THE Judas Priest thread - v. new album and tour in 2024

[Samsara]

Anyone seen Priest on the current tour supporting Firepower?  I'm thinking of grabbing a last minute ticket to the show tonight with Deep Purple in Irvine....

I've heard they're putting on a good show. I passed on it because I thought it would be depressing. My friend who scored a last minute ticket agreed with both of these points. It was a good show, but pretty sad to those who saw them in their prime.

This -- along with no Glenn and no KK -- is a pretty big deterrent.  The Defenders tour was my second concert ever when I was 16.  On the other hand, secondary market ticket prices are dropping pretty fast, so maybe....

ALSO...is Purple opening for Priest, or is it the other way around???

Priest THEN Purple. I saw Priest twice with the classic lineup (KK and Glenn, in...2005, and then again when they did the anniversary of British Steel tour), and wasn't going to go to this. But a $25 dollar ticket in the lower bowl of the amphitheater changed my mind.

Saw Purple about 10 years ago, and Gillian was horrendous. Subsequent tours that friends attended have confirmed he's worse than ever. So my plan is just to pop in, check out Priest's set, and head home.

[Stadler]

Nah, give it a run; Morse is worth it by himself, but the Paice-Glover-Morse-Airey core can still bring it.   To this day, "Woman From Tokyo" was a wonderful moment; when the bridge ended, there was a slight pause, and the entire band kicked into the main riff like a jet airplane.  Blew me away from the second row.

[pg1067]

Anyone seen Priest on the current tour supporting Firepower?  I'm thinking of grabbing a last minute ticket to the show tonight with Deep Purple in Irvine....

I've heard they're putting on a good show. I passed on it because I thought it would be depressing. My friend who scored a last minute ticket agreed with both of these points. It was a good show, but pretty sad to those who saw them in their prime.

This -- along with no Glenn and no KK -- is a pretty big deterrent.  The Defenders tour was my second concert ever when I was 16.  On the other hand, secondary market ticket prices are dropping pretty fast, so maybe....

ALSO...is Purple opening for Priest, or is it the other way around???

Priest THEN Purple. I saw Priest twice with the classic lineup (KK and Glenn, in...2005, and then again when they did the anniversary of British Steel tour), and wasn't going to go to this. But a $25 dollar ticket in the lower bowl of the amphitheater changed my mind.

Saw Purple about 10 years ago, and Gillian was horrendous. Subsequent tours that friends attended have confirmed he's worse than ever. So my plan is just to pop in, check out Priest's set, and head home.

I'm thinking the same thing.  Priest's set list looks awesome.  Purple's not so much ("Woman from Tokyo" isn't on the list), and I'm not a huge Purple fan anyway.

[MirrorMask]

Anyone seen Priest on the current tour supporting Firepower?  I'm thinking of grabbing a last minute ticket to the show tonight with Deep Purple in Irvine....

I've heard they're putting on a good show. I passed on it because I thought it would be depressing. My friend who scored a last minute ticket agreed with both of these points. It was a good show, but pretty sad to those who saw them in their prime.

This -- along with no Glenn and no KK -- is a pretty big deterrent.  The Defenders tour was my second concert ever when I was 16.  On the other hand, secondary market ticket prices are dropping pretty fast, so maybe....

ALSO...is Purple opening for Priest, or is it the other way around???

Priest THEN Purple. I saw Priest twice with the classic lineup (KK and Glenn, in...2005, and then again when they did the anniversary of British Steel tour), and wasn't going to go to this. But a $25 dollar ticket in the lower bowl of the amphitheater changed my mind.

Saw Purple about 10 years ago, and Gillian was horrendous. Subsequent tours that friends attended have confirmed he's worse than ever. So my plan is just to pop in, check out Priest's set, and head home.

Well, you already paid. You're there. It's Deep Purple. Unless you're so attached to the original songs to the point that a mediocre rendition of them causes you physical pain, why not just enjoy the show, or try to?

[El Barto]

I've never seen a Purple show I didn'd find very entertaining.

[pg1067]

So...I bought a ticket for $35 on Stubhub (less than face value).

