Iron Maiden’s own legend, Bruce Dickinson, turned the Steelers-Seahawks game into pure history when he stepped up and belted out the National Anthem. A British rocker singing America’s anthem at an NFL showdown? Nobody saw that coming—and yet, he delivered it with so much fire it felt like the whole stadium was shaking.

With another weekend full of football, the Pittsburgh Steelers welcomed the Seattle Seahawks to Acrisure Stadium. Although having home-field advantage, the Steelers watched the Seahawks rally in the fourth quarter with a staggering 17 points. While tied at 14 when going into the last quarter, the Seahawks put up an impressive 17 points to Pittsburgh’s 3, leading Seattle to win 31-17. But even before the kickoff, fans received a special treat when Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson took the field to offer a performance of the national anthem.

Just a few days after America honored the lives lost on 9/11, Dickinson found himself under pressure to perform the national anthem. And over the years, Americans have watched singers completely blunder the song (Fergie’s 2018 NBA All-Star Game). And for Dickinson, the experience was entirely new for him.

While performing at the House of Blues in Boston, Dickinson, who was born in England, shared the news about his performance with fans. “So I’m gonna let you in to a dirty little secret that is gonna happen on Sunday. I’ve been asked to sing the American national anthem at a Pittsburgh Steelers game.”

Fans Offer Their Thoughts On Bruce Dickinson Covering National Anthem

Although fans were excited for Dickinson, he admitted, “Now, I’ve never done this before in my f**king life, and I’m trying to avoid the embarrassment of reading the f**king words off the back of my hand. Look, no writing on the back of my hand, or failure to read the auto cue because, f**k me, there is no auto cue…”

With Dickinson somewhat nervous about singing the national anthem, he took the field with confidence on Sunday and covered the song with pride. Looking online at what fans had to say, comments included:

But it wasn’t just praise for Dickinson. One fan called for the NFL to offer the Super Bowl Halftime Show to Iron Maiden. “Now we need a Maiden playing Super Bowl Halftime show… DO IT!!!!”

While the Steelers may have fallen short on the scoreboard, Dickinson’s booming performance reminded fans why rock legends never fade