The mighty Judas Priest celebrates 50 years of metal across the United States with a massive tour so compelling that I flew in from London for this one. While the US isn’t yet allowing Europeans to visit the States, I’m a citizen, so that didn’t apply to me. The fact that they were playing my hometown and I could stop by on my way to a marketing conference I would be speaking at made it worthwhile. It’s great to see live music back in the big venues, and this show was epic. This is the real heavy metal tour of the year.
One of the reasons I love Priest so much is that they take risks while always staying true to themselves. Bringing Sabaton on tour as the opener was a perfect choice. Sabaton is massive here in Europe. The last time I saw them, they had sold out the legendary Brixton Academy and, after that, Wembley Arena. They are pioneers and leaders of the power metal movement, and while their success hasn’t exactly been replicated in the US, they are gaining droves of new fans with each gig.
And why shouldn’t they? The crowd could not be more perfect for the Swedish metal band who theme their songs around heroes of war, both old and new, and their chant-along choruses tie together a blast of metal that would make anyone proud to sing along.
As the support act they have to tone down their shows, so I did miss the life-size tanks and pyros that make Kiss envious, but the important part is the music, which came shining through and translated perfectly to the American audiences. And of course, several Sabaton fans were sporting their t-shirts and going absolutely bonkers in the first row, which would quickly catch on to the rest of the crowd as each band member riled up the audience pretty much non-stop. There wasn’t a dead moment on stage with these guys.
Joakim Brodén founded Sabaton in 1999 with bassist Pär Sundström, and is metal’s perfect frontman with an ideal balance of vocals and energy to hype up the crowd. Guitarists Chris Rörland and Tommy Johansson shred pretty evenly across the stage while drummer Hannes Van Dahl is a fucking machine behind the drums. Until you’ve witnessed a proper power metal show somewhere in Europe, this is the closest thing you will get to see this magic live. The band’s new single “Steel Commanders” is an excellent intro, but start at the beginning and celebrate Sabaton from the early days.
Sabaton set the stage for the metal legends in all their glory. This was a throwback to the days when bands would put the effort into their stage setup and theatrics to match the music themes and social messaging from today. It was a post-apocalyptic atomic wasteland where Priest would bring the metal. Right out of the gate was guitar phenomenon Richie Faulkner (who replaced K.K. Downing in 2011). The first thing you notice is that they could not have picked a better guitarist. Not only does Richie look the part, but he brings a new dynamic that completes the sound while elevating the show.
The man, the legend, the greatest metal singer of all time, Rob Halford, takes to the stage, and the crowd is going bananas at this point. Chant’s of “Priest, Priest, Priest” hit an all-time high, then gradually begin to fade into “Battle Hymn” / “One-Shot At Glory” from the metal classic Painkiller, and we’re off to the races. How in the hell do you cram 50 years of metal into a 90-minute set? You bring in the classics but pull from everywhere, and that’s precisely what they did. “Rocka Rolla” from their debut made an appearance that was in stark contrast to “Lightning Strike” from their latest. Then it was all classics, all the time, from there on out. Four songs from Painkiller with singles cherry-picked from the albums we know and love.
The first thing you notice is that Halford still has it. The metal god’s voice was hitting every fucking note, and he looked to be giving it everything he had to do so. Bassist Ian Hill and drummer Scott Travis laid the foundation while second guitarist Andy Sneap rounded out the lineup nicely. While all eyes were on Halford, Richie Faulkner was equally as impressive and the real showman of the gig. He’s got everything that a great metal show needs: face-melting guitar solos, brilliant interactions with Halford, and the energy of a nuclear bomb. Sadly Richie had an emergency heart condition during the tour’s next stop at the Louder Than Life festival in Louisville. Here’s to a speedy recovery, and all of our heavy metal thoughts and prayers are with him.
Judas Priest will commemorate its legacy with 50 Heavy Metal Years of Music, a special limited-edition box set featuring every official live and studio album released by the English metal gods, plus 13 unreleased discs, totaling 42 CDs on October. 15.
Not ready for the type of commitment? There’s also the less intimidating Reflections: 50 Heavy Metal Years of Music, a condensed 16-track collection of remastered recordings from various studio albums and seven previously unreleased live recordings that’s sure to please. You can pre-order both of them here.
SABATON