I missed the opening band (The Temperance Movement) because (a) getting to the venue where they were playing (FivePoint Amphitheatre in Irvine, CA) was a gigantic clusterfuck, and (b) I didn't care about the opnener.

I really enjoyed the Priest set.  The set list is fantastic.  They included four songs off the new album.  I only bought the album about ten days ago, so I'm not real familiar with it, but they played my early favorite, "Rising from Ruins."  The rest of the set was "classic" material (2 songs each from British Steel, HBfL and Vengeance and 1 song each from Defenders, Painkiller, Point of Entry, Sin after Sin and Turbo).

No Glenn and no K.K. was a little odd -- especially since Richie seemed to be doing an intentional imitation of K.K. (although he did a good job at it).  Richie handled probably 90% of the lead guitar work, and Andy Sneap was very much a sideman (kinda like Ian Hill  ).

Rob is still Rob, but....  I really think he seriously needs to think about wrapping things up (at least as far as touring goes).  Not only does he have difficulty with a lot of the iconic screaming, he moves around like a 67 year old man.  With a lot of other bands, rewriting vocal melodies is fine, but the operatic style is the essence of who Rob Halford is.  He also plays a bit of a character on stage.  He could pull it off in the 80s and 90s, but I'm not so sure about it now.

I wouldn't go as far as to say it was "sad," but I do feel like it could become sad if they continue much longer, and I'm doubtful that I would go see them again.

It being a "school night," I did not stick around for Deep Purple.  I was, however, able to hear the opening song ("Highway Star") pretty clearly on my way out to the car, and it sounded pretty good.  The vocals were the part I could hear least well, but it sounded like Gillan was singing pretty well.  After seeing the rest of the set list, I'm glad I didn't stick around.

[El Barto]

Wow. After reading that I looked at DP's setlist and now I'm really sorry they didn't come here. That's about as good as I could hope for nowadays. Uncommon Man seems to be the replacement for Contact Lost and Well Dressed Guitar, and those are always great. Don't think I've seen Bloodsucker played live. I generally prefer Knocking to Strangers. No song I haven't heard of (save for the instrumental). All around damn fine set.

[Stadler]

Wow. After reading that I looked at DP's setlist and now I'm really sorry they didn't come here. That's about as good as I could hope for nowadays. Uncommon Man seems to be the replacement for Contact Lost and Well Dressed Guitar, and those are always great. Don't think I've seen Bloodsucker played live. I generally prefer Knocking to Strangers. No song I haven't heard of (save for the instrumental). All around damn fine set.

That IS a good set.  Big fan of Knockin, and Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming is a great one.   

Also like Desert Plains from Point of Entry, as opposed to the two singles. 

[cramx3]

I've never seen a Purple show I didn'd find very entertaining.

I caught them last year with Alice Cooper and really enjoyed the show.  Didn't love DP, but they were definitely a fun time.  I actually got two tickets for the JP/DP show locally here because it wasn't selling well and they did a super cheap flash sale so I scooped up two thinking I could get my GF to come (she came to the DP and Alice Cooper show) but was blinded by the flash sale and realized I would be in Atlanta for ProgPower instead.  I sold my tickets and made 20 bucks actually while still selling them well under face value (that's how good that sale was).  I've never been too into Judas Priest so I was going really for the experience of two classic bands.  But I got to imagine this is a good show per dollar for anyone debating about going.

[RodrigoAltaf]

Those who are going to see Purple and Priest, DO NOT miss the opening act, The Temperance Movement. I love them!

[TAC]

Just checked them on Spotify. remind me of The Black Crows.

[Samsara]

I couldn't make it, and was bummed. I have the latest from The Temperance Movement, and dug it.

[RodrigoAltaf]

Yeah, they're similar to The Black Crowes, especially the dude's voice. They played here in Toronto last month without Priest or Purple, at the legendary Horseshoe Tavern, a venue that fits only 500 people. It was an AMAZING night, and I took a photo with the singer after the show.

[Stadler]

Can I just say?  I put on Screaming For Vengeance last night in the car and The Hellion/Electric Eye just blew me away.   WOW was it good.  Some of the songs on Side one have not aged well (especially that drum sound) but boy, that's a solid record. 

