t scheduled to tour again until June 2022.
Meanwhile, Dickinson says he doesn’t believe people should be required to get vaccinated to attend concerts, although he hopes they do for the sake of their own health. He also believes wearing masks and getting vaccinated is “a personal choice” that the government shouldn’t regulate, while adding that it’s “a responsible” and “common sense” thing to do.
Dickinson says his COVID-19 experience as a vaccinated person was he basically felt like he had a cold.
He notes, “The biggest issue is just stay indoors so you don’t go and pass it on to somebody else who might go and pass it on to somebody who actually is vulnerable.”
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