IRON MAIDEN drummer Nicko McBrain joined his bandmate Adrian Smith along with Richie Kotzen on stage last night (March 8) to perform the MAIDEN classic “Wasted Years” with the latter duo’s band, SMITH/KOTZEN.
“Wasted Years” is IRON MAIDEN’s fourteenth single and the first from their sixth studio album, “Somewhere in Time”. Released in 1986, it is the first MAIDEN single solely written by Adrian Smith, who also sings backing vocals. The song would reach number 18 in the UK Singles Charts.
The performance took place on Tuesday, March 8 at Islington Assembly Hall in London, United Kingdom and can be seen below.
Joining Smith and Kotzen in SMITH/KOTZEN’s touring band is Richie’s wife Julia Lage, who herself is an internationally acclaimed bassist. Lage has played alongside artists such as Pat Travers, Elliot Easton (THE CARS), Nuno Bettencourt (EXTREME) and VIXEN. Behind the drum kit is Bruno Valverde of Brazilian heavy metal act ANGRA.
SMITH/KOTZEN’s debut album was released via BMG in March 2021 to great acclaim, hitting the No. 10 spot on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart in the U.S. and Top 20 in the U.K. A follow-up four-song EP, “Better Days”, was released on November 26.