[Max Kuehnau]

Can I just say?  I put on Screaming For Vengeance last night in the car and The Hellion/Electric Eye just blew me away.   WOW was it good.  Some of the songs on Side one have not aged well (especially that drum sound) but boy, that's a solid record.

I see it as one piece anyway. One of my favourite Priest pieces and records (although I like all of the Halford era albums, Ripper is hit and miss IMHO) They like to open their concerts with that one too (or at least they did on more than one tour)

[pg1067]

Can I just say?  I put on Screaming For Vengeance last night in the car and The Hellion/Electric Eye just blew me away.   WOW was it good.  Some of the songs on Side one have not aged well (especially that drum sound) but boy, that's a solid record.

I've said before (and I think maybe you've agreed) that the period from roughly 1980-84 (or 85) was the golden age of metal, and Priest's output during that time is a big part of that.  The Hellion/Electric Eye is one of the most perfect album/concert openers ever written.  The only arguably weak song on Vengeance is "Pain and Pleasure," although I like it pretty well.

[Stadler]

Can I just say?  I put on Screaming For Vengeance last night in the car and The Hellion/Electric Eye just blew me away.   WOW was it good.  Some of the songs on Side one have not aged well (especially that drum sound) but boy, that's a solid record.

I've said before (and I think maybe you've agreed) that the period from roughly 1980-84 (or 85) was the golden age of metal, and Priest's output during that time is a big part of that.  The Hellion/Electric Eye is one of the most perfect album/concert openers ever written.  The only arguably weak song on Vengeance is "Pain and Pleasure," although I like it pretty well.

Agreed; I'm a big fan of Point of Entry, and I actually prefer Defenders of the Faith to both of them.  That's a good solid run right there.

[KevShmev]

Can I just say?  I put on Screaming For Vengeance last night in the car and The Hellion/Electric Eye just blew me away.   WOW was it good.  Some of the songs on Side one have not aged well (especially that drum sound) but boy, that's a solid record.

I've said before (and I think maybe you've agreed) that the period from roughly 1980-84 (or 85) was the golden age of metal, and Priest's output during that time is a big part of that.  The Hellion/Electric Eye is one of the most perfect album/concert openers ever written.  The only arguably weak song on Vengeance is "Pain and Pleasure," although I like it pretty well.

The title track is the only real skipper for me, although it's not a bad song.

The Hellion and Electric Eye are obviously totally bad ass.

Fever is one of their more underrated deep cuts.

Bloodstone remains one of my favorite Priest tunes ever.

Start to finish, I can't think of a Priest album better than Screaming.

[TAC]

The title track is the only real skipper for me,

On what planet does this even make sense?

[Stadler]

Devil's Child.  For my money - guitars, vocals, lyrics, tempo - it's the quintessential Priest song. 

[KevShmev]

Devil's Child.  For my money - guitars, vocals, lyrics, tempo - it's the quintessential Priest song.

It's a good one, for sure.

The title track is the only real skipper for me,

On what planet does this even make sense?

The planet where a totally rocking song gets dragged down by overly clunky and messy vocal melodies.

[425]

Fever is one of their more underrated deep cuts.

I've never been a huge Priest fan, but I always have enjoyed Screaming for Vengeance quite a bit. After your comment in another thread recently saying that Iron Maiden is like a poor man's Judas Priest, I went back to it and was reminded how fantastic it is. (I'm now going through the whole discography, which I've never done, hoping I'll find more to love.)

I'm mainly posting in this thread to say that Fever is a song that I absolutely love. I never figured it was seen as a big deal to other people, but it's my favorite of their songs and one that I come back to a lot. The main riff sets the mood so well, and Halford's vocals on the verses are just fantastic.

[MirrorMask]

Start to finish, I can't think of a Priest album better than Screaming.

Defenders of the Faith and Painkiller.

And yeah, the song Fever is awesome.

[Stadler]

Start to finish, I can't think of a Priest album better than Screaming.

Defenders of the Faith and Painkiller.

And yeah, the song Fever is awesome.

I mean, I'd have to go through album by album to make sure, but not only do I not like Painkiller better than Screaming, right now it's barely in the top half of Priest albums for me. 

