If you’ve ever thought that watching a WWI dogfighting display would liven up your mid-afternoon festival slump, then Sonisphere Festival has just the thing for you: Bruce Dickinson in a plane.
To commemorate the centenary of the First World War, Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson will be performing an air display with The Great War Display Team on Saturday 5th June, at approximately 6pm. Here’s what Bruce had to say about the whole thing:
“The air show over Sonisphere is something I’m really excited about and we’re determined to put on an unforgettable display for everyone. We’re planning an extravaganza of derring-do, especially when you consider the manoeuvres we’ll be performing are all based on true-life battles from a hundred years ago! What some of these fighter pilots achieved back then was nothing short of miraculous given the conditions they were working under and the seriousness of what was at stake. We hope to stage a memorable display which is equally entertaining and poignant, celebrating not only the bravery and heroics of all the pilots involved but remembering the sacrifices made on both sides.”
Performing alongside Bruce will be the full display team of Alex Truman, Dan Griffith, Dave Linney, Ernie Hoblyn, Gordon Brander, Matthew Boddington, Peter Bond, Richard Piper, Vic Lockwood and Will Greenwood – all flying exact replicas of the British and German aircraft that were used in the war. Bruce will be flying his very own Fokker Dr1 Triplane, the type of plane made infamous by “The Red Baron” (otherwise known as Manfred von Richthofen).
Sonisphere organiser Stuart Galbraith was also very enthused by the concept of putting this show on. “We all got very excited when Iron Maiden approached us with this idea. It’s going to be a truly unique experience and tribute for everyone at Knebworth. We’ve made sure we were able to squeeze a gap into the outdoor stage programme on July 5th so that it has the impact it deserves.”
Once Bruce has dusted himself off, he’ll re-join the rest of Iron Maiden to headline the Apollo Stage later that night. Also performing on the Saturday are Deftones, Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls, Anthrax, Slayer, The Sisters Of Mercy and many others, with The Prodigy, Metallica, Limp Bizkit, Alice In Chains and many, many more performing across the rest of the weekend.
For the full lineup and more information on Sonisphere, visit www.sonisphere.co.uk
For more information on The Great War Display Team, visit www.greatwardisplayteam.com
