Iron Maiden pay tribute to Sooty on his 70th birthday
Iron Maiden honoured Nicko McBrain’s beloved Sooty on the glove puppet’s 70th birthday yesterday (19th July).
Devised by magician and puppeteer Harry Corbett in 1948 and debuting on television four years later, Sooty adorns Nicko McBrain’s drum kit at Iron Maiden shows and is often dressed accordingly with the corresponding tour.
Paying tribute to the small septuagenarian yellow bear on his landmark birthday, Iron Maiden shared a picture on Twitter of Sooty wearing a Trooper outfit.
They wrote: “Happy Birthday @Sootyandco - 70 years old and still touring like a little trooper!”
> Happy Birthday @Sootyandco - 70 years old and still touring like a little trooper! pic.twitter.com/cp7mrTqpzN > > — Iron Maiden (@IronMaiden) July 19, 2018
A Sooty aficionado since childhood, Nicko famously guested on the Hidden Talent episode of The Sooty Show back in 1988 where he played drums with Sooty and his grey dog sidekick Sweep.
You can watch Nicko’s appearance below. Skip to the 12 minute mark for the start:
Inspired by Iron Maiden’s comic book and mobile phone game of the same name, The Legacy of the Beast European Tour hits the UK for shows in Newcastle, Belfast, Aberdeen, Manchester, Birmingham and London later this month.
The setlist is as follows:
1. Aces High
2. Where Eagles Dare
3. 2 Minutes to Midnight
4. The Clansman
5. The Trooper
6. Revelations
7. For the Greater Good of God
8. The Wicker Man
9. Sign of the Cross
10. Flight of Icarus
11. Fear of the Dark
12. Iron Maiden
13. The Number of the Beast
Encore:
14. The Evil That Men Do
15. Hallowed Be Thy Name
16. Run to the Hills