It’s 1994, on a freezing December night, Bruce Dickinson and his young solo band members Alex Elena, Chris Dale, and Alex Dickson travel in the back of a truck with two cases of beer and sleeping bags. They’re in a bright yellow truck adorned with the Looney Tunes character Road Runner, embarking on an eight-hour journey through active war zones with gunfire echoing in the background. Their destination? Sarajevo.

Until the release of the 2017 documentary “Scream For Me Sarajevo,” this story remained a legend, known only to those who were there. This article delves into the legendary concert Bruce Dickinson and his solo band performed in besieged Sarajevo during the harsh winter of 1994, amidst the height of the Bosnian war, and the subsequent documentary and soundtrack album that tell this remarkable tale.

Everything started with a phone call from Major Martin Morris, a high-ranking UN officer stationed in the area, to Bruce Dickinson.

• “Bruce! This is Martin Morris from Sarajevo. How about coming over here for a concert?”
• “Sure, sounds great.”

Bruce recounts thinking it wouldn’t be too dangerous after talking to Major Martin, who assured him there would be helicopters waiting, bulletproof vests, and UN-marked helmets to get them to and from the concert venue safely. “And I thought, oh, okay!”.

The journey, however, didn’t go as planned.

Bruce and his team flew from Birmingham to Split, Croatia, but the helicopters meant to take them to Sarajevo were nowhere to be found. Officials told them it wasn’t safe to guarantee passage. Bruce explains, “Someone from the UN got involved and wasn’t happy because the Serbs might not have liked us making the Bosnians happy, whatever.”

After waiting for about 8-9 hours, Bruce started asking around for other ways to get to Sarajevo. He met peace volunteers from “The Serious Road Trip,” a humanitarian organization that delivered aid to Bosnia. They hopped onto a brightly painted truck with Looney Tunes characters, described by Bruce as “Shoot me! Blow me up!”.

Throughout the documentary, Bruce and his bandmates vividly describe their experiences on this perilous journey. One striking moment was when they climbed Igman Mountain, the only connection Sarajevo had with the outside world, and encountered Bosnian soldiers returning home, most carrying just plastic bags. “I saw that most of them had no weapons, and someone told me, ‘Yes, if someone gets wounded or shot, their weapon goes to the next person,'” Bruce recalls.

Spreading the Concert News

As the concert news spread in Sarajevo, the anticipation grew. Local bands Allmanah and Sikter were also set to play. Major Morris mentions they spread the word carefully to avoid alerting the “bad guys” who might ruin the event.

“Yes, they’ll shoot you, and they’ll shoot the vehicles, usually.”

On the day of the concert, the UN armored vehicles brought the band and their equipment to the Bosnian Cultural Center. While setting up, bassist Chris Dale had a conversation with a British soldier who pointed out the Serb front line on a hill, warning that they were being watched through gun barrels. Chris’s response was, “We’re with the UN, they’re nobody’s enemy, and we’re a rock band here to play rock’n’roll, not to get shot.” The soldier replied, “Yes, they’ll shoot you, and they’ll shoot the vehicles, usually.”

“Good Evening Sarajevo!”

When the concert time arrived, the crowd was already gathered. UN officials decided to let everyone in without checking tickets. Bruce and his band gave an unforgettable performance, with the energy captured beautifully in the documentary. Photographer of the concert recalls, “I might have used my last 7 rolls of film; the whole atmosphere with the audience took me back to different times, before the war.”

Drummer Alex Elena reflects, “After that concert, all other gigs were meaningless because normally, people go back to their warm homes, their normal lives. But those who came that night had no guarantee of making it back home.”

Those who attended describe feeling as if the whole venue was lifted into space, with the war momentarily forgotten.

Scream For Me Sarajevo Documentary

The film tells the story of this concert and the people involved, from UN officials and soldiers to Bruce Dickinson and the band members, and of course, those who were there. The footage is real, and some parts are deeply moving, making it a powerful watch.

In the documentary’s final part, Bruce returns to Sarajevo in 2015, reuniting with people who attended the concert, showing the profound impact it had on everyone.

Scream For Me Sarajevo Album

The documentary’s soundtrack, also titled “Scream For Me Sarajevo,” features 14 tracks from Bruce’s solo albums. These include emotional songs like “Change of Heart,” “Tears of the Dragon,” and “Gods of War” from “Balls to Picasso,” “Strange Death in Paradise” and “Inertia” from “Skunkworks,” “Arc of Space,” “Omega,” “Dark Side of Aquarius,” and “Road to Hell” from “Accident of Birth,” and “Navigate the Seas of the Sun,” “Power of the Sun,” and “River of No Return” from “Tyranny of Souls.” Additionally, there are two previously unreleased tracks, “Eternal” and “Acoustic Song.”

Dickinson Receives Honorary Citizenship

In 2019, Bruce Dickinson was awarded honorary citizenship of Sarajevo for his concert in 1994, which brought hope to the people amidst the war. The mayor noted, “Mr. Dickinson’s arrival in Sarajevo in 1994 made us understand that we would survive, the city of Sarajevo would survive, and Bosnia-Herzegovina would survive.”

Bruce Working on a New Sarajevo Movie

Bruce has been working with director Sacha Gervasi on a screenplay based on his 1994 concert in Sarajevo, focusing on the incredible few days he spent there and the people he left behind.

Even if you’re not a metal fan or familiar with Bruce Dickinson, this film is a moving story worth watching. It chronicles a legendary concert that brought hope to people during one of the darkest times in modern history. The documentary and the album are both profoundly emotional experiences. If you haven’t seen the film or heard the album, I highly recommend it. The songs will take on new meanings after watching the film.

For a short interview where Bruce talks about his memories from Sarajevo, click here.

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