Bruce Dickinson delivered a rare treat for Iron Maiden fans during his solo band’s performance at The Wiltern in Los Angeles on 5th October, pulling out “Revelations” for the first time with his current lineup since 2002.
The track, which Dickinson penned for Maiden’s 1983 album Piece of Mind, marked a fitting finale to his North American tour promoting last year’s solo album The Mandrake Project.
The performance follows Dickinson’s earlier addition of “Flash of the Blade” to his solo setlist during the tour, another composition he wrote for Iron Maiden that has never been performed by the band. The track originally appeared on 1984’s Powerslave album, making these solo renditions particularly significant for devoted followers of Dickinson’s songwriting catalogue.
Speaking to the Los Angeles crowd, Dickinson revealed the backstory behind his decision to include “Revelations” in the setlist. He had originally planned to perform the song during a Brazilian show earlier in the tour, which would have commemorated the 40th anniversary of Iron Maiden’s legendary performance at the 1985 Rock in Rio festival. However, “Flash of the Blade” was performed instead, leaving “Revelations” for this final tour stop.
“So, for the whole of this tour, we haven’t played this song,” Dickinson told the crowd (as per Blabbermouth). “And now Philip [Näslund, Dickinson’s guitarist] has got this fucking double-neck guitar. And the only reason he wants to play this fucking song is so he play his fucking double-neck guitar. Is he right? Should we find out?”
While Dickinson had performed “Revelations” a cappella during a couple of September tour stops, the Los Angeles performance marked the first full-band rendition since 2002.
With his North American solo tour now concluded, Dickinson has no further solo dates scheduled. However, Iron Maiden fans won’t have to wait long for his return to the stage. The band will resume their 50th anniversary ‘Run for Your Lives’ tour in 2026, featuring a phone-free performance at La Défense Arena in Paris and concluding with a show at Knebworth House, Hertfordshire on July 11th.
