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Outlook: Sarajevo Siege - the band that drowned out the bombs

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Sarajevo Siege - the band that drowned out the bombs

08/10/2020 GMT

BBC World Service - Outlook, Sarajevo Siege - the band that drowned out the bombs

How do you get Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson to play in a warzone?

By 1994, the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo had been under siege for two years. Sniper fire and shelling were a daily threat to the residents stuck in the city. Though life was tough, artistic creativity flourished. The heavy metal community was one particularly resilient music scene. Whilst there were still local gigs there was a hunger for something bigger, to know the rest of the world had not forgotten them.

A group of firefighters and UN peacekeepers, decided that the city needed a big name rock act to keep morale up. Only one rock star was willing to do it, Bruce Dickinson, the frontman of Iron Maiden. The organisers got a venue, and petrol for their power generators. But there was one particular challenge they had to overcome - how do you get a rock star into a city surrounded by warring armies?

Presenter: Saskia Edwards
Producer: Harry Graham

Image: the audience at a metal gig in Sarajevo
Credit: Scream For Me Sarajevo Film

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