[pg1067]

Can I just say?  I put on Screaming For Vengeance last night in the car and The Hellion/Electric Eye just blew me away.   WOW was it good.  Some of the songs on Side one have not aged well (especially that drum sound) but boy, that's a solid record.

I've said before (and I think maybe you've agreed) that the period from roughly 1980-84 (or 85) was the golden age of metal, and Priest's output during that time is a big part of that.  The Hellion/Electric Eye is one of the most perfect album/concert openers ever written.  The only arguably weak song on Vengeance is "Pain and Pleasure," although I like it pretty well.

The title track is the only real skipper for me, although it's not a bad song.

The Hellion and Electric Eye are obviously totally bad ass.

Fever is one of their more underrated deep cuts.

Bloodstone remains one of my favorite Priest tunes ever.

Start to finish, I can't think of a Priest album better than Screaming.

Vengeance was about a year old when I first got into Priest, and the title track absolutely blew me away.  Otherwise, I agree with all of this (although there are days when I like Defenders better).

Devil's Child.  For my money - guitars, vocals, lyrics, tempo - it's the quintessential Priest song. 

Don't forget the bass!

Seriously, does Ian Hill even have a signature song or moment?

The title track is the only real skipper for me,

On what planet does this even make sense?

The planet where a totally rocking song gets dragged down by overly clunky and messy vocal melodies.

LOL!  It's literally as if Rob said, "there are just too many darn words to fit into these spaces," and the rest of the guys said, "just sing really fast and make them fit!"

[TAC]

It’s as if Kevin Moore wrote it.

[Mladen]

As far as favorite deep cuts on that album go, I always single out Take these chains. It's one of those rare Priest songs that pack a punch in only three minutes and feature some great melodic bits as well. It's such a well crafted song.

[KevShmev]

Start to finish, I can't think of a Priest album better than Screaming.

Defenders of the Faith and Painkiller.

Both of those are really good and would be in my 2nd tier.

I'm mainly posting in this thread to say that Fever is a song that I absolutely love. I never figured it was seen as a big deal to other people, but it's my favorite of their songs and one that I come back to a lot. The main riff sets the mood so well, and Halford's vocals on the verses are just fantastic.

The swirling guitar lead is most awesome as well.

The planet where a totally rocking song gets dragged down by overly clunky and messy vocal melodies.

LOL!  It's literally as if Rob said, "there are just too many darn words to fit into these spaces," and the rest of the guys said, "just sing really fast and make them fit!"

Except that they don't fit and ultimately just sound like a mess.

[Stadler]

Don't forget the bass!

Seriously, does Ian Hill even have a signature song or moment?

Isn't there a song on British Steel that begins with a bass line?  Is it "You Don't Have To Be Old To Be Wise"?

[jjrock88]

Hill is kick ass in Love Bites

[KevShmev]

Don't forget the bass!

Seriously, does Ian Hill even have a signature song or moment?

Isn't there a song on British Steel that begins with a bass line?  Is it "You Don't Have To Be Old To Be Wise"?

The Rage.

Best song on the record!

[pg1067]

Don't forget the bass!

Seriously, does Ian Hill even have a signature song or moment?

Isn't there a song on British Steel that begins with a bass line?  Is it "You Don't Have To Be Old To Be Wise"?

The Rage.

Best song on the record!

The Rage is the best song on an album that includes Rapid Fire, Metal Gods and Grinder?!




I think if I had to point to a "signature moment" for Ian Hill, it would be "Tyrant" on Unleashed in the East (and, more generally, the entire album).  He really stands out on the harmony solo before the last verse.

[KevShmev]

The Rage is the best song on an album that includes Rapid Fire, Metal Gods and Grinder?!

[wolfking]

If we're bringing up underrated deep cuts, Here Comes the Tears.  Could be a top 10 Priest song for me.

Also, Traitor's Gate fast becoming one of my fav Priest songs.  Could sneak into a top 20 at the moment, perhaps higher.

[TAC]

Also, Traitor's Gate fast becoming one of my fav Priest songs.  Could sneak into a top 20 at the moment, perhaps higher.